Good or Bad?

What is food irradiation?  Food irradiation is the process of treating food with a specific dosage of ionizing radiation. The major effect of irradiation is to generate short-lived and transient radicals that that turn damage DNA and intercellular structures.

Pros  Food safety technology that can eliminate disease-causing microorganisms  It is an effective way of killing pathogens that cause food-borne illnesses.  Nutritional value is unchanged  Food does not become radioactive

Pros  Parasites and insect pests are killed by low dose of irradiation  It is a cold process: the food is essentially raw  Hasn’t gone through any thermal process

Cons  Not as good as good sanitation and safety procedures  Doesn’t entirely eliminate microorganisms  Its more expensive to do  Just covers up the problem doesn’t really fix it  Damages quality of the food

Cons  Uses a lot of energy which could create environmental hazards  Might not work on all foods  Still cases of E. coli breakouts  Not a bulletproof system

Works Cited  "Thoughts on Irradiated Foods." Grist. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct  "Pros & Cons of Food Irradiation." Pros & Cons of Food Irradiation. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct  "Food Irradiation Facts." Pros and Cons. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct <  "The Facts about Food Irradiation." The Facts about Food Irradiation. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct