Meat irradiation approved

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved irradiation of red meat and sausages to reduce the risk of poisoning, four months after the closure of Hudson Foods, in Nebraska, one of the country's biggest meat-processing plants, following an outbreak of E coli.

The FDA said it was satisfied irradiation was safe, did not "demonstrably" alter the nutritional content of food, and did not change flavour or texture. Irradiation is already approved for poultry and fruit and vegetables in the US; treated produce must be labelled as such.