Ever thought much about food irradiation—zapping foods briefly during the harvesting or packaging process to kill harmful bacteria and viruses?

The notion used to really turn me off. Why do such an artificial and, uh, nuclear thing to our food? Why not fix the problem at the source? Plus, tests couldn't prove irradiation is absolutely safe, and supposedly it can alter tastes, textures, and nutrients.

But all this news of sicknesses is starting to get to me, now that I've got a little one to worry about. Back during Spinach Crisis 2006 I posted about a friend who was very sick with E. coli poisoning, most likely from alfalfa sprouts. How can I be sure the foods that are healthiest for Baby A are also safe?

This much I do know: Our family isn't going to stop eating yummy things like green onions, spinach and other greens, and, yes, ground beef anytime soon. We do try to make many of our meals local—that is, vegetables from local farms, meats from small producers who follow natural, sustainable standards.

But the fact is we do eat at chains, and we do buy some processed or convenience foods. (I do love me some Taco Bell, though I've never taken Baby A there.) And I don't believe even local foods are safe as long as there are things like cattle feedlots in fields nearby.

So how do we find a way out of this mess—one that's safe and reliable for us and our families? Is it time to look again at irradiation? Comment and let me know your thoughts. Me, I'm still not sure. And the bureaucrats who repeat, "The U.S. food supply is among the safest in the world" are sounding a lot like the ones who say, "We've turned the corner in Iraq." In other words, they're not seeing the very real problems on the ground.

Some related links:

* Jamba Juice says it might have served contaminated strawberries in certain Southwestern locations.

* Green onions are now off the menus at all 6,000 Taco Belll locations nationwide. Some samples of green onions in the Taco Bell system have shown traces of E. coli bacteria. The company contracted for private testing, alongside state testing.

* New Jersey asks all Taco Bells in the state to throw out their food. The same directive asked Taco Bell to better train workers in hygiene and food handling.

* Newsweek interviews a food safety expert about how consumers can keep themselves safer. She's pretty even-keeled, which I appreciate. Example, when asked if she'll at at Taco Bell again: "I would just wait until everything cleared up, but this wouldn't stop me from going back there in the future."

* Salon published a great Q & A piece on food safety and modern food processing.