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Take Action - Tell the FDA Not to Approve Irradiation for Seafood!

An industry trade association, National Fisheries Institute (NFI), petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry to allow for the irradiation of mollusks in 1999. In 2001, NFI filed another petition with the FDA to allow for the irradiation of crustaceans, including shrimp. FDA is currently evaluating those petitions, while the industry is pressuring the agency to move forward and approve the petitions.

Irradiation is the process by which food is exposed to high doses of radiation—the equivalent of up to 1 billion chest x-rays. Irradiation kills bacteria and extends the shelf life of food, but destroys vitamins and creates new chemical compounds. Problems include, but are not limited to, premature death, fatal internal bleeding, prenatal death, suppressed immune systems, tumors, stunted growth and nutritional deficiencies.

Irradiation addresses less than seven percent of contamination found in seafood. In fact, if consumers believe their food to be safe, they are less likely to follow strict handling and cooking precautions and are more likely to get sick as a result. If the seafood industry truly wants to protect consumers, it should educate them about the real sources of poisonings, instead of offering them a deceptive security blanket.

Click HERE to send a free fax to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, telling them not to allow for the irradiation of shellfish!

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