Zapping edibles creates volatile organic compounds and tampers with vitamin content.
Have you noticed that your potatoes never rot or sprout? You can thank irradiation, baby. What is irradiation exactly? (Cue the Neutron Dance music).
It's basically when foods have been zapped with gamma rays (your neutron bombardment), electron beams and/or X-rays to kill bacteria, mould and yeasts. In this country it's mostly used to prolong shelf life, minimize sprouting and prevent spoilage. At this point, the only foods green-lit for irradiation in Canada are onions, potatoes, certain flours, whole/ground spices and dehydrated seasonings.
With the recent XL Foods tainted beef scandal, the idea of adding more food items to the irradiation list is, again, back from the grave. About a decade ago, Health Canada looked at adding chicken, shrimp, beef and mangos to its list of zappable foods, but a public outcry put the kibosh on the move.
Irradiation certainly puts a twist on "made in Canada" options. A great deal of our irradiated food gets dosed with gamma rays from our very own Candu reactors and we're a world leader in irradiating technology. Is that a good thing? Depends who you ask.
The feds and the World Health Organization still insist that food irradiation itself is totally safe, though critics are far from convinced. For one, they say irradiation facilities pose risks to workers, the surrounding environment and public health.
How does irradiation affect food? Well, research has found that it can create volatile organic compounds like benzene and toluene. Plus, irradiating fatty foods like meat creates a genotoxic by-product called cyclobutanone.
It has also been found to lower vitamin content, including vitamin C. Health Canada's own survey found that irradiation at proposed doses can be expected to reduce the thiamin, riboflavin and niacin content of ground beef.
Of course, irradiation proponents say canning and cooking also reduce the nutrient levels of many foods, but, come on, do we need to zap food's vitamin content before we even get cooking? After 30 cat deaths were linked to irradiated pet food depleted of vitamin A in Australia, the country banned the practice of mandatory irradiation of cat food in particular.
FYI, up to 50kGy (kilograys of "absorbed energy") is allowed for pet foods in Canada, whereas max doses of 10 kGy are okayed to sterilize spices.
The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment has spoken out against meat irradiation, saying it only serves to mask shoddy meat handling practices at processing plants. CAPE's past president, Warren Bell, says, "A statement that irradiated meat is safe for human consumption has no basis in fact whatsoever.''
Even Health Canada admits that meat irradiation wouldn't guarantee food safety and doesn't eliminate bacteria altogether; irradiated food still has to be handled properly. That means, yes, even irradiated chicken shouldn't be rubbed on faucets and wooden cutting boards. And if all the above hasn't swayed you, Consumer Reports says irradiated meat tastes slightly off - like "singed hair." Delish.
Meat aside, how can you tell if your onion or onion powder's been zapped? Well, prepackaged foods that contain over 10 per cent irradiated ingredients have to have the international radiation symbol somewhere on the packet (check the fine print for a green circular symbol with a statement that says it's been irradiated). Under 10 per cent and there's no requirement to spill the beans.
That means canned soup or frozen dinners with irradiated spices don't have to say a word. As for food that isn't prepackaged, like loose potatoes or onions, they're supposed to have a sign displayed with the food telling you as much.
You won't get the same info for food cooked into dishes, so don't look for irradiation labels on restaurant or fast food menus or in catered or cafeteria meals. It's not mandated.
More bad news: studies in four European countries found an average of 25 per cent of dietary herbal supplements had been zapped illegally and without labelling. On the bright side, certified organic foods aren't allowed to contain any irradiated ingredients.
And though spinach, iceberg lettuce, shellfish and over 15 million pounds of ground beef and poultry get irradiated every year in the U.S., they're not allowed to be sold on Canuck turf. Let's keep it that way.