|
|
|
|
.
.
.
.
*** We need better hygiene at food production and food processing facilities, rather than expensive technologies to sterilize dirty food. Please do not irradiate lettuce, spinach, or any other food. Irradiation is proven to reduce nutrition and create free radicals, and not enough research has been done.
***
Irradiating food should not only be avoided, it should be banned! This is not a
solution, it is putting a Band-Aid on the gaping wound that is the poor food safety
practice in this country. There are necessary hygenic procedures that all factory-
farmed produce must go through in order to keep it safe and pathogen-free.
Permitting irradiation is like saying "it's okay, go right ahead and SKIP those very necessary procedures." I do not want my food potentially contaminated with fecal matter containing E. Coli even if the bacteria in that fecal matter has been
rendered sterile by irradiation. This approval will only lead to even more lax and
lazy follow-up of proper procedure. Correctly processed foodstuffs do NOT require
irradiation to make them safe for consumption. The FDA should be chasing down
those people who cause safety hazards in food due to lack of proper procedure
instead of making it easier for them to break the rules in the future.
Furthermore, if I buy something that should be fresh, I want it to actually BE
fresh. I do not want it to have been sitting in a refrigerated case for six weeks,
its "freshness" artificially maintained by its dose of irradiation. If I want something preserved, I'll buy it preserved. Irradiation is not preservation, it is false advertising! It is poor ethics and lazy procedure! BAN IT!
 I've just about had it with the FDA and USDA! |
.
.
***Please don't allow radiation of food. The food we eat should be eaten as it was grown and picked. If there are concerns of bacteria and pathogens have the
farmers and growers clean up there operations. You are harming the entire
population by allowing this, there is no way this could be good for the consumer!!
*** It is unsafe practice to allow condititons that foster illness (growing spinach in unsanitary conditions) to go unchecked and treat the illness (irradiation) rather than to clean the growing conditions to prevent the problem in the first place. Irradiation has a known negative effect on food. It is the work of the regulators to make food safe for consumers, and to ensure guidelines for growers that promotes quality food.
Encouraging mass irradiaton is blatant neglect on the part of these regulators.
They should instead be concerned about ensuring that the producers of the
product are following safe practices.
***Please do NOT allow food to be radiated..it will kill and nutritional valve that may be left,
***If it's irraditated, it NOT organic and should be labeled as such. Don't let our food
get ruined or mislabeled.
***Do NOT irradicate to destroy disease causing pathogens in any vegetables. 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.
***Food irradiation causes more problems than it solves. Clean up agri-business and please do not nuke the food supply.
***Another band-aide solution...irradiation of foods! More free radicals for our overburdened immune systems to have to deal with. As well, this presents both
extensively known and unknown problems to consumer health in the future. More
than ever people are attempting to take control of their health by changing poor
eating habits and demanding purity in the foods they buy/consume. This is the
stage in our government's evolution that should see big changes and insight for
the future, but what is instead proposed is to wash the problem away with a
dangerous "quick fix", allowing the current horrific factory farming industry to
continue destroying the health of our nation. It is truly a time of "change" as so
many are demanding it...so don't you think it is time to look at the real problem
here which is factory farming practices? Stop blaming the crops and start
demanding conditions be changed and upgraded so that everything we consume
is safe and pure. Lets not lower the standards of quality to make up for the
present disgraces that is "FACTORY-FARMING"!
*** Please don't ignore the dangerous and long term effects of irradiating our food.
*** please explore safer ways to make our food safe to eat rather than introducing radiation and all of it's byproducts into our food supply. thank you. janice wall
***I am absolutely disgusted that the FDA has approved irradiation of lettuce and spinach, let alone any other food product. I believe that this is a totally unsafe
practice and I will NOT, under any circumstances, purchase anything with the
irradiation label. The big boys need to clean up their farming/butchering/packaging practices instead of relying on irradiation to kill whatever they've introduced into our food through their unsafe handling.
***are you insane? who are you working for? obviously the health of the American people is not high on the priority list. unbelievable...
*** To Whom it May Concern,
Irradiating food is unconscionable. Why is it that for hundreds of years people
were able to eat food from their gardens and farmers without being made ill? Are
there pathogens that just sprung up out of the earth that didn't exist before?
Doubtful. Take responsibility to protect the taxpayers and people of the US by
doing your jobs by inspection and regulated compliance. What a shame that our
tax dollars are not spent to protect the consumers.
Lena Rothman
Food irradiation can eliminate bacteria and extend shelf-life, but may have an adverse effect on smell, appearance, taste and the consumer.
*** NO to Irradiated food! Eliminate the contamination don't "clean" the contamination. Citizens shouldn't suffer from toxic free radicals, vitamin and nutrient loss, and the formation of carcinogenic chemicals.
***
The use of Ionized radiation to "clean-up" the results of factory farming is missing the point on two fronts.
1. The need to "clean-up/radiate" factory farmed lettuces and spinach is directly connected to the problem of size. The size of the farming operation; and the size of the harvesting and packaging processes.
2. The need to "clean-up/radiate" factory farmed lettuces and spinach is also connected to the distribution and transportation and "Shelf-Life" of packaged produce.
Instead of irradiating our foods let's re-organize our national food supply. What about exploring placing limits on the size of vegetable farming operations; set limits on the distance that produce can travel from a farm; re-think packaged produce; require dates on packaged produce; etc. ...
*** Please do not allow this unsafe practice. There are enough chemicals on this produce without allowing irradiation. Please reconsider.
***This irradiation concept is unacceptable. Please take care of the production side so that we consumers do not have to eat irradiated food because the condition of commercial feedlots is contaminated. We consumers are beginning to mistrust everything about the FDA and our food sources - please work to get the proper funding by supporting an administration that wants to serve the people - not neglect and in many cases kill them!
***Don't approve Irradiated Lettuce and Spinach
*** It is unacceptable to allow ionizing radiation on produce. Instead we need to clean up our food production. I am an organic farmer, and I see clean food production on the family farms in our area. It's not that hard, and that's what government should be insuring instead of approving risky high tech "fixes." Thank you for giving consumers healthy food choices instead of approving industry shortcuts and scams.
*** I am writing to protest the use of irradiated lettuce and spinach in this country. In
the process of irradiation, hazards arise, such as the creation of toxic free
radicals, vitamin and nutrient loss, and the formation of carcinogenic chemicals.
Stop the poisoning of our society through our food sources. The FDA has allowed
unsafe practices to continue for far too long and until they take responsibility for their actions and stop allowing others to dictate what is safe and unsafe our great country will slowly but surely become a country of sick, unhealthy and obese
people. Shame on the US Government for allowing this and other toxic practices
to happen to the taxpaying people of this nation.
*** Please clean up the food chain instead of poisoning us with nuclear toxins!!! You should be ashamed of yourselves for even thinking of such a thing. You will not prevail.
***
I could not be more opposed to this legislation.
Ionizing radiation leads only to toxic free radicals, vitamin and nutrient loss, and the formation of carcinogenic chemicals in an already nutrient depleted and
otherwise compromised food supply. This CANNOT be allowed to happen...particularly in a nation where health care is already collapsing.
I, personally, will never consume a product that has been (or I suspect may have
been) irradiated in any way, shape or form and will recommend my clients follow
the same guideline. ~Nora Gedgaudas, CNS, CNT
***Please consider NOT allowing irradiation of lettuce and spinach.
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 creation of 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 or consent.
I would suggest dealing with the problem by investigating and cleaning up industrial farming feedlots, so that the manure from these is safe to use.
As a consumer, I am very concerned about this issue for my family.
Thank you.
***Do not authorize irridiation of spinach and lettuce. Start by requiring clean up of the feed lots. Animal bacteria comes from animals, not vegetables. If feed lots were required to clean up their waste and control the run off, vegetable growers would have an easier time producing clean spinach and lettuces. In any event irradiation is not the answer, it's typical of overkill and there are far superior solutions to the problem of contaminated food supply, especially where the public health is concerned. The FDA solution would make matters worse, not better.
*** Clean-up industrial feedlots instead of irradiating our food. Why can't you put effort to find a SOLUTION in having safe food without harming the environment.
***It is my firm professional and personal belief that any organization, hospital or restaurant serving irradiated foodstuffs should be required to clearly disclose this information to the end-consumer. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Thank you. Deborah Young MD
*** STOP irradiating our food. NOW!
***Please stop this dangerous procedure of radiating our food and clean up the industrial foodlots instead!!!
***Irradiation makes food more dangerous. Research supports this. Stop supporting corporations and start supporting people.
*** Please stop the irradiation of our food. Food is our major source of health and nutrition. I applaud the effort to bring to our tables non contaminated foods, but irradiation is NOT the answer. It strips nutrients from the foods and forms carcinogens on the foods. Please, please help to keep our basic source of health healthy!!! With the rising costs of health care, let people have the power in their grocery stores to eat nutrient-rich foods!
***I am opposed to your recent decision to allow irradiation of spinach and lettuces. Sanitary conditions at the source of our food chain would prevent such radical and unhealthy measures from being necessary. Require feedlots to clean up their act instead of destroying the healthful properties of our foods.
***We should be making sure the produce that is available for sale is fresh and free from harmful substances. We should also be purchasing products from reputable sellers who take care of their goods safely. We should not be irradiating foods.
No one should have to eat foods that have been treated in this way without our
knowledge. There haven't even been any long term studies done on this. Please
reconsider this action. I'm sure it will not bring health and well being to our people. Thank You, Laura LaMie
***I'm concerned about irradiation's effects on the food I eat, and that our children eat.
*** We need better hygiene at food production and food processing facilities, rather than expensive, toxic technologies to sterilize dirty food. Don't permit irradiation of dirty food, process clean food instead!
*** We strongly oppose the irradiation of produce and urge the FDA to discontinue its long-standing practice of catering to special interest groups and neglecting its mandate to protect the food supply for US citizens.
Rather than irradiating produce and meat products, the FDA, in conjunction with
the USDA, must re-evaluate the food processing standards now being employed
in the agricultural and livestock sectors, and eliminate the systemic and inherent
contributors to food contamination within the various food-production systems
themselves rather than deploy and employ dangerous, irradiation technologies
that cause more health problems than they supposedly solve.
Tony B. Rich
President & CEO
IdeasOne Incorporated
*** I understand that you wish to provide clean food for the masses. However, irradiation further complicates the processes by destroying natural parts of the whole, and thus possibly contaminates it.
Please don't authorize the irradiation of food in any form that is not clearly marked for the end user - down to the consumer in the restaurant, not just the chef. Moreover, as with GMO foods, irradiated food does not qualify as organic.
*** 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.We don't want that risk, especially when this is FDA
regulated which we would like to trust to take care of our food.
It has been proven that serious health problems in laboratory testing, including
premature death, fatal internal bleeding, cancer, stillbirths and other reproductive problems, mutations and other genetic damage, organ malfunctions, stunted growth and vitamin deficiencies have come from this. This should not be FDA
approved.
***Consumer Comments on Food Irradiation
bravenet.com
