At a round-table discussion yesterday (June 9), a Canadian consumer advocacy group told government officials the country should consider irradiating more of its food to help lower the risk of a deadly E. coli outbreak, reports Canadian Press.
The Consumers Association of Canada presented the idea to government officials, including the Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and members of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
"The matter of irradiation and some of the problems leading to the German outbreak were discussed," CAC president Bruce Cran explained, following the two-day meeting in Ottawa.
Currently only onions, potatoes, wheat, flour, whole wheat flour, and whole or ground spices and dehydrated seasonings are approved for irradiation in Canada, a list which Health Canada wanted to expand in 2002 but ran into resistance and public distaste.
Now with an E. coli epidemic sweeping Europe, sickening over 2,900 and leaving 29 dead, the issue of food safety is back on the table.. While risk to Canadians remains low, at least one Ontario man fell ill after visiting Germany last month.