The Truth About Irradiated Meat

Consumer Reports
The Truth About Irradiated Meat
August 2003

What You Can Do

Whatever meat you buy, follow these tips:

Thaw meat in the refrigerator or in a microwave oven, never on a countertop.
Keep meat refrigerated at 40 degrees F or less. Put it on a plate to prevent it from dripping and possibly contaminating other food.
Wash work surfaces, utensils, and hands after touching raw beef or poultry to prevent cross-contamination.
Don't rely on meat color to judge doneness. Use a meat thermometer to cook ground beef to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees, whole chicken to 180 degrees, and chicken breasts and tenders to 170 degrees.
If you're not going to use fresh meat within a day or two, freeze it.
Consider buying plant-packaged beef. It's typically cleaner than beef cut up and packaged at the store.
Order ground beef medium or well done.

What Consumers Union Is Doing

Consumers Union (CU), the independent, non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports, believes that the best way to improve food safety if to clean up the food-supply chain and strengthen USDA authority over meat safety.
Schools should be given the resources to assess food handling, preparation, and storage procedures and to fix problems.
CU supports further tests of chemical byproducts created by meat irradiation.
Irradiated foods should continue to be labeled "irradiated." Calling them "pasteurized" or anything else is misleading.
More care must be taken to ensure that information consumers receive concerning irradiated foods is accurate.
To learn more about CU's position or to contact the appropriate authorities about food labeling, school lunches, and related issues, click here.

"The truth about irradiated meat" is available by clicking here.