Zapped! Irradiation and the Death of Food

"The U.S. is rushing toward food irradiation as a panacea for preventing food poisoning. Recent outbreaks of E. coli bacteria in lettuce, spinach, and onions have reinvigorated interest in irradiation as a way to prevent food-borne illness. At the same time, as this book goes to press, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering a new rule that would weaken labeling of irradiated food and prevent consumers from knowing that their food has been exposed to large doses of radiation." - Excerpt from the preface of Zapped!

Halfway through 2008, the United States has already seen the highest number of food recalls ever, including the biggest meat recall in history. With food safety problems on the rise and a public justifiably fearful for their health, the federal government is looking everywhere for solutions. Enter food irradiation—a dangerous and expensive technology that is being pushed by industry as a panacea to all our food-borne illness worries. But it will not solve the problem—and may create new ones.Buyer beware! As irradiation quietly seeps into our food supply, Zapped explodes the scandalous ways government and industry have colluded to approve this potentially deadly technology. Like those who ingest irradiated food products, readers may never fully recover from the fallout of Zapped. Expect Zapped to have an exceedingly long half-life!
– Gail A. Eisnitz, author, Slaughterhouse; recipient, 2004 Albert Schweitzer Award

Wenonah Hauter’s groundbreaking new book, Zapped! Irradiation and the Death of Food brings to light for the first time the science—and the politics—behind food irradiation. Written in accessible terms, Zapped! brings the issue to the eye of a public thathas been kept in the dark by corporations whose interests lie in profits, not in safer food. Timely and fact-filled, the book details the rise of irradiation in the American food supply and the many studies that have shown its potentially deadly health effects. In her no-nonsense style, Hauter reveals a decades-long public relations ruse and the players who have carried it off.

In this era of food safety crises, the concern that Americans have about their food supply is legitimate. But irradiation is expensive, impractical and ineffective—in fact, it’s helpless against mad cow disease, bird flu, foot-and-mouth disease, Norwalk virus, and other pathogens.

Rather than deceive the public with technologies designed to further corporate interests, the food industry must address the real problems-–too-fast processing lines, too-long distances for food to travel, and dirty conditions at plants. Until that time, food safety crises will likely continue. No silver-bullet techno-fix can substitute.

Written plainly and passionately, Zapped! is more than a polemic. It’s packed with resources for the activist as well as nuts-and-bolts facts about irradiation, past and present. Americans have a right to know what is happening to their food, and to speak out against unsafe and unhealthy practices. Hauter’s new book will empower citizens to do just that.

Wenonah Hauter is the executive director of Food & Water Watch. She has worked extensively on energy, food, water, and environmental issues at the national, state and local level. Experienced in developing policy positions and legislative strategies, she is also a skilled and accomplished organizer, having lobbied and developed grassroots field strategy and action plans. She has also held leadership positions at Public Citizen, Citizen Action, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. She has an M.S. in Applied Anthropology from the University of Maryland.

Zapped is a call to action for everyone who eats!

More at www.zappedfood.org

Food & Water Watch is a nonprofit consumer rights organization based in Washington, D.C. that challenges the corporate controland abuse of our food and water resources. Visit www.foodandwaterwatch.org.