Food Irradiation

Food Irradiation Blog Post

4/18/2011

Kyle C.

Questions to discuss and answer:

1. Identify the problem (In your own words, explain the problem of food irradiation):

(a) Before identifying the problem of food irradiation, we have to be experts about food irradiation. Food irradiation is a process, which a safe technology made to eliminate disease causing germs from food; by ionizing radiation, it can kill bacteria and parasites that would otherwise cause "food-borne disease." Now we know what food irradiation is, the problem of food irradiation is that it can lead to cancer or other diseases. Researchers want to determine whether people who eat irradiated food for a long time are more likely to develop diseases. Another frighten fact is that the irradiating process is frightening because it is powerful and invisible; also, irradiation can destroy useful nutrients, such as vitamins A, B-1. As a result, human lives can be in danger, if we continue to use this process.

2. Analyze the Options (List reasons for and against: (a) requiring all food to be irradiated; (b) permitting, but not requiring, food irradiation; and (c) banning food irradiation)

(a) Food is essential for all of us, we enjoy eating, but when every so often, food makes people ill. More than millions of people get sick every year from contaminated of spoiled food. One way to prevent such illness is to treat food by irradiation. Thinking logically, if you want to eat healthy food and delicious food, you would likely to choose irradiation, meanwhile, if you don’t want to be affected by the diseases, you would change your mind to “against food irradiation.” This depends on the consumers choice, whether this is good or not, it should be needed. “If you are worrying that you might get cancer or be influenced by diseases, it’s your problem, too bad (says a lot of people)”. But everything relies on the consumer’s option.

(b) And (c)

Now as we get more in-debt, it becomes arduous for anyone to tell since choice (the light bulb) doesn’t appear that easily. Continuing with the (a), every country has their own choice whether they rather choose permitting or banning food irradiation. Due to the fact that, each country is different, doesn’t mean they have to have distinct selections. As a country stands for one side, it goes straight towards that, on the other hand, one country stands for the opposite, it heads the other way. Food irradiation choices are your and others option.

3. Find a Solution (You see two containers of a food at the supermarket. One is irradiated; one is not. The price is the same. Which would you buy? Explain why.)

Thinking always logical, I would buy the non-irradiated one; a perfect reason is that, the irradiated on should be bit more or more expensive than the non-irradiated one. The food irradiation uses time and technology in-order to kill the parasites, meaning, the irradiated one would use up time and money into it while the non one doesn’t. So, to conclude, if two are same price, and one is irradiated and ones not, I would buy the non-irradiated one due to the fact that I don’t want to get cancer and the irradiated one is probably low quality (not fully irradiated).