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6. In fact there is no assured mechanism for determining if an individual product has <br /> been irradiated once, many times, or not at all. As a matter of food safety, this <br /> technology is essential, and as yet, absent. <br /> 7. If irradiation becomes accepted by the world's consumers, (as the Mayor hopes), <br /> who else is naive enough to believe that we can compete on the world market <br /> with an irradiated product? <br /> 8. Papaya has an accepted moist-heat facility on-line. Papaya does not depend on any <br /> other treatment, especially not one certain to be rejected by Japanese buyers. <br /> Ginger and many other cut-flower shippers can rely on hot water bath treatment to <br /> disinfest their product. ]t also may confer longer keeping ability, depending on <br /> species. <br /> Irradiation is not acceptable for some Fruit, even if otherwise desired. <br /> There is yet no assured throughput, on a daily, year-round basis to make an <br /> irradiator economically selfsufficient. Subsidy may be a hidden agenda. It will be <br /> a temptation to those who imagine that this could really answer this island's <br /> economic woes, while preserving a plantation economy. <br /> 9. The irradiator will belong to Isomedic, or if that fails, to GreyStar. Money already <br /> spent benefits only them. Projected expenditures by the County will benefit them. <br /> Subsidies for this private industry do nothing to help small farmers, fishermen, or <br /> entrepreneurs to reach their market. If, as every market economist says, small <br /> business is the foundation of the economy, we need look no further to see who <br /> needs help. Why does the Mayor ignore us? <br /> 10. Hawaii can always provide a quality product to market. We do face enormous <br /> barriers, however. Fruitfly devastation is only one of them. We can take aim at the <br /> problem and undertake along-term solution. We would be wise to do it without <br /> the distraction of fanciful get-rich-quick schemes, but we should do it <br /> none-the-less. <br /> But once earning aworld-wide reputation for fake fresh food, we will not <br /> easily market Hawaii, home of good taste and fresh food! <br /> <br /> Edward Clark <br /> 17-466 Ipu'aiwaha St. <br /> Kea'au, Hi 96749 <br /> (808)966-7966 <br /> edclark@hilo.net <br /> <br />