[TXplowgirl]

I just learned about this this morning. Was watching a Youtube channel on how to make homemade garlic salt and they were talking about how the FDA is irradiating our foods with Cobalt 60 "gamma radiation". This may be known by some people but I didn't know this. So this is for those of y'all who don't and would be interested to know about it.

Went to the FDA.gov website and sure enough. :xeye:

https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-irradiation-what-you-need-know

 

[Peter]

Why do you think MRE's last as long as they do?

 

[TXplowgirl]

Why do you think MRE's last as long as they do?

To be honest about it. I never really gave it much thought. :xeye:

 

[Jack Swilling]

I see no problem
Short term
Long term
Kill pathogens good

 

[cujet]

While it’s wonderful to think that all things natural Are best for us, todays foods are sourced from all over the place and have significant transport and storage dwell times.

Humans can consume all manner of foods without adverse effects. Keeping food safe is a very good thing.

 

[HomeDefense]

The FDA is not radiating our food. They do not process food. It's just one of their approved methods to kill bacteria and all the nasties they list on their website.

 

[TXplowgirl]

I see no problem
Short term
Long term
Kill pathogens good

Yes, I understand that, I like that the FDA is trying to keep us safe I just didn't know that this is the way they were doing it.

While it’s wonderful to think that all things natural Are best for us, todays foods are sourced from all over the place and have significant transport and storage dwell times.

Humans can consume all manner of foods without adverse effects. Keeping food safe is a very good thing.

Yes, I know that it's transported because I use to drive truck delivering from California or New Jersey all over the states in a refer trailer. I just didn't realize how they were keeping it from spoiling.

The FDA is not radiating our food. They do not process food. It's just one of their approved methods to kill bacteria and all the nasties they list on their website.

In their words it's being irradiated I did not say it was being radiated, but they do say radiated also.
I know the difference. And I like that they are trying to kill bacteria and bugs but like I said earlier I just didn't know how it was being done, it was just a big surprise to me. I knew they were doing something I just didn't know how or what and it was a bit of a shock to learn that. At least it was to me any way.

BUT this in in the info in the link, read it. "There are three sources of radiation approved for use on foods."

"Gamma rays are emitted from radioactive forms of the element cobalt (Cobalt 60) or of the element cesium (Cesium 137). Gamma radiation is used routinely to sterilize medical, dental, and household products and is also used for the radiation treatment of cancer.
X-rays are produced by reflecting a high-energy stream of electrons off a target substance (usually one of the heavy metals) into food. X-rays are also widely used in medicine and industry to produce images of internal structures.
Electron beam (or e-beam) is similar to X-rays and is a stream of high-energy electrons propelled from an electron accelerator into food."

 

[Exarmyguy]

The sun produces radiation which is beneficial to us.

 

[ebjr1967]

Is all bacteria bad? Ask your gut.

 

[slackercruster]

Is all bacteria bad? Ask your gut.

Yes, much of what we eat is dead. No natural enzymes, no probitoics. Almost all the store-bought beer is pasteurized. They have been radiating food many years. A lot of our cereal, crackers and cookies are made in Mexico now. Food supply is a mess.

They radiate and treat potatoes so they don't sprout. Radiated food is not good to eat if you can help it.

Red Green Giant Potato vs home grown potato. Both stored 6 months in root cellar. Green Giant would never sprout, it eventually rotted. I tested a 5 pound bag of the red potatoes. A couple of them had a nib of a sprout after 6 months, but almost all were sproutless.

 

[TXplowgirl]

Yes, much of what we eat is dead. No natural enzymes, no probitoics. Almost all the store-bought beer is pasteurized. They have been radiating food many years. A lot of our cereal, crackers and cookies are made in Mexico now. Food supply is a mess.

They radiate and treat potatoes so they don't sprout. Radiated food is not good to eat if you can help it.

Red Green Giant Potato vs home grown potato. Both stored 6 months in root cellar. Green Giant would never sprout, it eventually rotted. I tested a 5 pound bag of the red potatoes. A couple of them had a nib of a sprout after 6 months, but almost all were sproutless.

I was already planning on a garden this year but finding out more and more about what is being done to our food makes me want to get my garden going even more.

 

[Helion]

If I were a betting man, I would say food isn't treated for bacteria but to prevent people from growing patented varieties and other intellectual property.

The seeds in treated vegetables don't grow and I see somebody posted a picture of an unsprouting potato.


How effective can it be seeing that after its distributed every snot nosed kid and dirty geriatric can manhandle the food at stores. The stuff is also handled quite a bit between treatment and point of sale/ consumption.

 

[Aerindel]

Its not a problem. Something being irradiated doesn't make it radioactive.

 

[Aerindel]

This is a pretty good video on radiation that a lot of people on this forum could benefit from watching.

 

[slackercruster]

I was already planning on a garden this year but finding out more and more about what is being done to our food makes me want to get my garden going even more.

If you got the space don't forget the fruit trees. Fruit trees can take many years to settle in and really produce.

 

[ebjr1967]

Its not a problem. Something being irradiated doesn't make it radioactive.

True, but it kills beneficial bacteria. Dead food does not nourish the body properly.

 

[Aerindel]

True, but it kills beneficial bacteria. Dead food does not nourish the body properly.

All cooked food is dead....

Probiotics are indeed a thing but a lot of the food we eat is virtually sterile anyway.

 

[PurpleKitty]

I almost died of food poisoning in 2004.

Plowgirl, with your health problems I would think you wouldn't want to take a chance on getting food poisoning on top of everything else. What I had almost killed me and I was young and healthy, worked out every day.

As Aer said, it doesn't make the food radioactive, it simply kills the bacteria on the food. Do you really want someone with Hep C or Salmonella harvesting your food and then straight to your pantry?

I don't.

 

[ebjr1967]

All cooked food is dead....

Probiotics are indeed a thing but a lot of the food we eat is virtually sterile anyway.

I prefer my steak very rare. Heating food is not the same as radiation, which is what you are likening it to.

 

[swamppapa]

it's been happening for 30 years. I remember reading about it in OMNI magazine. (I miss OMNI)