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  Concerned Citizens in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania! Stop Irradiated Meat at Wegmans!Wegmans grocery stores have recently begun to sell "fresh" irradiated ground beef under their own Wegmans label. They will tell you it is the safest choice. They will tell you it is eco-friendly. They will tell you that with irradiation you can eat your hamburgers rare. Here is what they will not tell you: Irradiation exposes food to a dose of ionizing radiation that is equivalent to millions of chest x-rays in order to kill bacteria and to extend shelf-life. However, it also depletes vitamins and nutrients, as well as creating new chemicals, many of which have not been adequately tested for safety. One of these chemical byproducts has recently been found to promote cancer growth and cause genetic damage in human and rat cells. The real purpose of irradiation is to mask filthy conditions in slaughterhouses and food processing plants that operate at ever-increasing speeds. The problem often begins with the inhumane, unhealthy, and environmentally-damaging conditions at large factory-style farms. Although irradiation can kill most bacteria in food, it does nothing to remove the carriers of this bacteria: feces and other contaminants that often soil meat. The bottom line is this: irradiated filth is still filth. Wegmans has taken great pains to point out that SureBeam, the company irradiating the meat, uses "non-nuclear" electricity for their "e-beam" technology. However, whether ionizing radiation comes from radioactive materials or "e-beams," its effect on food is the same; the only difference is how the radiation is produced. Vote with your food dollars – don’t buy irradiated ground beef! Write to Wegmans telling them to stop carrying irradiated beef! And, write a letter to the editor voicing the problems with irradiated meat to raise awareness of this issue! SAMPLE LETTER Mr. Robert Wegman
Dear Mr. Wegman, I am writing to urge you to stop selling irradiated meat. I am surprised that your company, which prides itself on quality food, would sell its customers food processed using a questionable technology that perpetuates unsustainable, unhealthy meat production. Irradiated meat is unsafe and I refuse to buy it. It makes me question my trust of the Wegmans brand label. Previous test marketing efforts have shown that consumers do not want to eat food that has been exposed to high doses of ionizing radiation. In 2001, citing poor sales and low consumer interest, more than 80 grocery stores and meat markets in Florida and Wisconsin pulled irradiated beef products from their shelves. Irradiated food has not been proven safe to eat. It not only degrades the nutritional content of food, but research has revealed a wide range of health problems in animals that ate irradiated food including premature death, fatal internal bleeding, a rare form of cancer, stillbirths and other reproductive problems, genetic damage, organ malfunctions and nutritional deficiencies. In addition, the FDA did not follow its own testing protocols when legalizing irradiated food. As your customer, I demand and deserve fresh, wholesome, safe food that has been grown and processed in clean environments. I do not want my family or my community to be "guinea pigs" for this controversial technology. If Wegmans cares about the community and truly wishes to provide "food we feel good about," then you should use your chain’s buying power to pressure your suppliers to adopt safe, sustainable farming practices. I urge you to remove irradiated meat from your stores until these lingering health questions have been adequately addressed. Sincerely, Your Name & Address more resources
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