Three Minnesota districts to get schooled on serving irradiated beef

Nation's Restaurant News, March 3, 2003

MINNEAPOLIS -- Three school districts in the state of Minnesota will participate in a food-safety-education program that could make them among the first in the nation to serve irradiated beef in school cafeterias.

According to officials with the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning here, the school districts of Spring Lake Park, Sauk Rapids and Willmar will take part in a pilot project designed to improve the food-safety awareness of school officials.

While the program, which will be funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will not recommend that the schools order irradiated beef, the availability of the product will be acknowledged. The 2002 Farm Bill mandated that the USDA make available irradiated beef as a commodity item to schools that want it.

"We want Minnesota school districts to have the information they need to make the best school food-safety decisions in light of new legislation," said Mary Begalle, food-and nutrition-services director for the CFL. "We will work closely with foodservice staff, administrators and community members in these districts to educate and provide information about irradiation and safe food practices overall."

Begalle explained that the CFL will begin this spring to provide educational materials and activities designed to improve food-safety awareness. Irradiation will be presented within that context. The CFL approached the USDA about participating in the project.

"Our goal is to get the best, latest, science-based information on irradiation and school food safety to parents, students, educators, administrators, school board and other interested community members," Begalle said.

As part of the educational process, the school districts will be made aware of the availability of irradiated beef through the USDA's commodity program. Those pilot schools will have the opportunity to order the beef, but Begalle noted that the CFL would not recommend that they do.

"We encourage schools to make food-safety decisions based on the best available science-based information," she said. "However, we do not endorse or encourage local schools and districts to use any specific product or technique."

She added, "By itself irradiation cannot solve all food-safety problems."

The announcement about the impending availability of irradiated beef has been criticized by such organizations as the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Science in the Public Interest, which led a grassroots campaign encouraging people to flood the USDA Web site with messages protesting the use of irradiated foods in schools.