USDA and industry to investigate irradiation, food safety. Scientists at the research arm of USDA plans to partner with Ion Beam Applications (IBA) to further study irradiation and food safety in order to help guarantee the quality of the U.S. food supply.
Under the five-year agreement, the Food Safety Research Unit of USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) will use IBA's commercial sterilization and ionization facilities to compare the effectiveness of gamma, electron beam and X-ray sources in controlling food-borne pathogens. IBA has been producing irradiation systems for more than 40 years and treating foods, particularly poultry, seafood, cheese and spices, for more than 15 years.