We Eat Gamma-Irradiated Food (Labeled Pasteurized)

[simpleman]

Gamma-Irradiated, Virus Sprayed FRANKENFOODS

http://www.sayerji.com/?p=106

There is a profound misunderstanding in the mass market today about the value of certified organic food. The question is not whether the 30% or more you pay at the register for an organic product is really worth the added vitamin, mineral and phyto-nutrient content you receive. Even though organic food does usually have considerably higher nutrient density, it is not always the positive quality of what it contains that makes it so special. Rather, it is what you know the organic food does not contain, or has not happened to it on its journey to your table, that makes buying organic a no-brainer to the educated consumer. Let me explain.

The FDA presently supports and actively promotes the use of Cobalt-60 culled from Nuclear Reactors as a form of “electronic pasteurization” on all domestically produced conventional food. The use of euphemisms like “food additive” and “pasteurization” to describe the process of blasting food with high levels of gamma-radiation can not obviate the fact that the very same death-rays generated by thermonuclear warfare to destroy life are now being applied to food to “make it safer.” This sort of Orwellian logic, e.g. WAR is PEACE, is the bread and butter of State sponsored industry propaganda.

This is not a hypochondriac’s rantings, as we aren’t talking here about small amounts of radiation. The level of gamma-radiation used starts at 1KiloGray (equivalent to 33,000,000 chest x-rays or 2,000 times a human lethal dose) and goes all the way up to 30KiloGray (990,000,000 chest x-rays or 60,000 times a human lethal dose). The following table is a list of foods are increasingly being “nuked” for your protection.

When you buy conventional food, there is little assurance that it has not been irradiated. Although labeling requirements specify that irradiated food sold in stores should have the international symbol, the Radura, affixed to it, oversight is particularly poor in this regard, and restaurant food and processed food containing irradiated ingredients are not legally required to be labeled as such.

Labeled, or not, irradiated food is exposed to the same ionizing gamma-radiation that destroyed life in Hiroshima and Chenobyl. “Primitive” lifeforms like microbes refuse to ingest irradiated food, but humans are gullible enough to believe industry pundits and governmental “authorities” like the USDA and FDA who say doses of radiation applied to your food up to close to a billion chest x-rays worth of ionizing radiation is safe for human consumption.

Despite the irresponsible promotion of this process as safe, food irradiation destroys much of the vitamin content of food, produces a number of toxic byproducts: formaldehyde, benzene, and formic acid, as well as unique radiolytic products, e.g. 2-alklycyclobutanoes, that have been demonstrated to be cytotoxic (damages cells), genotoxic (damages DNA), and carcinogenic (causes cancer) in test tube and animal studies. How is it that a process that is so obviously detrimental to human health is allowed? There are at least 3 driving reasons:

1) food irradiation allows for the continuance of the fundamentally unsanitary and unsafe farming practices considered essential for the profitability of large corporation owned factory farms. When raw human sewage and wastewater in combination with manure from sick, antibiotic-raised animals is used as fertilizer, virulent strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria can infect the product, getting deep within its tissues where chemical sanitizers can’t reach. Gamma-radiation, which effectively penetrates deep within the product, enables the irresponsible, immoral and unsanitary conditions to remain.

2) The increased stabilization and reduction in perishability provided by food irradiation supports the continued globalization of food production and distribution, furthering the agendas and profitability of transnational corporations, whose respect for the sovereignty, constitutional rights and public health of the U.S. or any other nation, is secondary to the primary aim of pure, unregulated capitalism.

3) Finally, the industrial-military complex requires that the public perceive nuclear energy as not just an element of war, or potential ecological disaster, but as something “beneficial” that may protect us from harm. Nuclear waste, once the irrepressible hobgoblin of the nuclear energy industry, is suddenly transformed – under the guidance and support of our government – into both a profitable commodity and a “therapeutic” agent.

In the same way that irradiating bacteria contaminated food does nothing to remove the unsanitary processes that cause the underlying problem, in 2006, the FDA passed, without any public review or oversight, the use of bacteriphage virus “cocktails” to be sprayed on meat, in an attempt to prevent Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks. These bacteria-specific viruses, in theory, lay dormant waiting for virulent and antibiotic resistant bacteria, upon which they prey. Although the FDA only approves the use of lysic bacteriphages which are not believed to alter the DNA of the cells they infect, the possibility of contamination with lysogenic strains which can alter DNA is significant, owing to the fact that these viruses are only between 20 and 200 millionth of a millimeter in size. The FDA’s decision to define bacteriophages as “Generally Accepted As Safe” (GRAS) food additives is premature and a red flag to those who are concerned about the underlying food safety issues that are not being addressed.

With the country still reeling from the implosion of the financial markets, new attention has been placed on the huge trade deficits the US has with its trading partners. One major factor in our increasingly disadvantaged global trading position is our decision to use Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s), despite growing concern over its short and long term adverse effects on the health of the human body and the environment. For example in 2006 “the most significant event in the history of the U.S. rice industry” occurred, according to David Coia of the USA Rice Federation trade group, when trace amounts of genetically modified rice was found commingled in the U.S. Rice supply.

According to GreenPeace the U.S. sustained approximately 1.2 billion dollars in losses, when over 30 countries were affected by the contamination, and many closed their markets to U.S. rice, including the European Union and the Phillipines. Why the global outcry? Despite our government’s arguably criminal avoidance of the evidence linking genetically modified food to adverse health effects, the governments of other nations are aware of the dire risks to human and environmental health these GMOs pose. America is the only country in the world which does not require GMO ingredients or foods to be labeled as such. We can’t expect the rest of the world to so carelessly experiment on its population with foods that have been profoundly altered to contain potentially toxic gene products from other species. Their reluctance to participate in the largest food experiment in the history of our species is directly reflected in the world’ s increasing resistance to accepting food exported from the U.S., which has had huge impacts on our economic well-being. If you wish to withdrawal yourself as a guinea pig from this national GMO experiment, remember, the only way you can know for sure that you food is not genetically modified is if it is certified organic. (to learn about the devastating health effects of GMOs go to seedsofdeception.com)

Food quality has become an oxymoron in this country. With the state sponsored promotion of Food Irradiation, Virus food additives, Genetic Modification, Pesticide Usage and Raw Sewage fertilizer, Americans who don’t go out of their way to buy only organic food, are unknowing participants in the largest food experiment ever performed in recorded history. Not too long ago, all cultures considered food sacred for its ability to sustain our physical, emotional and spiritual well being from the ground up. Today the forces of commodification and pure free market capitalism have converted food into devitalized metabolic poisons, which slowly render those who consume them into commodities themselves, i.e. sickened patients, against whom are plied the thousands of branded ‘snake-oil’ remedies conjured up by the Diseasestablishment’s cauldron-like pharmacopeia.

Remember, next time you shop that buying organic isn’t just about it being more nutritious than conventional food, rather, it provides the only assurance in a marketplace that resembles a minefield of potential health liabilities, that what you are eating.

In view additional Medline citations indicating the danger of food irradiation visit our new Gamma Radiation page on GreenMedInfo: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/taxonomy/term/10264

To learn more about the “weaponization” of our food supply, view Dr. Rima Laibow’s video Nutricide

Gray (unit)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_(unit)

The gray (symbol: Gy) is the SI unit of absorbed radiation dose of ionizing radiation (for example, X-rays), and is defined as the absorption of one joule of ionizing radiation by one kilogram of matter (usually human tissue). It supersedes the old cgs unit, the rad (10 mGy), which is now "strongly discouraged" by the author style guide of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The gray measures the deposited energy of radiation. The biological effects vary by the type and energy of the radiation and the organism and tissues involved. The sievert attempts to account for these variations.

A whole-body exposure to 5 or more gray of high-energy radiation at one time usually leads to death within 14 days. This dosage represents 375 joules for a 75 kg adult (equivalent to the chemical energy in 20 mg of sugar). Since gray are such large amounts of radiation, medical use of radiation is typically measured in milligrays (mGy).

As experienced from follow-up after radiation therapy, epilation may occur on any hair-bearing skin with doses above 1 Gy. It only occurs within the radiation field/s. Hair loss may be permanent with a single dose of 10 Gy, but if the dose is fractionated permanent hair loss may not occur until dose exceeds 45 Gy. The salivary glands and tear glands have a radiation tolerance of about 30 Gy in 2 Gy fractions, a dose which is exceeded by most radical head and neck cancer treatments, potentially causing dryness. Dry mouth (xerostomia) and dry eyes (xerophthalmia) can become irritating long-term problems and severely reduce the patient's quality of life. Similarly, sweat glands in treated skin (such as the armpit) tend to stop working, and the naturally moist vaginal mucosa is often dry following pelvic irradiation.

Dangerously high doses of radiation during the first trimester primarily affect the heart and limbs, while later in pregnancy the brain is the major affected site.^[3]

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodIngredientsPackaging/IrradiatedFoodPack...

Foods Permitted to be Irradiated Under FDA Regulations (21 CFR 179.26) http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodIngredientsPackaging/IrradiatedFoodPack...

Food	Purpose	Dose
Fresh, non-heated processed pork	Control of Trichinella spiralis	0.3 kGy min. to 1 kGy max.
Fresh foods	Growth and maturation inhibition	1 kGy max.
Foods	Arthropod disinfection	1 kGy max.
Dry or dehydrated Enzyme preparations	Microbial disinfection	10 kGy max.
Dry or dehydrated spices/seasonings	Microbial disinfection	30 kGy max.
Fresh or frozen, uncooked poultry products	Pathogen control	3 kGy max.
Frozen packaged meats (solely NASA)	Sterilization	44 kGy min.
Refrigerated, uncooked meat products	Pathogen control	4.5 kGy max.
Frozen uncooked meat products	Pathogen control	7 kGy max.
Fresh shell eggs	Control of Salmonella	3.0 kGy max.
Seeds for sprouting	Control of microbial pathogens	8.0 kGy max.
Fresh or frozen molluscan shellfish	Control of Vibrio species and other foodborne pathogens	5.5 kGy max.
Fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach	Control of food-borne pathogens, and extension of shelf-life	4.0 kGy max.

FDA: Irradiated Food Won't Be Labeled as Such

http://www.livescience.com/health/070417_bad_irradiation.html

The U.S. Food and Drug administration has finally figured out a way to ease people's concern about food irradiation, the process of exposing food to ionizing radiation to kill bacteria and extend shelf life. The FDA solution? Simply don't tell folks it is being used.

On April 4 the FDA proposed a revision to the law requiring proper labeling for foods treated with irradiation. Apparently consumers have been a little queasy about buying foods stamped "treated with irradiation," the wording required since 1986.

So the new plan would be to change the name "irradiation" to "pasteurization" or some more fanciful term, or just forgo the crazy, cumbersome label idea all together.

Very safe, they say

Fortunately, what you don't know won't hurt you. Probably. There are some concerns about harmful chemicals created by the treatment. But irradiation, as menacing as it sounds, is widely endorsed by scientists and food safety experts worldwide. The FDA began approving its use as far back as 1963, for wheat and flour.

Like vaccination or fluoridation, irradiation is a quick and inexpensive method to yield big health gains with minimal risk—the essence of public health. This is why respectable health bodies such as the World Health Organization, the Food and Agricultural Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all are in favor of the large-scale use of irradiation.

Irradiation entails bombarding food---meats, vegetables, grains, spices---with gamma rays or X-rays or with high-energy electrons. The irradiation can kill potentially deadly pathogens munching on our food, such as E. coli on spinach, which during last year's outbreak killed three people and sickening untold more.

The pros

Food-borne pathogens cause an estimated 76 million illnesses, 323,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths annually in the United States, according to a 1999 study. Irradiation could be a way to improve this sad situation.

Although the U.S. government has a history of being less than forthright about the dangers of radiation (duck and cover, anyone?), most of the worries about irradiation are unfounded. The energies used are too low to produce radioactivity. Any damage to food from irradiation is the same or no worse than damage caused by cooking, freezing, pasteurizing or canning. And there is some but not significant loss of vitamins B1, C and E.

You could argue, in fact, that irradiated food can be healthier. Irradiation can extend shelf life by slowing the growth of bacteria and mold. This means that food manufacturers need not use fumigants or artificial preservatives, which can carry health risks. Also, some fruits can be harvested when ripe, when they are most nutritious, and treated with irradiation to retard spoilage.

The cons

Certain facts cannot be sugarcoated. Irradiation alters the taste and texture of some foods, particularly fatty foods such as dairy and beef. Lettuce and spinach hold up well, but tomatoes get mushy.

Concerns about irradiation generating free radicals or other harmful chemicals, based on early studies, have largely been put to rest. But one legitimate concern that remains is the presence of chemicals called 2-alkylcyclobutanones in irradiated foods. A group led by Francis Raul in 2002 found that these chemicals can settle in fat tissue and are associated with colon cancer in laboratory rats.

Deja Mooo

The FDA's non-labeling solution might sound familiar. The agency has proposed that no labeling should be required for animal products such as beef and milk derived from clones. Once again, consumer hesitation over a word, this time "clone," was at the forefront.

Switching the word "irradiation" to "pasteurization," as the FDA proposes, goes against the FDA's own consumer survey data that found that consumers want labeling to provide, not hide, information. Pasteurization is totally different, using heat to kill bacteria; it would be more accurate but perhaps more insidious to call irradiation "washed with light beams."

The bigger problem

Of course, washing food with light beams does nothing to address the bigger problem in the United States of massive, centralized food-processing factories, the source of these massive, decentralized bacterial outbreaks.

In Japan it is not unnatural to eat raw eggs, meat or fish. This is possible not because of light-beam washing, er, irradiation. Rather, food production is local, delivered from farm to fork in a day or two. Sanitation practices are far better in Japan, too.

In the United States, irradiation would be just a one-shot deal at the factory. There are thousands of miles and dozens of dirty hands to contend with after the food leaves the factory. Irradiation works quite well, but only until the food is contaminated elsewhere in the food-supply chain.

[simpleman]

A whole-body exposure to 5 or more gray of high-energy radiation at one time usually leads to death within 14 days. This dosage represents 375 joules for a 75 kg adult (equivalent to the chemical energy in 20 mg of sugar). Since gray are such large amounts of radiation, medical use of radiation is typically measured in milligrays (mGy).

[simpleman]

The FDA presently supports and actively promotes the use of Cobalt-60 culled from Nuclear Reactors as a form of “electronic pasteurization” on all domestically produced conventional food. The use of euphemisms like “food additive” and “pasteurization” to describe the process of blasting food with high levels of gamma-radiation can not obviate the fact that the very same death-rays generated by thermonuclear warfare to destroy life are now being applied to food to “make it safer.”