In an attempt to reduce the risk of contamination with E. coli and Salmonella, the US Food and Drug Administration will allow food producers of fresh iceberg lettuce and spinach to use irradiation to control food-borne pathogens and extend shelf life, the agency announced on Thursday. The ruling is effective starting with today.

The FDA issued such a ruling after the 2006 E. coli outbreak that pulled fresh spinach off store shelves, sickened dozens of consumers, and led to some to be hospitalized. Some of the patients developed kidney failure. Also, this summer, a Salmonella contamination in hot peppers from Mexico sickened hundreds of people in the US.

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s statistics show that about 76 million cases of E. coli and other types of food poisoning occur annually. Infected people usually experience a wide variety of symptoms including abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

This is not the only food allowed to be irradiated. Consumers have eaten irradiated meat for years and despite expressing their concern about the possible negative effects such food would have on their health, the FDA says irradiation is safe.

“The agency have determined that this action is of a type that does not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment. The overwhelming majority of studies showed no evidence of toxicity. On those few occasions when adverse effects were reported, FDA finds that those effects cannot be attributed to irradiation,” the FDA’s notice reads.

The agency thought about irradiation of spinach and lettuce because these vegetables are “an ideal habitat” for pests and because they are usually eaten raw.

Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch criticized the FDA measure calling it “impractical, ineffective, and very expensive.”

"It is unbelievable that the FDA's first action on this issue is to turn to irradiation rather than focus on how to prevent contamination of these crops," he added.

Irradiation should not be the only measure taken by the FDA in order to protect consumers. The Center for Science in the Public Interest said other measures still have to be adopted, starting at the farm level before foods are even processed.

However, others welcomed the new rule. “We’re very pleased to see one more tool that we can use to have what’s nutritious, good product become even safer,” Robert Brackett, senior president and chief science and regulatory affairs officer at the National Food Processors Association (now the Grocery Manufacturers Association), said.

The agency has long requested the FDA to take this measure, which is also backed by The Food Irradiation Coalition.

From now on consumers will be sure about what they’re buying because the FDA already requires special labels for irradiated items. However, it remains to be seen how many producers will irradiate their products given the expensive costs required by the procedure. Moreover, if producers choose irradiation, consumers should expect higher prices for the vegetables included in the FDA’s ruling, and this isn’t quite right for their pockets.