WASHINGTON – The government proposed Tuesday relaxing its rules on labeling of irradiated food and suggested it may allow some products zapped with radiation to be called “pasteurized.”
The Food and Drug Administration said the proposed rule would require companies to label irradiated food only when the radiation treatment causes a material change to the product. Examples includes changes to the taste, texture, smell or shelf life of a food, which would be flagged in the new labeling.
The technique kills bacteria but does not cause food to become radioactive.
The FDA also proposed letting companies use the term “pasteurized” to describe irradiated food. To do so, they would have to show the FDA that the radiation kills germs as well as the pasteurization process does.
Pasteurization typically involves heating a product to a high temperature and then cooling it rapidly.
The FDA will accept public comments on the proposal for 90 days.
A consumer group immediately urged the FDA to drop the idea.
“This move by FDA would deny consumers clear information about whether they are buying food that has been exposed to high doses of ionizing radiation,” Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food &Water Watch, said in a statement.
The FDA requires the small number of FDA-regulated food now treated with radiation to bear identifying labels, including the radiation symbol. Food still requires FDA approval before it can be irradiated. Examples currently radiated include a small number of fruits, vegetables, spices and eggs.
The proposed rule would apply only to food regulated by the FDA.
However, if and when the rule is finalized, the Department of Agriculture could undergo a similar process to change the irradiation labeling requirements for the food it regulates, including meat and poultry, a USDA spokeswoman said.
To comment on the proposal, go online to the Food and Drug Administration’s Web site, www.fda.gov, and click on “Comment on proposed regulations” under the Let Us Hear From You heading.
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