FDA approves use of irradiation on lettuce and spinach.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of irradiation technology to control food-borne pathogens in iceberg lettuce and spinach. "FDA concludes that irradiation of iceberg lettuce and spinach, conducted in accordance with good manufacturing practices, will reduce or eliminate bacterial populations," the agency said.

The agency has concluded that such practices present no threat to human health and will improve food safety in the produce sector. According to the FDA, low doses of radiation will kill various food-borne illnesses, including salmonella and listeria. "There is no reason to suspect a toxicological hazard due to consumption of an irradiated food," the FDA concluded.

The decision comes in the wake of a number of high-profile food safety scares and has been welcomed by the industry.

"This decision by FDA is a very significant step forward in helping to improve the safety of fresh produce. This technology is simply one more tool that industry will have at its disposal to provide consumers with safe food products," Grocery Manufacturers' Association chief science officer Robert Brackett said. However, Brackett warned: "The adoption of this technology cannot in any way serve as a substitute for industry adherence to good agricultural and sanitary practices that are so essential to maintaining a safe food supply."

Not everyone agrees irradiation of lettuce and spinach is a good idea. "It's the latest in a series of PR moves designed to mislead the public from the fact that the government is asleep at the wheel here," said Ronnie Cummins, national director of the Organic Consumers Association, an organic food watchdog group.

Randy Huffman, president of the American Meat Institute Foundation, which favors irradiation of food, holds a different view. "Any group that is opposed to a proven, safe technology that enhances food safety is misguided," Huffman said.

"Food irradiation is a pseudo-fix," said Bill Freese, a science policy analyst with the Center for Food Safety in Washington. "It's a way to try to come in and clean up problems that are created in the middle of the food production chain. I think it's clearly a disincentive to clean up the problems at the source."

Advocates contend that irradiation doesn't change the flavor of the food. They argue that irradiation adds an important final "kill step" to the food production chain. "Hopefully there'll be some manufacturers that will take that step," said Bill Marler, a Seattle attorney who represents food contamination victims. "Hopefully the public will be less concerned about it. All the evidence suggests that there's not a risk."