The US government gave the final go-ahead to the irradiation of meat in February of 2000. FDA's and USDA approval of red meat irradiation adds to a lengthy list of foods approved for the process, including poultry, fresh fruits and vegetables, and dry spices.

However, misinformation and fear of radiation and may preclude this process to be widely accepted by the consumers.

In March 2000 NA-YGN started a food irradiation educational effort in Wisconsin. The program consists of two main activities:

• Monthly workshops open to anybody interested in learning about the benefits of food irradiation
• Weekly informational booth at the local farmer's market (from April to October).

NA-YGN maintains a website with lots of information on the subject, and has developed various educational materials for use by other members (http://uw-food-irradiation.engr.wisc.edu).

NA-YGN would like to develop similar educational efforts throughout North America. For this effort to be successful we will need a "North American Coordinator", and several "Local Coordinators". Please note that most of the educational materials you will need have already been developed… we can always update them, and create additional ones, but developing a local program is a lot easier if you don't have to start from scratch. You are welcome to use the educational materials that we have created, and we hope you can benefit from our experience in talking to the public about food irradiation. But we also want to hear about your ideas, and any new educational effort that you have developed in your area.

Interested??? Let us know