An Economic Assessment of Food Safety Regulations

Irradiation of Meat and Poultry Products

Another option for controlling pathogens in meat and

poultry is irradiation.  Irradiation is a process that ex-

poses products to ionizing radiation.  The radiation

harms or kills the cells of insects, molds, or microbial

pathogens that could be present in the product.   The

radiation is measured in units called “kilograys” (kGy).

Doses of 2.5 to 3.0 kGy are sufficient to kill many

foodborne pathogens, such as 

E. coli O157:H7.

Irradiation offers advantages over other methods of

treating foods for insects, molds, and microbial patho-

gens.  Unlike chemical or heat treatments, which can

leave residues or alter a food’s texture, color, or flavor,

irradiation achieves its effects without significantly raising

the food’s temperature, leaving the food closer to its

unprocessed state.  Some studies have found that

irradiation at higher doses can create off-flavors, odors,

and discoloration in beef and chicken, although other

studies found no such effects.  Irradiation dose, product

temperature, and packaging used during irradiation can

affect the results.  (Morrison et al., forthcoming)

Irradiating foods requires FDA approval; in addition, FSIS

approval is also required for red meat or poultry.   Cur-

rently, irradiation is allowed for two uses in meat and

poultry -- inactivating 

Trichinella spiralis (the parasite that

causes trichinosis) in fresh or previously frozen pork, and

for controlling 

Salmonella and other pathogens in un-

cooked poultry.   Treatment is allowed on fresh or frozen

uncooked whole carcasses and parts but not on cooked

or cured poultry parts or those containing added ingredi-

ents.  The product must be packaged prior to treatment,

and labeled with a statement saying “Treated with

Radiation” or “Treated by Irradiation.”   A petition to

irradiate red meat is under review by the Food and Drug

Administration.

To date, irradiation has seen limited application in the

United States.  Although irradiation of pork to control

Trichinella spiralis was approved in 1986, no commercial

applications have appeared in this country.   One firm,

FOOD TECHnology Service of Plant City, Florida, has

been irradiating poultry products for the retail market and

hospitals since 1993.   Currently, all of its irradiated

poultry goes to health care and foodservice outlets.

Despite scientific evidence of the effectiveness and

safety of irradiation and regulatory approval of selected

uses of the process, few food processors and retailers

are offering irradiated products.  Some processors and

retailers are uncertain about whether consumers will buy

irradiated products and fear boycotts from groups

opposed to food irradiation.

Consumer resistance to irradiated products may be

reduced through education about the safety benefits of

irradiated foods.   A survey by the Food Marketing

Institute in 1996 indicated that nearly half of the respon-

dents knew nothing about irradiation.  However, among

those who had some knowledge of irradiation, a clear

majority indicated that they were willing to buy “a food

product like strawberries, poultry, pork, or beef, if it had

been irradiated to kill germs or bacteria” (FMI, 1996).  A

1993 survey by the American Meat Institute Foundation

found 54 percent of respondents willing to buy irradiated

meat after being told that irradiation can kill the bacteria

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Economic Research Service/USDA

An Economic Assessment of Food Safety Regulations

that cause foodborne illness if present in raw meat (AMI,

1993).

In February 1997,  irradiated chicken was sold in a

supermarket in Manhattan, Kansas. Fox and Olson

(1997) reported that at the same market price as

unirradiated product, 43 percent of consumers purchased

the irradiated chicken breasts.   When information about

the public health protection benefits of irradiation was

supplied, irradiated chicken purchases increased to 80

percent. Fox and Olson found that 30 percent of shop-

pers were willing to pay a 10 percent premium for irradi-

ated chicken breasts.

For the foreseeable future, widespread adoption of

irradiation as a solution to microbial pathogens in meat

and poultry is unlikely.  However,  irradiation can be

expected to play a limited role, perhaps for products in

niche markets (i.e., targeted for individuals at higher risk

of foodborne illness).