Do You Know What Pasteurization and Irradiation Really Mean?

Dr. Mercola | VitalVotes.com

If the FDA gets its way, a rule the agency proposed earlier this week would ease labeling issues surrounding irradiated foods -- think the conventional beef you see at your corner grocery store. In fact, the FDA may allow some radiation-zapped food products to be labeled as pasteurized.

New rules would only require the use of the "irradiated" label in the event radiation makes a material change (taste, shelf life or texture) to the product, so if it looks and smells as normal, chances are better than good you won't know whether that specific food has been "nuked" or not.

Rightly so, consumer groups aren't at all happy with the proposal that "would deny consumers clear information about whether they are buying food that has been exposed to high doses of ionizing radiation," according to Food & Water Watch. Industry groups like the Grocery Manufacturers/Food Products Association are elated about it, however, considering the irradiated label has such a negative impact on consumers it acts like "a warning label."

All the more reason you should stay away from processed foods entirely, restrict your meat choices to grass-fed or organic meats and seek out local sources for the foods you eat.