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***Please- stop the insanity of radiating food. Are you trying the kill the Earth? We need healthy food for our future generations to survive. . . .Don't Mess With God's Food! . . .
***I totally disagree in the use of irradiation on food products especially vegetables.
Why is it that companies are allowed to use poisons and the like to rid products
of disease causing pathogens. Aren't there enough poisons on our earth already.
Why not have the companies clean up the problems inherent in a disease-ridden
factory-farmed food system. Surely the way the products are grown and handled
is the cause of these pathogens.
***please reverse the approval of irradiating any and all foods. why are we not using ozone treatment which is safe. we could be cleaning up the cattle feed lots instead. we do not want to destroy or change the naturally ac curing enzymes and nutrient content in these foods. this will force us to grow or own or stop eating these foods all together. thank you for you time cheryl mendiola
***I am completely against the irradiation food. I am sick of this agency using wasting tax money on your looser policies that do more harm than good. You folks are nothing more than corporate whores. Big biz tells you what it wants and you do it. We need to give your agency a big enema and get rid of all your policies and employees that are corporate clones and corp. exports. You are a complete disservice to overall and long term public and planetary well being.
***Just as it is more productive to treat and cure the cause of an illness rather than simply to palliate symptoms, so would it be more effective to treat the causes of the recent food-borne pathogen outbreaks in spinach and iceberg lettuce by addressing the agricultural factors that caused the problem, rather than simply to treat (kill) these foods with poisonous ionizing radiation.
Irradiating food disrupts its life force energy and cell structure, impairs
nutritional value, produces free radicals and quite possibly will have negative
health effects down the line for the people who eat this food. Furthermore,
natural, fresh food is meant to be eaten fresh for a reason; extending the
"shelf life" of raw living foods should not be a goal!
In the spirit of your stated aim to increase food safety - not to decrease
health and vitality - please reverse your recent decision to irradiate more
human foods, and consider stopping food irradiation altogether.
Yours truly, Diana Allen, MS, CNS Clinical Nutritionist.gif)
***Stop trying to kill us. Irradiating food is a very bad idea. You're idiots if you think otherwise. The thing is, I know you're not idiots, you're doing it intentionally to kill people.
***I am writing to oppose the irradiation of spinach and lettuce. I encourage instead the cleanup of industrial feedlots and other ways to protect ourselves. The risks of irradiation are too severe to allow this to happen. Free radicals are formed, vitamins and nutrients are decreased, and carcinogens are created. We need to find a better way. Thank you, Claire Stone
***Please do not allow the irradiation of lettuce, spinach or any other food products.
I am concerned about the process causing the formation of free radicals, which
among other results, can cause the destruction of antioxidants. I am concerned
about the process causing the formation of carcinogens and bacterial mutation.
There are safer technologies such as ultra high pressure technology.
Thank you very much Penny Gang RPh
***Please do not irradiate our spinach and lettuce or any other food. The real root of the problem lies in factory farmed animals. Please focus on feed lots not our produce. Thank You Jaime Jones
***Hello, Please clean up industrial food lots instead of irradiating our food. As a consumer, I am concerned with the quality of my food as these products are not labeled in restaurants and schools, and as the process of irradiation has effects such as the creation of toxic free radicals, vitamin and nutrient loss, and the formation of carcinogenic chemicals. thank you.
***To go ahead with a process that is not proven to be 100 percent safe is folly. I consume only organic food whenever possible. If food in restaurants or supermarkets is irradiated, I want to be informed of that fact.
***FDA : clean-up industrial feed lots instead of irradiating our food. Costly Irradiating destroys the quality of our food. It is more important that animal feed lots and drainage issues be confronted and delt with by the FDA. Stand up to big business and do this. The consequences will be far more serious to the food chain and consequent health of our population if positive steps are not taken right now.We trust you will take this into serious consideration. The American people expect and deserve immediate attention to this important issue.
***The process of radiating vegetables tainted by disease-ridden waste from factory farms (breeding centers for animal diseases) is dangerous and an incredibly stupid idea given the already poor nutritional value of much of American food. What would be a much better idea would be to regulate slaughterhouses and feedlots such
that the conditions that produce dangerous forms of E. coli, for example, are eliminated. The FDA could, for example, provide incentives for farms that allow animals to go out to pasture, eat organic grasses (as they were meant to), and avoid, whenever possible, the widespread use of antiobiotics. If the FDA actually
means to protect the American public's health, this would be the path the organization would take. Good luck with Monsanto's and Cargill's and the meat producers' lobbyists!
***PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT LET OUR FOOD BE IRRADIATED JUST BECAUSE THE COMPANYS ARE NOT WILLING TO KEEP THERE FARMS CLEAN. I AM FULLY CAPABLE OF WASHING AND CLEANING MY FOOD IN PREPARATION AND DO NOT WANT TO HAVE IRRADIATED FOOD!!!!! PLEASE GO WITH THE PEOPLE AND NOT WITH THE COMPANYS WHO ABUSE THEIR MONEY AND POWER TO OVER RULE WHAT IS RIGHT, IN THIS CASE NOT IRRADIATING FOOD AND BEING RESPONSIBLE COMPANIES AND KEEPING THEIR FARMS CLEAN!!! PLEASE NO IRRADIATION!!!
SINCERELY, MICHELLE RIVERA
***Please do not allow the use of ionizing radiation on spinach and lettuce. We are already exposing our youth to too many chemicals and forms of radiation. It may increase the shelf life of the food products, but in the end I believe it will harm the lives of those exposed.
***I have been a science educator in the biological, chemical, and physical sciences for over 20 years. I would like to submit my opinion concerning the irradiation of foodstuffs in the U.S. I strongly oppose any type of food irradiation and would vote against any attempts to institute it in the United States.
Irradiated food is changed greatly in its composition - resulting in a loss of
vitamins, some minerals, and many other compounds necessary for proper nutrition. In addition, many other types of compounds are created within the food that could result in our foods becoming poisonous and/or carcinogenic. Once again, count me against any irradiation of foods in our country.
Samuel L. Shultz
*** I PROTEST STRONGLY THE FDA'S DECISION TO USE RADIATION ON ANY RAW VEGETABLE FOR HUMAN OR THAT MATTER ANIMAL CONSUMPTION. I AM ESPECIALLY APPALLED THAT NO LABELING IS REQUIRED FOR RESTAURANTS, NURSING HOMES, ETC. IT SEEMS ONLY OUR ASSOCIATION HAS PROVEN THAT WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS BEING DONE WITH OUR FOOD, WHERE IS COMES FROM AND WE ESPECIALLY WANT TO KNOW OF GMO FOODS. WE ARE A
PEOPLE THAT ARE ENTITLED TO CHOOSE WHAT WE WANT TO EAT-NOT BE FORCED TO
DO AS THE FOOD MONGREL AND MONSANTO SEE FIT TO DO SOLELY FOR THEIR PROFITS- AND YOU...THE FDA HAVE NO MORE CONCERN OR CONCIOUS CONCERNING THE AMERICAN PUBLIC THAN THOSE THAT PREY ON THE PUBLIC. I WILL NOT BUY ANY RADIATED FOOOD...EVER NOR WILL I STOP VOICING MY OPINION ABOUT THE FDA'S LACK OF RESPONSIBILITY TO AMERICANS...UNTIL SOMETHING, SOMEWHERE, AND SOME ONE THAT TRULY CARES TO DO THEIR JOBS, ...DOES
IT.
***The negative effects of irradiated food upon a consumer's health are scientifically proven in many studies. YOU KNOW THIS. How much longer will you continue to sell your soul for hand-outs and bribes? Life is worth much more than Gold. The People of America deserve better. I am willing to forgive you.
Please, listen to your conscience.
***Please do not create additional problems with our food supply by trying to fix the wrong problem. Do not irradiate any more of our food supply! Fix the problems with the way we grow, prepare and ship our food. This band-aid approach will only create more side-effects that will need to be addressed later. Please please please stop supporting big business and support the average consumer of REAL food products--unadulterated and whole, sustainably raised and affordable to everyone who is hungry.
***Dear FDA Comments Reader, I am writing to express my concern over the proposal to use radiation at low levels to knock out problematic bacteria on fresh fruit and vegetables. I believe more stringent standards at the source regarding cleanliness, proximity to animals and overall hygienic condition of workers would probably decrease the need for irradiating produce . I am also concerned about the effect of radiation on the nutritional value of the produce which is subjected to this treatment.
I also ask what other countries do this to their food supply and what other countries might be interested in our produce if they know that it has been irradiated? Lastly, I wonder why it is that subjected subpopulations of this country will have no say in the treatment of their food supply: children, old folks, prisoners, students. This strikes me as unfair. Yours sincerely,
Tom Weissenberger Cpt PA-C USAl
***Dear Sirs: I urge you NOT TO pass this decision to allow irradiation of produce. I have written several books on the subject of the health benefits of raw, living food with vitamins and enzymes intact. Irradiation effectively kills not only the pathogins, but also the LIVING constituant parts of the produce, including the vitamins, enzymes and other vital phytochemicals. This step would be made in complete ignorance of the long range health hazards of devitalizing the nutritional content of our foods. Lettuce and spinach are among the few foods that people eat in its raw condition. We can expect to see a skyrocketing rate of health problems in our population once this tough-to-repeal food processing standard is allowed. Feel free to contact me for further input. Peter Shockey / author
*** Please don't irradiate my veggies.Clean up the beef industry instead
*** I disagree with the FDA's proposal to allow irradiation of additional foods. The irradiation can lead to mutant forms of E.coli, Salmonella and other pathogenic bacteria. It also results in some nutrient loss and the creation of more free radicals. I also think that there should be a requirement that cases these foods are sold in are clearly identified and that restaurants be required to provide this information to customers upon request.
***I think that you need to take a serious look at how you are harming people. Irradiation of food can damage people in ways that we can not completely understand. Instead of destroying the few nutrients that are left in the food - you need to take a look at the real problem instead of covering it up by irradiation.
The crops soil is so depleted that the food has much fewer nutrients than in the past and the plants and the soil are contaminated by chemicals that create countless problems in humans, animals and the planet. The animal waste that is spread on the crops is full of issues because the animals are stuck in a cell
when they should have sunlight, pasture to gaze in, lots of room for movement - instead they are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics because they are so sick. How about our food supply come from local sources the way nature intended with out all of the added chemicals,herbicides, pesticides, irradiation, and
genetic modification.
Humans should eat healthy organic food that is taken care of so that we have the best nutrition possible. We should not eat anything that is processed to change it's natural state. You need to look at how the health in our nation has declined so drastically because of all of these needles regulations. The
European Union does not allow this to happen in their country because they understand how harmful this is to us. Take a lesson from them and wake up!
***I strongly oppose the irradiation of lettuce, spinach, any other green crops, or any meats. These are methods of despair by agencies who refuse to control the powerful agribusiness industry. Government needs to supervise the cleanup of oversized feedlots, disposal of livestock wastes, and the cleanliness of workers in the fields (that means supplying toilets and water). These are responsible methods which attack the source of the problem, not band-aids on the problem
after it is manifested. Irradiation has many drawbacks: creation of free radicals, destruction of nutrients, etc. Furthermore, it only encourages false trust in our nuclear industry, which profits from these practices. End irradiation now. Jeffrey M. Dickemann Ph.D., Professsor Emeritus of Anthropology, Sonoma State University
*** As a conscious consumer, food lover and cook I want to know what I'm eating when I buy food at a store or in a restaurant. By allowing food to be radiated, the nutritional value of said food is decreasing dramatically. We already have a huge health crisis on our hands in the US and I believe that the FDA should be making healthy choices that would benefit consumers and the overall public in the long run and not just taking the easy way out of the problem by allowing radiated food on the market. I urge you to reconsider your decision and prevent radiated foods from being allowed out into the food market. thank you, Jeff Gicklhorn
***I am opposed to the irradiation of any foods for public consumption. I understand that irradiating lettuce and spinach has been or will be approved shortly. I am concerned that irradiation will cause the formation of free radicals that cause health problems. Irradiation of food may also be a cause of nutrient loss from food; formation of benzene and toluene is likely, which are carcinogens. There are better alternatives to improve food quality that irradiation; cleaning up the factory farms is a step in the right direction.
***I am opposed to the government choosing to irradiate lettuce and spinach without consumer approval. As the consumer of spinach and lettuce, I choose not to eat irradiated product, for several reasons. Please honor the consumer and treat food with respect! No irradiated fresh foods! Restaurants must fall under the same category as supermarkets for serving irradiated food. It must be labeled! Thank you.
***Do not allow ionizing radiation for the control of food borne pathogens and infectious protozoa on lettuce and spinach. We need to clean up the industry not worsen it. Furthermore, all irradiated foods need to be labeled, including in hospitals and schools.
*** Please do not Irradiate our food supply, it is a very foolish move that will cost people their lives. FDA Should do their job and inspect and tag vegetables from where ever they come from. Have you people no shame, This is a government organization not a private self promoting entity at the beck and call of industry. You are creating dangerous standards that will destroy life.
***No to Irradiation. Yes to labeling.
*** I am shocked to hear that the FDA will soon permit the irradiation of spinach and lettuce. I have grave concerns regarding the safety of this practice, particularly with regard to free radical production, creation of carcinogenic components, and nutrient loss. I am especially worried about the effects of long-term consumption of such products, and horrified that this has been deemed to be an effective means of ensuring food safety for the American population. As a conscientious consumer, I am always looking to the United States government for policies that will encourage the consumption of locally-grown, organic foods that are sustainably farmed. Food irradiation seems to be an irrational techno-fix for the problems facing American farmers and consumers. I sincerely hope the FDA will rethink its decision, and at the very least mandate that customers in restaurants, children (and parents) in schools, and patients
nursing homes be warned before they consume irradiated foods.
***People have a right to know what processes their food has undergone. It is the job of this Government to protect people from potentially harmful substances; and if nothing else, to allow people to make informed decisions. In the process of irradiation, other hazards arise, like the creation of toxic free radicals, vitamin and nutrient loss, and the formation of carcinogenic chemicals. AT LEAST LABEL FOODS THAT HAVE UNDERGONE THIS HARMFUL TREATMENT. GIVE US THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE!
***Please do not approve irradiation of foods. As a physician, I know that many medications cannot be irradiated because they will lose their potency. Our foods need to be treated as carefully or more as our medications in order for them to keep their quality. Do not approve radiation which can cause harmful effects. Instead, please mandate for producers to improve and monitor standards in order to maintain sanitary conditions of food supply.
***I am asking you to reconsider your irradiation program. I disagree with your theories, and I do NOT want to eat irradiated food. You can force the industry to change it's dangerous and destructive growing practices. I am asking you to outlaw the use of all pesticides, farmed animals should be raised according to their natural state, for instance, cattle should be given room to roam, and grass to eat. I am advocating a consumer movement against these unhealthy and undesirable practices.
*** don't irradiate our foods! Please, we have enough non-natural stuff on our foods.
***Stop the madness. And clean up the toxins at the source use clean water, clean fertilizer in the growing process and each step till it gets to our table. just use basic good old common sense. If you use toxic material for your growing medium you're going to end up w/toxic food, plus bacteria, parasites, and depleted nutrients in our food. Don't radiate and kill what little nutrients that's left in our food. We need all we can get.
*** As a science educator, I've had students perform science experiments on various vegetables that have been irradiated. In all of the tests that me and my students have completed we have found the irradiated vegetables have significant problems. With these findings, how can we as consumers trust that irradiating vegetables won't cause problems with people's health when they consume these products?
Please do not begin irradiating our food. It causes too many problems with the basic cellular makeup of the vegetables which can in turn cause problems in the humans who injest them. Thank you.
***The use of ionizing radiation on green vegetables is not born of nutritional wisdom but of greed. The
FDA should know better.
***This is unacceptable. You have no idea what the long term affects of such a decision could be.
*** Its high time that the FDA get its head out of the big business ### and start defending the people that the organization originally stands for and that is the protection of the people of the United States of America. Do your job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
***Instead of allowing produce to be irradiated, destroying valuable nutrients, reform the factory farm system that promotes the spread of pathogens in our food supply!!! Please get to the root of the problem instead of creating more problems with our food!!!
***Dear FDA officials, I am totally opposed to the proposed loosening of standards in regard to irradiation of our food supply. Please do not go forward with what is being proposed to worsen the foods that we eat.
***Please, do not subject the people of this country to the irradiation of spinach and lettuce. It is my belief that a process that poses more questions than it does solutions, unhealthy ones at that, should never be implemented into a system as large as the US. Take a note from the EU for once, if it harms one person, get rid of it. Don't wait for it to negatively affect the majority of the consumers only to find out its too late.
***
For so many reasons I am opposed to irradiating food, unless your goal is to
make food less nutritious, less health-giving and more health-destroying. I understand the need to make our food safer to eat, but irradiating it serves only those who are polluting our food supply in the first place and those who make the irradiation machines. It is at least good that you plan to require irradiated
food to be labeled as such in the grocery store. If you make the wrong-headed
decision to allow irradiation of lettuce and spinach, you need to include the labeling requirement for those products in schools, hospitals, restaurants, etc., everywhere that someone could eat such denatured food.
***We are strongly against the use of radiation for treating human and/or animal food in any way, shape or form!
Please DO NOT allow irradiated food to be sold AT ALL, but failing that you MUST
require that a warning label be placed on ALL irradiated foods, no matter where
they are sold.
*** The FDA should be ashamed of itself when it passed its approval of irradiating lettuce and spinach. Rather than protecting the citizens of the U.S., once again, big money wins and the people lose.
***Rather than dealing with the problems inherent in a disease-ridden factory-farmed food system, why does the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) propose allowing the irradiation of lettuce and spinach? Food irradiation is very controversial since it is the bombarding of food with high levels of x-rays (ionizing radiation) in order to destroy disease causing pathogens. Unfortunately, in the process of irradiation, other hazards arise, like the creation of toxic free radicals, vitamin and nutrient loss, and the formation of carcinogenic chemicals. Don't allow this irradiation of food. Get the food distributors to clean up their facilities and promote testing of food supplies. We do not want the value of our food to be diminished even more.
***I'm just a very CONCERNED CITIZEN and I DO NOT want my food Irradiated! Rather than dealing with the problems inherent in a disease-ridden factory-farmed food system, you will allow the irradiation of lettuce and spinach! NO WAY!
***I'm writing to let you know how outraged i am for the irradiation of the spinach. The FDA needs to clean-up industrial feedlots instead of irradiating our food. It's a very clever thing they've done to make it seem they are 'protecting' people. It's not fair for people who don't want it irradiated. If it EVER gets to the point they make it mandatory, i will buy my own greenhouse and grow my own food, so that i can get the nutrients i need. By irradiating food, you kill its phytonutrients, the living enzymes. I will not stand for this. We’re supposed to live in a FREE COUNTRY, not being controlled by the government/FDA/Big Pharma.
*** Please do not allow irradiation of our food supply-- there are better, safer ways to help with food safety. Inducing more free-radicals and carcinogens into our foods by way of irradiation is a crime!
Thank you, Nancy
***Rather than dealing with the problems inherent in a disease-ridden factory-farmed food system, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in mid- September it will allow the irradiation of lettuce and spinach. Food irradiation is the controversial practice of bombarding food with high levels of x-rays (ionizing radiation) in order to destroy disease causing pathogens. Unfortunately, in the process of irradiation, other hazards arise, like the creation of toxic free radicals, vitamin and nutrient loss, and the formation of carcinogenic chemicals.
While irradiated lettuce and spinach must be labeled in supermarkets, there are
currently no labeling requirements whatsoever for restaurants, schools, hospitals,
or nursing homes serving irradiated produce or other nuked foods such as beef.
Over the past decade, OCA and our allies in the organic community have
prevented corporate agribusiness and the nuclear industry from contaminating
organic standards. Food irradiation is prohibited on any product labeled
as "organic."
Irradiating food makes food more dangerous, not safer. Some major concerns with
food irradiation include:
-The formation of free radicals, which can set off chain reactions in the body that
destroy antioxidants, tear apart cell membranes, and make the body more
susceptible to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, liver damage, muscular breakdown
and other serious problems.
-Serious health problems in laboratory testing, including, including premature
death, fatal internal bleeding, cancer, stillbirths and other reproductive problems,
mutations and other genetic damage, organ malfunctions, stunted growth and
vitamin deficiencies.
-The creating mutant forms of dangerous bacteria, like E. coli and Salmonella
-Nutrient loss in foods, including the destruction of vitamins and essential fatty
acids.
-The formation of carcinogenic chemicals, like benzene and toluene.
-While irradiated lettuce and spinach must be labeled in supermarkets, there are
currently no labeling requirements for restaurants serving irradiated produce or
other items. Patrons and clients may consume irradiated lettuce and spinach in
the future without their knowledge, nor consent.
-There are many alternatives to irradiation. Time for the FDA to support a food
system that really protects people from harmful toxins -- irradiation is not one of
them.
***I am outraged to learn of your decision to do this to spinach and lettuces. This is unacceptable!
*** I wholeheartedly OPPOSE irradiated food. I will STOP shopping at major grocery stores if I find that you are practicing this.
I don't trust it, and it probably lowers the nutritional value of the food. I'll cook it myself thank you very much.
***Irradiating food makes food more dangerous, not safer. My concerns are:
the formation free radicals, creating mutant forms of dangerous bacteria, nutrient
loss in foods, the formation of carcinogenic chemicals and serious health
problems in laboratory testing such as premature death, fatal internal bleeding ,
cancer, stillbirths, genetic damage, stunted growth and vitamin deficiencies.
Make the food safer by implementing safer/better farming practices.
***This is totally irresponsible. How could you allow this and be representing yourself
as operating in the public good. Shame on you.
***please find and fix the problem at the source so that spinach and lettuce don't have to be bombarded with harmful x-rays. Thank you.
***Irradiating vegetables that are meant for human consumption is an extremely unwise choice. The practice leaves the affected vegetables full of free radicals and other compounds that are very likely to be carcinogenic.
Sufficient testing has NOT been done--there hasn't even been enough time to
conduct the necessary long-term studies that would be needed to ascertain the
safety level of irradiated vegetables in relation to risk of cancer. Label or
not, it shouldn't be allowed. The FDA's job is to ensure that all food is safe,
not to approve even the most edgy ideas in hopes that they won't have to be
repealed.
***To who it may concern in the FDA, As a Health Professional for the past 33 yrs. and as a comsumer as well, I'm
dismayed that you have chosen to irradiate health promoting vegetables like
spinch and lettuce; thereby, creating an unhealthy product instead.
Please do your job correctly and protect the public by controlling the
contamination at its source(Animal feed lots, Animal factories, etc) and thereby,
controlling the problem by sanitation rather than by sterilization. By doing so, you
would protect the public, clean-up an industry which needs to be, and protect the
environment as well. Sincerely, Hal
***There has not been sufficient investigation into the affects of irradiation of food on the nutritional value of the food and possible conversion of components into undesirable chemicals.
***
I object to the use of radiation to reduce contaminants in food. The public would
be better served by cleaning up the food lots, especially beef/poultry. IN addition
to releasing free radicals into the food item there is also a degradation of nutrients in those items. In addition,I feel that the public absolutely needs to know if they are buying irradiated food and those food items should not be considered USDA ORGANIC.
*** I do not support irradiation of spinach and lettuce and other foods.It's a band-aid to one of the many problems created by factory farm practices. Clean up factory farms to keep our food safe and healthy. Don't make a bad problem a larger and worse problem. Sincerely, Kay
*** I am against irritation of lettuce and spinach. I'm all for organic.
***Please reconsider allowing food to be irradiated. I do not believe it is safe of what most people want. Instead please greatly improve inspection and safety of food growing and processing facilities.
*** Rather than treating the symptoms, how about treating the disease: unclean
factory farming and agribusiness. Food should not have to be irradiated to be safe if the food chain is clean.
***I have a question: Instead of dealing with the problems inherent in a disease-ridden factory-farmed food system, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will allow the irradiation of lettuce and spinach?
Give me and the rest of the population a break! You don't think E.coli or
Salmonella will begin to change in order to survive irradiation. The reason our
food is contaminated now is because of these super parasites and bacterias have
evolved to survive chemicals, pesticides and even cleaning. Why not for ONCE
tackle the source of the problem instead of dealing only with the symptoms. I
thought the FDA is supposed to protect the people, not the businesses.
Face the facts: Food irradiation is the controversial practice of bombarding
food with high levels of x-rays (ionizing radiation) in order to destroy disease
causing pathogens. Unfortunately, in the process of irradiation, other hazards
arise, like the creation of toxic free radicals, vitamin and nutrient loss, and
the formation of carcinogenic chemicals. MMMM SOUNDS DELICIOUS.
***This appears to be a very short-sighted solution with long-reaching and damaging results! It also seems to be serving an industry instead of the general populace. We don't need additional free radicals! We don't need additional loss of
nutrients, vitamins, and essential fatty acids! We don't need the creation of
more mutant forms of bacteria! We don't need the increased formation of
carcinogens like benzene and toluene! We don't need increased serious health
problems in this country!
There are many healthy alternatives to irradiation. They are also probably less
expensive and will definitely be less harmful to the people.
There is also the issue of the current food system. Irradiation is not even a
band aid. It does not fix anything, it just causes more problems. It would
prove to be a disaster of epic proportions.
*** Please quit messing with our food!! Adding another treatment like irradiation to food processing only compounds the potential problems with our food chain. It opens the door to new hazards caused
by this process, damaging the food, undermining nutrition, creating dangerous free
radicals and carcinogens. I REALLY don't want to eat irradiated food and won't buy these products anymore if this legislation is passed.
We need to get back to basics -- pure, healthy food grown naturally. We know
this untampered-with food is safe and healthy.
We need to get back to growing food more locally so that problems in the food
supply are manageable and can be identified and corrected, having less dramatic,
geographically far reaching effects. Having to search all over the world to find
contamination is a serious drawback when it occurs.
Let's try working to fix the system instead of putting another problem causing
patch on things.
***People have a right to know what processes their food has undergone. It is the job of this Government to protect people from potentially harmful substances; and if nothing else, to allow people to make informed decisions. In the process of irradiation, other hazards arise, like the creation of toxic free radicals, vitamin and nutrient loss, and the formation of carcinogenic
chemicals. AT LEAST LABEL FOODS THAT HAVE UNDERGONE THIS HARMFUL TREATMENT. GIVE US THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE!
***Please do not approve irradiation of foods. As a physician I know that many medications cannot be irradiated because they will lose their potency. Our foods need to be treated as carefully or more as our medications in order for them to keep their quality. Do not approve radiation which can cause harmful effects.Instead, please mandate for producers to improve and monitor standards in order to maintain sanitary conditions of food supply.
*** I am asking you to reconsider your irradiation program. I disagree with your
theories, and I do NOT want to eat irradiated food. You can force the industry to
change it's dangerous and destructive growing practices. I am asking you to
outlaw the use of all pesticides, farmed animals should be raised according to
their natural state, for instance, cattle should be given room to roam, and grass to
eat. I am advocating a consumer movement against these unhealthy and undesireable
practices.
***Don't irradiate our foods! Please, we have enough non-natural stuff on our foods.
***Stop the madness. And clean up the toxins at the source use clean water, clean
fertilizer in the growing process and each step till it gets to our table. just use
basic good old common sense. If you use toxic material for your growing medium
you're going to end up w/toxic food, plus bacteria, parasites, and depleted
nutrients in our food. Don't radiate and kill what little nutrients that's left in our food. We need all we can get.
*** As a science educator, I've had students perform science experiments on various vegetables that have been irradiated. In all of the tests that me and my students have completed we have found the irradiated vegetables have significant problems. With these findings, how can we as consumers trust that irradiating vegetables won't cause problems with people's health when they consume these products?
Please do not begin irradiating our food. It causes too many problems with the
basic cellular makeup of the vegetables which can in turn cause problems in the
humans who injest them. Thank you.
***The use of ionizing radiation on green vegetables is not born of nutritional wisdom but of greed. The
FDA should know better.
*** This is unacceptable. You have no idea what the long term affects of such a decision could be.
***Its high time that the FDA get its head out of the big business ### and start defending the people that the organization originally stands for and that is the protection of the people of the United States of America. Do your job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*** Instead of allowing produce to be irradiated, destroying valuable nutrients, reform the factory farm
system that promotes the spread of pathogens in our food supply!!! Please get to the root of the problem instead of creating more problems with our food!!!
***I do not support irradiation of spinach and lettuce and other foods.It's a
band-aid to one of the many problems created by factory farm practices. Clean up
factory farms to keep our food safe and healthy. Don't make a bad problem a
larger and worse problem. Sincerely, Kay
***I am against irritation of lettuce and spinach. im all for organic
*** Please reconsider allowing food to be irradiated. I do not believe it is safe of what most people want. Instead please greatly improve inspection and safety of food growing and processing facilities.
***Rather than treating the symptoms, how about treating the disease: unclean
factory farming and agribusiness. Food should not have to be irradiated to be safe if the food chain is clean.
*** This appears to be a very short-sighted solution with long-reaching and damaging
results! It also seems to be serving an industry instead of the general populace.
We don't need additional free radicals! We don't need additional loss of
nutrients, vitamins, and essential fatty acids! We don't need the creation of
more mutant forms of bacteria! We don't need the increased formation of
carcinogens like benzene and toluene! We don't need increased serious health
problems in this country!
There are many healthy alternatives to irradiation. They are also probably less
expensive and will definitely be less harmful to the people.
There is also the issue of the current food system. Irradiation is not even a
band aid. It does not fix anything, it just causes more problems. It would
prove to be a disaster of epic proportions.
***Unfortunately most people have no idea what is happening to our food, but the few who do will not purchase irradiated food for various health reasons - and we will educate others. The nice little green flower on the radura symbol is a joke, as deceitful as the claim that the irradiation of our food poses no danger to consumers. Haven't the corporations messed up our food enough? The backlash will not be pleasant for them and if they keep it up it will surely come.
***The allowed irradiation of vegetables and meats subjects individuals to unacceptable risks (particularly without labeling requirements). I am contacting my elected officials to inform them of this unwarranted use of radiation by corporate farms. Another FDA blunder. When will you people get it?
***As an agency that is in the business of protecting my health, this is a request that you do not commence irradiating our green foods, specifically spinach and lettuce as you have plans to do.
Irradiation causes nutrients to be destroyed. Hence, the population can
be at risk for nutritional deficiencies due to the irradiation. What specifically
would they be at risk for? You have not advised us of this therefore, masses
of people would not even know what their risks are by eating irradiated spinach.
If you intend to carry out your plans to irradiate these greens then it is your
responsibility to inform the public of their risks in consuming produce that
is not fully a food because of its destroyed nutrients.
This is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY as you are in business to protect the public.
Thank you.
***I highly disagree with the FDA's proposal to allow irradiation of spinach and lettuce. I am angry that the government of the wealthiest country in the world continues to treat RESULT(feces on mishandled agricultural products) rather than CAUSE (poor regulation/oversight of production). It might be more costly to regulate spinach and lettuce agriculture than to irradiate the products-- but sometimes we need to get a conscience and do the right thing, costly or not.
*** The food we have is so low in nutrients compared to years ago and now you want to irradiate our lettuce and spinach hoping to destroy disease causing pathogens.
***I think our country would be better served if you made big agri-businesses clean up their feedlots and what they feed their animals. It seems like every time
there is an e-coli or salmonella outbreak it's because of contaminated water
near a big agri-business farm. It seems to me you just want to put a bandaid on
the problem(like irradiation) instead of actually fixing the problem.
***Our world is so unsafe and our foods so dangerous to eat that we do not need
radiation to make it more dangerous. Clean up our meat supply instead. Radiation
is dangerous. This is just another way to kill off our people or give more
people cancer and other diseases. I remember when i was growing up in the 40s
50s and 60s that i did not know one person who had cancer and most of the new
diseases. Once the FDA and the government started to control and let other
countries ship in dangerous vegetables and fruits is when things bad started
happening. Control imports instead. leave our home grown fruit and veggies
alone. I think if the growers are checked more often and the processing plants
checked all the time we would not have these outbreaks of food borne problems.
I for one am starting to grow more at home and will even pay for heating a green
house just so i can have a better quality of greens and such for my table as I
do not trust imports one bit.
***Deal with the problems inherent in a disease-ridden factory-farmed food system.
DO NOT allow the irradiation of lettuce and spinach. Food irradiation is the
controversial practice of bombarding food with high levels of x-rays (ionizing
radiation) in order to destroy disease causing pathogens. Unfortunately, in the
process of irradiation, other hazards arise, like the creation of toxic free radicals, vitamin and nutrient loss, and the formation of carcinogenic chemicals.
Thank you
*** Is shelf life extention more important then providing nutritious food to humans? Please look to other means of bacterial control and shelf life extention. Irradiating food is not the answer.
***I ask you to stop this irradiation approval and do it on your food only for a few years...if nothing happens then we will go along, but now stop this practice and do the will of the people that pays you every paycheck. Thanks
***Dear Food & Drug Administration:
The citizens of the United States are already overfed and malnourished thanks to
large scale factory farming of produce & livestock. Irradiating lettuce and spinach
will decrease the amounts of nutrients in those products. These malnourished
individuals are steadily increasing the costs of healthcare in this country.
Those of us who "know better" are spending our hard earned dollars on organically
raised produce & animal products because we know they are more nutritious,
there are numerous studies to support this, and organic farms are better for the
environment.
We as a nation need to turn back the clock on how we grow and produce food for
our people. If people were not so malnourished they would be able to produce the
defenses they need to fight bacteria that they may ingest through their food.
Please don't approve irradiation of lettuce & spinach. It will simply open the flood
gates for all produce with the exception of organic to be irradiated which will
ultimately cost us all in healthcare dollars.
Sincerely,
Regina Basterrechea, MS, CNC
Nutritionist
***It is time to deal with the problems inherent in a disease-ridden factory-farmed food system. Food irradiation is controversial, the practice of bombarding food with high levels of x-rays (ionizing radiation) in order to destroy disease causing pathogens does not solve the problem. Unfortunately, in the process of irradiation, other hazards arise, like the creation of toxic free radicals, vitamin and nutrient loss, and the formation of carcinogenic chemicals. Rather than continuing and re- enforcing the problem of clean-up, it is time to require these farms to take responsibility for their actions.
While irradiated lettuce and spinach must be labeled in supermarkets, there are
currently no labeling requirements whatsoever for restaurants, schools, hospitals,
or nursing homes serving irradiated produce or other nuked foods such as beef.
Therefore, we, the consumers, have no choice for protecting ourselves from the
practice of irradiation.
*** Radiation of food is not the answer to our food health problems. Only 1% of the food is inspected that comes into the US---We need more inspectors to check facilities where food is processed. Radiation of food makes the food vitamin deficient and mineral deficient plus radioactivity in our environment causes other health risks. It is bad food policy.. and a poor excuse to continue not inspecting food coming into the US.. Please Do your job for the sake of the people's live you are supposed to be protecting from health dangers..
*** Please don't irradiate lettuce and spinach.
***Consumer Comments on Food Irradiation
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