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Idea#1773

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New Strategies and Techniques »

IRRADIATE FOOD = VASTLY IMPROVED FOOD SAFETY

Why Is This Idea Important?: Reduce or eliminate food borne disease, reduce the need for refrigeration and increase the effective world supply by a lot

It might even be possible to make good use of some nuclear waste. Irradiation of perishable food would greatly decrease wasting of food, as well as the incidence of stomach cancer in areas lacking refrigeration. It would also decrease starvation. In this country, imagine eliminating food borne diseases such as salmonella and trichinosis. It would also reduce energy demand because less would require refrigeration.

Submitted by jw321 2 years ago

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Comments (5)

  1. jahred25 said:

    once you bombard food with radiation the food looses its nutritional value and you will starve on it because the radiation destroys nutritional value. irradiating is Good for depopulation...

    I would say lets get the FDA out of the way for more natural remedies as opposed to prescriptions..

    Have you ever heard of the Oil of Oregano?

    Oil Of Oregano Rivals Modern Antibiotic Drugs

    by Bill Sardi

    Oil pressed from oregano leaves that contain the active ingredient carvacrol may be an effective treatment against sometimes drug-resistant bacterial infection. Georgetown University researchers have found that oil of oregano appears to reduce infection "as effectively as traditional antibiotics."

    Oil of oregano at relatively low doses was found to be efficacious against Staphylococcus bacteria and was comparable in its germ-killing properties to antibiotic drugs such as streptomycin, pencillin and vancomycin. [Science Daily 10/11/2001] The findings were presented by Harry G. Preuss, MD, professor of physicology and biophysics, Georgetown University, at the American College of Nutrition'a annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. The oregano oil was obtained from North American Herb and Spice Company, a Waukeegan, Illinois company that sponsored the study and markets their non-prescription products in retail stores un the trade names Oregamax and Oregacyn.

    Earlier this year researchers at the Department of Food Science at the University of Tennessee reported that, among various plant oils, oil of oregano exhibited the greatest antibacterial action against common pathogenic germs such as Staph, E. coli and Listeria. [Journal Food Protection, Volume 64, July 2001] Last year British researchers reported oregano oil had antibacterial activity against 25 different bacteria. [Journal Applied Microbiology, Volume 88, February 2000] A clinical study in Italy has shown that oil of oregano can be used to treat intestinal parasites. [Phytotherapy Research, Volume 14, May 2000]

    The body of positive evidence for oregano oil as a major antibiotic is growing. Among 52 plant oils tested, oregano was considered to have "pharmacologic" action against common bugs such as Candida albicans (yeast), E. coli, Salmonella enterica and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. [Journal Applied Microbiology, volume 86, June 1999] Pseudomonas is a type of germ that is getting more difficult to treat as it has developed strains that are resistant against antibiotic drugs.

    Of recent interest are reports showing that carvacrol from oil of oregano kills spores, such as Bacillus cereus and Bacillus anthracis (anthrax). [Archives Microbiology, Volume 174, October 2000; Quarterly Review Biology, Volume 73, March 1998] Bacillus cereus is considered to be from the same species as Bacillus anthracis (anthrax). [Applied Environmental Microbiology, Volume 66, June 2000] In tests of antibiotics and antiseptics, Bacillus cereus is often used in studies in lieu of the anthrax strain. [University of Michigan News & Information Service, Sept. 23, 1998]

    Oil of oregano is not to be confused with common oregano in the kitchen spice cupboard, which is usually marjoram (Origanum majorana or O. vulgare) rather than true oregano (Origanum vulgare).

    The growing problem of antibiotic resistance has health authorities concerned. Already various germs are showing resistance to vancomycin, particularly to intestinal bacteria (Enterococcal species) among hospitalized patients. [Southern Medical Journal, Volume 94, August 2001] Vancomycin is considered to be the most potent antibiotic available and is withheld from use as a drug of last resort. Vancomycin costs about $16 per pill versus about $1 for the purest-strength oregano oil. Drug resistance does not develop against naturally-occuring antibiotics such as garlic and oil of oregano.

    2 years ago
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  2. jahred25 said:

    From: http://www.smh.com.au/national/catfood-irradiation-banned-as-pet-theory-proved-20090529-bq8h.html

    Cat-food irradiation banned as pet theory proved

    Kelly Burke Consumer Affairs Reporter

    May 30, 2009

    A SERIES of mysterious cat deaths was caused by the government-mandated practice of irradiating imported pet food.

    The Agriculture Minister, Tony Burke, has ordered the controversial sterilisation process, which has been in place for more than a decade, to cease immediately, following compelling overseas evidence that some cats can suffer fatal neurological damage after eating irradiated dry food.

    Dogs do not appear to be affected by similarly treated food.

    About 90 cats fell ill last year and 30 died before a Sydney vet, Georgina Child, made the link in November between the mystery illness and a brand of Canadian gourmet pet food called Orijen.

    The manufacturer, Champion Petfoods, blamed the contaminated food on Australian quarantine regulations, which demand that pet food not cooked over a specified temperature undergo irradiation of 50 kiloGrays upon arrival in the country. Of the 60 countries Champion Petfoods exports to, only Australia makes irradiation compulsory.

    The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service and the company that carries out the process, Steritech, insisted at the time the irradiation process was harmless. A limited range of imported human foods, including dried herbs and some tropical fruits, are also irradiated before landing on store shelves, but at much lower levels than that mandated for pet food.

    Mr Burke said the inspection service decided to act in response to international reports his department received only late last week. Work was being done in state and federal governments to see how safety standards for pet food could be improved.

    "People expect that any treatments conducted on imported pet food will result in food that is still safe for pets," he said.

    Dr Child said the move was welcome but did not go far enough. The irradiation ban is not being extended to imported dog food, leaving cats with access to such food still at risk.

    "We still don't know why this problem is unique to cats, and we're still not certain why some brands of pet food are affected by irradiation and not others," she said. "What this does show is that all food that has been irradiated needs to be labelled, which isn't the case at the moment."

    Sarah Oddy, of Dundas, who lost two cats after they were fed the Orijen pet food, said the ban was great news.

    Champion Petfoods has set up a fund to disperse compensation for veterinary bills for all affected Australian cat owners.

    2 years ago
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  3. tomgoldie said:

    I'd say let's try it, as long as the products are clearly labeled.

    2 years ago
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  4. What are the side effects?

    2 years ago
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  5. jsnow said:

    I'm agreeing with jahred25 -- My understanding is that irradiation destroys the chemical structure of the food, reducing its nutritional value. I'm not opposed in principle to the idea of irradiating food, but it may not be worthwhile if the food is no longer worth eating.

    2 years ago
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