Questions & Answers
Irradiation of
Raw Meat and Poultry
Printed for School Foodservice by Food and Nutrition Service, USDA
May 2003
s part of its mission of preventing illness from the food we eat, the U.S. Department
of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) oversees the irradiation
of raw meat and poultry. Irradiation can increase the safety of the food supply and
help protect consumers from foodborne illness. However, this process is not a substitute
for good sanitation and safe food handling from the farm to the table. Here is some infor-
mation about this process that can make meat and poultry safer.
A
What is food irradiation?
Food irradiation is a process in which
products are exposed to radiant ener-
gy including gamma rays, electron beams, and
x-rays in amounts approved by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA).
Irradiation is only one of many processes that
can be used to prevent foodborne illness. It is
not a substitute for good manufacturing prac-
tices. Establishments that use irradiation must
meet the same sanitation and processing stan-
dards required by all meat and poultry plants.
Why is food irradiated? What are
the benefits?
Food is irradiated to make it safer. It
can reduce the risk of foodborne illness by
destroying harmful bacteria, parasites, insects,
and fungi.
Irradiation does not destroy all pathogens
(very tiny disease-causing organisms) in
amounts approved by the FDA for refrigerated
or frozen raw meat and poultry sold to con-
sumers, but it does reduce their number. To
sterilize food (destroy all pathogens), a higher
amount of radiation must be used.
Hospitals have used irradiation for many
years to sterilize food for cancer patients and
others with weakened immune systems. Some
perishable food taken into space by astronauts
is irradiated because the food must be guaran-
teed free of disease-causing organisms.
It also reduces spoilage. Like freezing, can-
ning, and drying, irradiation can also extend
the shelf life of perishable food products. For
example, irradia