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ACTION: STOP IRRADIATION OF FRESH FRUITS FROM HAWAII

revised February 2001 

Take action against the first large-scale plan to sell irradiated fruit in the USA. Since the 1960s, Hawaiian growers and government have tried to irradiate papayas using nuclear materials. Acompany called Hawaii Pride opened an electron-beam irradiator in August 2000 to irradiate papayas and small amounts of some tropical fruits like starfruit, longans, rambutans and lychees. If Hawaii Pride is successful, irradiation of more fruits and vegetables, both in Hawaii and on the mainland is sure to follow!

The box or display, or alternatively the fruits themselves, are supposed to be labeled. (However, some of these irradiated papayas are already being sold without labels in the San Francisco area). Restaurants, airlines, schools, delis, etc. don't have to label. Ingredients in processed food don’t have to be labeled (such as cut-up papayas in a purchased fruit salad).

WHAT TO DO: Contact the trade association for papaya growers in Hawaii, and tell them you will boycott Hawaiian papayas because you want living foods, not cooked foods masquerading as fresh. The other fruits do not have trade associations because they are grown in much smaller quantities. Hawaiian growers are very sensitive to customer response because they sell an expensive product with a 'premium' image, and some growers don't support the use of irradiation. A short sample letter follows. Write to:

Papaya Administrative Committee 
230 Kekuanaoa St 
Hilo, Hawaii  96720-4318

or call them at 808/969-1160.

Send a copy as a  letter to the editor: 
The Honolulu Advertiser
605 Kapiolani Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96813

Send a copy to the manager of your supermarket and to the customer service office of the supermarket headquarters.

Background Information

How is the food affected? Fresh foods are our best sources of antioxidants and active digestive enzymes. They are essential to a healthy diet. Irradiation makes the nutrition of raw food similar to that of cooked food. (Electron beams are just as destructive as nuclear irradiation). 

Irradiation energy slams into the cells of the food. The broken molecules liberate free radicals, which which break up cell walls and DNA. (That's how bacteria and insect pests are killed). Natural antioxidant vitamins are depleted, from 5%-50% or even up to 80% if the food is stored for a long time. The enzymes are damaged. It is ironic that at the same time irradiation creates more dangerous free radicals, it also damages the natural vitamins in the food that counteract free radicals!

Irradiated 'fresh' food looks and tastes like fresh food, but nutritionally it is like cooked, dead food. That's why it can last longer in storage.

Vapor heat and dry heat are already used to kill fruit flies on Hawaiian papayas for export. Irradiation is not necessary for a healthy Hawaiian papaya export industry.

Resources

• Large site with more information about irradiation: http://www.purefood.org/irradlink.html (Organic Consumers Association) 
• Background on Hawaii irradiation: Don't irradiate Hawaii's fruit: http://www.kilima.com/bill62.html
• The company that is building the irradiator: http://www.hawaiipride.com/