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New FDA regulation allows radiation zapping for produce
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More from BusinessThe Food and Drug Administration issued a regulation Thursday allowing spinach and lettuce sellers to zap fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce with just enough radiation to kill E. coli and a few other germs, a long-awaited move amid increasing illness outbreaks from raw produce.
Farms and processors still must follow standard rules to keep the greens as clean as possible — and consumers, too, should wash the leaves before eating.
Irradiated meat has been around for years, particularly ground beef that is a favorite hiding spot for E. coli. Spices also can be irradiated.
But the Grocery Manufacturers Association had petitioned the FDA to allow irradiation of fresh produce, too, starting with leafy greens that have sparked numerous recent outbreaks, including E. coli in spinach that in 2006 killed three people and sickened nearly 200.
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