peppercorns treated with radiation?

I recently bought some white peppercorns from an Asian market. When I looked at the bottle later, I realized there was a green sticker on the back that said treated with radiation. I am wondering if this is a common and safe way to treat peppercorns and other spices. I am not worried about them being radioactive or anything like that but that they are trying to kill really harmful bacteria from sub-standard handling and processing practices. Any advice? Thanks.

linznol
  • Posted by: linznol
  • April 13, 2011
  • 7521 views
  • 3 Comments

3 Comments

pierino
pierino April 14, 2011
While I own common stock in Whole Foods I don't worry about irradiated foods any more than I worry about Whole Foods products cooked in a microwave oven.
 
Author Comment
A Whole Foods Market Customer
A Whole Foods Market Customer April 13, 2011
Whole Foods Market doesn't irradiate any of their spices. Good fresh spices from a reputable source are always a better bet than something that has to be treated to be stored.
 
Ophelia
Ophelia April 13, 2011
My understanding is that the USDA required them to be treated to keep agricultural fungi and such from migrating (schezuan peppercorn are treated to destroy citrus canker I think). It may be that white pepper isn't really an issue and it just being treated because it can be.
 
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