MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Domestic pet food can now be irradiated to protect dogs, cats and their owners against potentially deadly bacteria in their food.The go-ahead comes after the approval today, by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a petition filed by the Food Safety Division of IBA, a world leader in irradiation technology.

Despite stringent processing standards, and the increasing efforts of major pet food manufacturers, salmonella remains a threat to pet foods, animal feed and particularly those that handle these products.Contaminated food can sicken pets but presents the greatest potential threat to pet owners, particularly children.

Under the terms of the FDA approval, bagged complete diets, packaged feeds, feed ingredients and most importantly dog chews such as pigs' ears and rawhides are all approved for treatment by irradiation.Also approved are dry farm animal feeds, birdseeds and fish food.

The move to treat pet foods follows similar FDA and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approvals for use of irradiation on human food. Pork, poultry and beef are all approved for treatment by irradiation, and there is a growing worldwide demand for safer and cleaner fruits and vegetables treated by irradiation, the only tool that can assure at least 99.9 percent of the insects and disease causing bacteria are eliminated.

"This is welcomed news for pet food manufacturers and pet owners everywhere," says Tom Mates, vice president, commodity products at IBA Food Safety Division."Pet food manufactures have worked continuously to eliminate pathogens like Salmonella from the production process but now have full approval to use the only tool that can treat these products after they have been packaged and sealed.This eliminates any chance of recontamination."

Major Salmonella outbreaks in pet chews produced in Canada in the fall of 1999 caused more than 30 serious illnesses, most cases in children who were feeding the chews to their dogs.The outbreaks resulted in ten voluntary recalls and lead Health Canada to issue public warnings and health advisories. Following this, and subsequent outbreaks in the USA and Europe, the FDA allowed pet chew manufacturers to treat pet chews with irradiation on a case-by-case basis under special letters, to ensure manufacturers had access to a solution until this full approval could be issued.

"Other than a guarantee of safer food for our pets and animals, the immediate impact from this approval will be to greatly reduce the risk of contaminated pet food in the home.This will protect children, seniors and anyone with a weakened immune system such as diabetics, cancer survivors or people who have recently undergone surgery," says Pat Adams, president of IBA Food Safety Division.

"Beyond this, irradiation of bulk feeds for cattle, swine and poultry may also reduce the transmission of bacteria to these animals and reduce the risk of contamination in the human food chain when people eat these products. This is one more step in the ongoing fight for food safety," adds Adams.

Irradiation of human food has already been approved by the FDA for the treatment of poultry, red meat, vegetables, sprout seeds and eggs, and has been shown to be an extremely powerful and environmentally friendly weapon against disease-provoking bacteria such as Listeria and Salmonella. Irradiation is approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).It is also endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Medical Association, the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the American Dietetic association (ADA) the Food & Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and virtually all-worldwide scientific organizations.

Information on IBA is available on the Web at http://www.IBA.be

About IBA

IBA is a world leader in the production of high-precision cancer treatment systems using proton beams, the manufacture of radioisotope-producing cyclotrons and the development of centers for the distribution of FDG, a radiopharmaceutical used in cancer diagnosis.IBA has been producing irradiation systems for over 40 years and in particular, treating foods, including poultry, seafood, cheese and spices for over 15 years.The Food Safety Division is headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., and the IBA corporate offices are in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.

IBA has a strategic alliance with Ecolab Inc., world leader in critical environment sanitation systems and services, to provide food processors with one comprehensive resource for integrated, multiple intervention food safety programs.Ecolab offerings include the latest in advanced detergents and sanitizers, automated systems to improve operational efficiencies, employee hygiene programs, and patented food surface treatment products.Combined with IBA's leading-edge food irradiation technology and support services, these represent the most comprehensive food safety program available today.

With more than 1300 employees at 49 different sites in 12 countries on three continents, IBA is a recognized world leader in both its industrial markets (Sterilization and Ionization) and medical markets (Advanced Radiotherapy and Radioisotopes).By leveraging its unique expertise in particle accelerator technology, advanced physics and chemistry, IBA continues to fulfill its worldwide mission, that of providing high-value innovative solutions in the areas of health and well-being.Listed on the Brussels Stock Exchange since June 1998, IBA's consolidated sales figure for 2000 shows growth of 67 percent increasing to 236 million EUR.Listed on the new pan-European Stock Exchange EURONEXT, the IBA share is indexed on NEXT 150.

The IBA Food Safety Division is focused on microbial reduction in food products and food packaging.It is also actively developing centers for the processing of fresh and frozen red meat, poultry and fresh fruits and vegetables.The newest facility in Bridgeport, N.J., will open in mid-2001, with the largest capacity x-ray system in the USA.IBA Food Safety can also offer customers new in-house, in-line food irradiation systems.

SOURCEIBA Food Safety Division

CO:IBA Food Safety Division; U.S. Food & Drug Administration

This is even more stupid than fluoridation. Fluoridation was used by the Nazi prisons in the 30's to take away prisoner freedom to think chemically, and the same thing happens with every place that uses fluoridation. Now, we're going to kill off all our pets at increasing rates by adding even more chemical poisons and destroying nutritional enzymes needed for good health.

Food irradiation destroys important nutritional products and adds in chemical decompostions toxic effects many of which are carcinogenic.

In the long run, food irradiation will do more to kill off the population than any risk from bacteria and continue to lower immune resistance and lower lifespans. It will make the cancer rates worse.

It even violates the messages of the biblical texts in Genesis and how these folks lived to be so old and stayed so healthy.

DON"T BUY IRRADIATED ANYTHING IF YOU WANT TO LIVE LONG AND BE HEALTHY.