> Anses said in its statement that reducing nitrates would result in increased risks of serious illnesses such as botulism, listeria or salmonella. But these dangers could be managed by shorter best-before consumption dates and modified manufacturing processes, it added.
We have an almost ideal solution for this. Irradiation. A heavy dose of gamma rays is completely sterilizing, while having minimal impact on the quality and nutrition of food. Raw meat that has been sealed and irradiated is shelf-stable at room temperature for months, without any added preservatives at all.
It's one of those collective failures that we haven't widely adopted it yet. Irradiation has some niche uses today, but it could probably replace most refrigeration. So many preservatives are unnecessary, too. I think it has something to do with a failure in education, and also consumer familiarity. A raw steak in a bag at room temperature for two weeks is a little off-putting, I suppose. But it's mostly lack of public education about the science involved. As one survey found:
> 46% expressed their belief that irradiated food means the same as radioactive food
We have an almost ideal solution for this. Irradiation. A heavy dose of gamma rays is completely sterilizing, while having minimal impact on the quality and nutrition of food. Raw meat that has been sealed and irradiated is shelf-stable at room temperature for months, without any added preservatives at all.
It's one of those collective failures that we haven't widely adopted it yet. Irradiation has some niche uses today, but it could probably replace most refrigeration. So many preservatives are unnecessary, too. I think it has something to do with a failure in education, and also consumer familiarity. A raw steak in a bag at room temperature for two weeks is a little off-putting, I suppose. But it's mostly lack of public education about the science involved. As one survey found:
> 46% expressed their belief that irradiated food means the same as radioactive food