FDA Likes Irradiation

"India alone grows 1,000 varieties of mangoes in such delectable variations as the sweet, orange-skinned Alphonso, the Bombay Green and the Bangalora. Here in the U.S., we rarely see more than one lonely variety at the local supermarket, but that’s all about to change. Soon consumers will be able to sample the sweet and tart nectars of many more imported fruits and vegetables from Thailand, India and Mexico piled high in the produce section. But there’s a catch: this fruit will arrive irradiated.

Shoppers may not be the wiser. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules in place since 1986 have required the radura—a symbol for irradiation that resembles a flower in a broken circle—on placards in front of produce displays or on packaged food like ground beef, along with the statement: “treated with radiation” or “treated by irradiation.” But last April, the FDA proposed a revision to those rules."

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