Because irradiation is considered a food ingredient, it first had to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which did so in 1997. Late last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) gave irradiation for red meat the go-ahead, clearing the way for a process clouded by controversy for years. Whether or not meat processors and the public will accept irradiation is another question. Nonetheless, in May irradiated beef went on sale for the first time at several Minnesota grocery stores.

Irradiation exposes food to a high dose of radiant energy, usually gamma rays, to reduce or eliminate harmful bacteria, such as E. coli or Salmonella. In the wake of numerous meat-associated foodborne illness outbreaks over the past decade, industry, scientists and consumer groups have pushed Congress and the administration to approve irradiation. An E. coli outbreak from contaminated hamburgers purchased at outlets of the Jack-in-Box fast food chain killed four children and sickened almost 600 in 1993, and E. coli contamination in ground beef at one Hudson Beef plant in 1997 led to the largest food recall in history.

On One Hand...

Irradiating food will greatly improve the safety of the nation's food supply, cutting the risk of foodborne illness from several deadly pathogens. Food companies withhold this practice at their own risk--thousands of lives could be saved a year if processors used the process. Irradiation could prove to be as significant a development in public health as was pasteurization of milk and the chlorination of water. Irradiation has been used, examined and approved repeatedly over the past 50 years. Contrary to widespread myths, it does not make food radioactive or less nutritious.

On the Other Hand...

Meat irradiation allows the food industry to continue to sell dirty, contaminated products to the public without cleaning up their practices. E. coli, a deadly pathogen present in meat, naturally occurs in cattle intestines and only contaminates food when feces spill into meat during slaughter and processing. Irradiated food is still contaminated, the contamination is merely sterilized. Do consumers really want to eat "clean" feces on their hamburgers? There are other viable alternatives to "nuking" our food. Other potentially cost-effective methods include steam pasteurization, steam vacuuming, ozone treatment and chemical treatment. No long-term studies on the safety of irradiated foods exist.

• Irradiation kills harmful pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7; Listeria and Salmonella.

• Shortly after World War II, the U.S. Army began experimenting with irradiating fresh foods for its troops.

• The FDA has permitted the use of irradiation for such uses as curbing insects and microorganisms in spices and retarding spoilage in fruits and vegetables since 1963. In 1985, FDA approved irradiation for the control of Trichinella spiralis (which causes trichinosis) in pork. In 1992, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection service approved the use of irradiation in raw packaged poultry.

• Foodborne diseases cause 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the U.S. every year.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, International Consultative Group on Food Irradiation, Organic Consumers Association