"We know that irradiating hamburger kills at least 99.9 percent of the time two of the most common causes of food borne illness-- E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella bacteria," said Michael T. Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 900,000 cases of illness, 8,500 hospitalizations, and 352 deaths could be avoided if just 50 percent of raw meat and poultry consumed in the United States were irradiated.
The CDC estimates that each year 62,000 people are infected with E. coli O157:H7 through contaminated food and approximately 50 people die. Eating non-irradiated, undercooked ground beef causes many of these illnesses. In addition, the CDC estimates that about 1.3 million cases of Salmonella poisoning attributed to food are reported each year and kill about 550 people each year. Children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are most likely to suffer severe Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 infections.
Irradiated hamburgers are currently widely available in approximately 7,000 grocery stores nationwide. Consumer studies have shown that the taste of irradiated foods is not significantly changed and some studies have shown that people prefer the taste of irradiated burgers.
The safety of the food irradiation process has been established by more than 90 years of research, including rigorous and intensive studies in the last 40 years examining the safety and wholesomeness of irradiated foods. Because irradiation reduces harmful pathogens and improves food safety, the process has been reviewed and endorsed by major national and international scientific, technical, and professional organizations, including: World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Medical Association (AMA), American Dietetic Association (ADA), European Commission – Scientific Committee on Food (EC-SCF), and others.
Despite the benefits of consuming irradiated foods, some groups raise hypothetical concerns about the possibility of irradiated foods causing harmful health effects. Experts from the WHO, USDA, FDA and many other scientific organizations have found no evidence that irradiated food is toxic, carcinogenic, or in any way harmful or hazardous to human health.
"While eating irradiated hamburgers can greatly reduce the chance of getting a foodborne illness, it is not a substitute for safe and sanitary food processing and manufacturing. It is also not a substitute for good personal and kitchen hygiene. It is one more tool we have in our food safety arsenal," said Osterholm. "My advice to backyard grillers this weekend is use irradiated hamburger – and give yourself that peace of mind."
For more information, go to: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu
Note: CIDRAP receives funding from various public and private organizations and institutions, including non-restricted support from SureBeam Corporation, Ecolab, and IBA, companies involved in food irradiation.