I never realised that some of our food is treated with radiation to kill bacteria.

http://www.foodcomm.org.uk/irradiation_press.htm

Happened for donkey's years, at least since the 1960s. Nothing to panic about.

Happened for donkey's years, at least since the 1960s. Nothing to panic about.

I think its is something to be concerned about, if not actually to panic about. We are too complacement when it comes to food processing and let the industry do whatever they like. Once they have made a change they sell lots of food processed using the new method and then claim that "consumers are choosing it". The worst offender is homogonised milk which is pretty much the only milk you can now buy - nobody asked for it but they can now claim it is 90%+ of the market so we must want it.

They use gamma radiation and whilst there's the possibility of dead bugs cluttering up your grub, that's about teh bulk of it.

They've used it on wheat and crops to kill weevils and such when in storage - better than using pesticides.

There are some issues around long chain fatty acids possibly being broken up in some cases, similar to what can happen in heat treatment of foods, but again the effects seem to be to do with taste rather than anything else.

Considering the other things that are done to our food, radiation sterilisation is at teh foot of my list of worries. :)

... and your microwave does what exactly?

... and your microwave does what exactly?

Make the food taste aweful?

... and your microwave does what exactly?

Creates a strong local electromagnetic field that may be called radiation (but not the large bang and mushroom cloud sort) that excites water molecules thus creating heat.

Or something like that:)

double post

... and your microwave does what exactly?
Which is why I don't have one :thumbsup:

What Ken said :)

Creates a strong local electromagnetic field that may be called radiation (but not the large bang and mushroom cloud sort) that excites water molecules thus creating heat.

Or something like that:)

The radiation they treat food with is the type you get in a mushroom cloud (well sort of). Comparing it to a microwave is a bit silly as it is like saying we can allow swallow radioactive materials because the TV is radioactive and doesn't harm us very much.

The radiation they treat food with is the type you get in a mushroom cloud (well sort of). Comparing it to a microwave is a bit silly as it is like saying we can allow swallow radioactive materials because the TV is radioactive and doesn't harm us very much.

About the only thing you need to add to a CRT TV to make it into an X-Ray machine in a tungston target (http://www.bodyscan.md/partial_scan.html).
A microwave is a super high frequancy radio (SHF) operating at around 10 ghz and mine is 900 watts. My vodafone works at less than 1 ghz and quite low power.

I would be more concerned at using my vodaphone for long periods that I would using a microwave in the same way that I would be more concerned at the taste and poor quality of the irradiatred food than I would about the radiation.

It's just the energy from radioactive material, not the iccle tiny bits of radioactive material that come off when it decays. So it's completely safe. I think the Russian Guy swallowed an Alpha emitter, Stopped by a few cm of air but extremely damaging as it has double the charge of beta radiation and Ionises other things more. Horrible way to die, knowing that you have no hope and someone planned it.

there is no possible way that the food can become radioactive.

Its hardly news though. Food has been treated with radiation for years. anyone under 45 has probably been eating it all there lives. WHat makes me laugh is that people panic about more and yet we are living longer and longer so it can't be that dangerous. I'd rather have iradiated food than listeria.

A microwave is a super high frequancy radio (SHF) operating at around 10 ghz and mine is 900 watts. My vodafone works at less than 1 ghz and quite low power.

Virtually all microwave ovens operate on 2.45GHz.

I'd rather have unpasteurised cheese than pasteurised.

Add me to that. Goodbye flavour :wave:

edit ... yet we are living longer and longer so it can't be that dangerous.
Considering the quality of life and what we are dying of??? Fifteen years ago 1 in 4 people were living with cancer, now its 1 in 10. The things we have in common are the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat.

:huh: Hardly rocket science is it????

I'd rather have iradiated food than listeria.
What is the incidence of listeria, incidentally? Anyone know?

there is no possible way that the food can become radioactive.

Yes there is.
Turkish hazelnuts were found to be dangerously radioactive after Chernobyl.
I know these things as I tested some of them.

dosxuk, Granted. I was getting my satellite downlinks mixed up with my bowl of soup.

Given the choice, i'd rather just have fresh food when in season. I'm thinking of growing my own veg and salad stuff this year - fresh food from my own garden, yummy.

Yes there is.
Turkish hazelnuts were found to be dangerously radioactive after Chernobyl.
I know these things as I tested some of them.

dosxuk, Granted. I was getting my satellite downlinks mixed up with my bowl of soup.

there is no way that the food can itself become radioactive after being exposed to gamma radiation. It's akin to saying that the sun will continue to shine out of you ass after you've been nude sunbathing.

Yes there is.
Turkish hazelnuts were found to be dangerously radioactive after Chernobyl.
I know these things as I tested some of them.

dosxuk, Granted. I was getting my satellite downlinks mixed up with my bowl of soup.

there is no way that the food can itself become radioactive after being exposed to gamma radiation. What you've written is akin to saying that the sun will continue to shine out of you ass after you've been nude sunbathing.

Chernobly has zero to do with this.

there is no possible way that the food can become radioactive.

So I just pointed out that it has happened in the past.

Don't toss your rattle out of the pram.:D

I never go nude sunbathing as japanese tourists try to harpoon me.:P

I think its is something to be concerned about, if not actually to panic about. We are too complacement when it comes to food processing and let the industry do whatever they like. Once they have made a change they sell lots of food processed using the new method and then claim that "consumers are choosing it". The worst offender is homogonised milk which is pretty much the only milk you can now buy - nobody asked for it but they can now claim it is 90%+ of the market so we must want it.

So would you prefer to eat food full of bacteria:confused:

So I just pointed out that it has happened in the past.

Don't toss your rattle out of the pram.:D

I never go nude sunbathing as japanese tourists try to harpoon me.:P

exactly 'what' happened in the past? you cannot compare the two, chernobyl and food sterilisation.

Trying to argue the other way is fear mongering.