The federal government has decided to allow fresh iceberg lettuce and spinach producers to irradiate their products in order to prevent food-borne pathogen related infections. The resolution comes two years after the E. coli bacteria, which was associated with spinach grown in California, caused three deaths and sickened more than two hundred people.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of the ionizing radiation technique only for the two aforementioned vegetables. The administration has received numerous petitions targeting the approval of the irradiation treatment for many other foods as well.

Although some people are concerned with the safety conditions of using such a technique, the FDA said it had determined the action has no "significant effect on the human environment" whatsoever.

Opinions still vary however; according to Food & Water Watch (a nonprofit consumer rights group), the research on the safety of irradiated foods has not been extensive at all up to this point. Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, said she found it unbelievable that the FDA, instead of trying to find a way to prevent the contamination of the crops, has decided to go ahead and approve a potentially dangerous technique.

The petition for using ionizing radiation in food industry was filed back in 2000 by the Grocery Manufacturers Association; however, eight years ago, things were a bit different and grocers wanted the approval for a very wide range of foods. After the E. coli outbreak, the petition only focused on iceberg lettuce and spinach.