HoS on tomatoes

The strange HoS editorial:

Consumers of tomatoes, which means almost all of us, are about to face a test of our trust in science. The tomato bins in shops and supermarkets will soon be replenished with stock imported from Australia and, as we disclose today, it will have been decontaminated by radiation.

Oh, no radiation. The same killer force which is used in microwaves, cellphones, and also exists in the environment.

Irradiation was hotly debated in this country more than 10 years ago, when our regulator of food standards, a joint authority for Australia and New Zealand, rejected 1000 submissions against the process and declared it safe.

Science won over hysteria.

Since then, the only irradiated fresh fruit and vegetables approved for sale here have been mangos, papaya and lychees. Lovely as they are, those tropical fruits are not exactly standard consumer items. They are not tomatoes.

Oh, so is there some science the HoS knows of which suggests irradiation has a different impact on tomatoes than mangos? On mangos, it has no harmful effect, but maybe on tomatoes it causes them to mutate and grow feet??

Irradiation does not sit well with New Zealand’s attitude to nuclear physics in other applications, especially weapons, ship engines and electric power stations.

What a stupid thing to say. It is not nuclear physics. The only thing in common is they both involve radiation – which includes x-rays, gamma rays, ultraviolet light, radio waves, microwaves,

I like some of the comments on the editorial:

Sorry, but almost any processed food (tins, jars etc) passes through at least one beam of radiation these days. Many flow gauges monitoring density of product being piped around factories use a radioactive source. Scaremongering by Kiwi growers methinks.

“Gamma Radiation”? Like what we get everyday from Microwave Ovens, Light Bulbs, & the SUN???
Fear-mongering at it’s worst IMAO.

You can either trust science or be irrational.
The overwhelming consensus of the scientific community is that irradiation produces safe and nutritious food. The World Health Organization and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, and the International Atomic Energy Agency accept the safety and usefulness of food irradiation. The process is also endorsed by the American Medical Association, the Scientific Committee of the European Union, and the American Spice Trade Association among others.

Much ado about nothing. I was a principal partner in California’s first wholesale distributor and retail chain of organic foods and we imported irradiated organically grown mangoes, papayas and pineapples from Hawaii. It’s the residues from pesticides we should be worrying about.

Good to see some people will call bullshit on the nonsense.