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Irradiated foods present a danger to Colorado's consumers, school children, and local ranchers according to "A Dangerous Deal: How Irradiated Foods Put Colorado Consumers at Risk", a report released today by the Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG) and Public Citizen.

"Despite growing evidence that exposing food to radiation presents serious health risks, this product is being offered to Coloradoans without any attempt to educate them about the potential side-effects involved," said Ben Davis, CoPIRG's municipal advocate.

Irradiation exposes food to radiation levels that are equivalent to as many as one billion chest x-rays. Evidence shows that this process changes the food's composition by creating 55 chemicals not originally found in the product. These chemicals are suspected catalysts for birth defects, reproductive dysfunction, liver damage, and may also encourage a faster growth rate in cancerous cells. The food irradiation industry claims this is a valuable way to combat an increase in food-borne illness. Opponents believe the best way to fight this problem is through better regulations on how food is produced, inspected, stored and handled during cooking.

In Colorado, some King Soopers, City Market, Avanza and Sun Mart stores are currently offering irradiated meat and papayas to consumers. Federal labeling requires that irradiated foods be labeled "treated with radiation" or "treated by radiation" along with the international symbol for radiation—the radura. This symbol resembles a flower with two petals inside of a broken circle.

On May 29, 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the approval of irradiated ground beef for the National School Lunch Program. As of Jan. 1, 2004, school districts will have the option of buying this product for 13 to 20 cents more per pound from the USDA through their respective State Boards of Education. The federal labeling requirements for irradiated food only apply to food sold in stores, and there is no requirement that the school districts notify parents or separate these foods from non-irradiated choices. The State of Colorado has taken a neutral stance on this issue, allowing school districts to decide for themselves whether or not to purchase this product. To date, no school districts have taken a stance for or against.

"The last thing students need is another item on the school lunch menu that is nutritionally bankrupt," said Monique Mikhail, a national organizer with Public Citizen. "Schools should focus on providing healthy, wholesome meals for children, not spending extra money on a an unnecessary and possibly unsafe product."

A third effect that irradiated foods may have on Colorado is found in the local ranching communities. By exposing food to radiation, food distributors are able to increase their shelf life and ship the food longer distances. Many food irradiation facilities are located outside of the U.S., and local ranchers will be forced to compete in an increasingly international market.

"Irradiation is not the solution to providing safe meat," said Sue Jarrett, a local rancher. "Cleaning up the slaughterhouses that process enormous amounts of animals at a reckless pace in unsanitary conditions is the solution."

The Colorado Public Interest Research Group and Public Citizen recommend several solutions to this problem:

• The state of Colorado should pass a ban on serving irradiated foods in schools or at the very least, make it mandatory for schools serving irradiated food to provide written notification to parents, have signage in the cafeteria, and always provide a non-irradiated meal option.

• Individual Colorado school districts should pass resolutions banning irradiated foods in their respective school lunch programs.

• Supermarkets should remove irradiated foods from their shelves, or ensure clear labeling of irradiated ingredients.

• Based on new research, the FDA should suspend pending approvals of ready-to-eat foods and seafood.

• FDA should exercise the precautionary principle by issuing a moratorium of irradiated food, as well as suspending approval of irradiated beef in the National School Lunch Program, until conclusive studies have been done to determine "safe" levels of chemicals in irradiated ground beef.

The mission of CoPIRG is to deliver persistent, result-oriented public interest activism that protects the consumers in Colorado, encourages a fair sustainable economy and fosters responsive democratic government.

Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.citizen.org.