Food Safety
Food irradiation is a technology that improves the safety and extends the shelf life of foods by reducing or eliminating microorganisms and insects. Like pasteurizing milk and canning fruits and vegetables, irradiation can make food safer for the consumer. Irradiation can serve many purposes. Food irradiation in the United States is primarily regulated by the FDA since it is considered a food additive. Other federal agencies that regulate aspects of food irradiation include United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) which is meat and poultry products, fresh fruit also Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) which includes safety of the processing facility and lastly Department of Transportation (DOT).
There are three sources of radiation approved for use on foods. One is gamma rays use radiation to sterilize medical, dental and household products and is also used for the radiation treatment of cancer. The second is X-rays use high-energy stream of electrons off into food. X-rays are also widely used in medicine and industry to produce images of internal structures. The third is electron beam is similar to X-rays and is a stream of high-energy electrons propelled from an electron accelerator into food.Genetic engineering is when the genetic makeup of an organism is altered by inserting, deleting or changing specific pieces of DNA. The benefits are the use of genetic engineering to modify the agricultural world. The noticeable benefit is that genetic engineering has made it possible to produce more crops in a shorter time period. The risk is the pest if the pests develop genetic resistance; eventually the genetically modified crops would no longer be successful at preventing harm and would become obsolete.
Describe a local or regional food system -local food refers to food produced near the consumers. Local food systems rely upon a network of small, usually sustainably run, family farms. Local/ regional food systems help support local,...