Irradiated foods

Irradiation is the process of exposing foods to ionizing radiation to destroy bacteria or slow ripening or maturation, thereby preventing some kinds of microbial contamination and extending the treated item's shelf-life. In the United States foods treated with irradiation must have labels that include a radura, the international symbol for irradiation, and the words "treated by irradiation" or "treated with radiation." Products that include irradiated ingredients, such as spices, do not have to be labeled. The USDA has approved a wide variety of foods for irradiation, including spices and dry vegetable seasoning, fruits and vegetables, fruit and vegetable juices, pork, beef, lamb, poultry and eggs, and approval for other items is pending. Many of the approved items are not yet on the market; about 10% of the spices and less than 1% of poultry and pork on the market have been irradiated, although those percentages vary from state to state.