HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0212.398 1996-1998 J 9d ;1%C~/i~//~Z~J /~r~1 io~'%r/~ ~'r;~~iL~~
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~f Story "#10738" Re~~~ested by INFO STATION (\SP^'.$LSRV) on 5/20/97 13:45:
St. Petersburg Times
Publication Date 10/31/9
Page• 1B _ l~ ht~ ~
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HD: Publix rejects irradiated foamsstuffs ~p~~
~B'8: MARLENE SDKCL ~'L~I'Y~
EX: Publix Super Markets delivered what could be a major public
relations blow to a local food processing plant when it announced
Wednesday that it will not carry irradiated produce, meat or
seafood.
.i" We have had a lot of customers tell us that they don"t want
irradiated foods,"" said Howard ~7enkins, chairman of the state"s
largest grocer.
The Publix decision comes as Vindicator Inc. of Plant City
prepares to open the nation"s first commercial food irradiation
plant in Mulberry, a small town in Polk County.
Irradiation uses gamma rays to kill pests and bacteria in order to
delay spoilage and fight food-borne illnesses.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hoe approved lower
doses of irradiation. But many consumer groups have criticized the
FDA rulings, saying not enough research has been done on side
effects, which might include birth defects or cancer.
Sam Whitney, Vindicator"s president, said he had not heard of the
Public, announcement, but added that he has never considered
Publix a customer.
Whitney declined to say who his Pirst customers will be. " I could
name about is, but I"m not going to,"" he said.
Foes of irradiation celebrated Wednesday"s decision. " Tt"s a great
consumer victory,"" said Michael Colby, director of the Food &
Water organization in New York. " We expect others, once they see
x is taking the lead, will sign up as well.""
M45t supermar]:et chains have taken a wait-and-see position as
they weigh consumer concerns against the economic benefits of
incre ed shelf life.
inn Dixie Stores Inc. has not made a decision, said Mickey Clare,
the company"s marketing vice president in 3acksonville.
Clerc said Winn Dixie trusts federal and state regulators. But, he
said, "Whatever our customers want, we will get it for them. We ors
t it purchasing agents.""
At Albertsons Inc., " we are not planning to sell irradiated food,""
said Terri Hughes, a corporate spokeswoman in Boise, Idaho.
Representatives of both Publix and Albertsons said there is no
guar ntee t2;ey will not change their positions if consumers change
their preference.
In addition to lining up customers, Vindicator must secure a stag
license to possess and use radicactive cobalt-60, the radioactive
material.
The statE Department of Healtri and Rehabilitative services
(HRS), which is reviewing Vindicator"s application for a license, has
scheduled a public hearing ac 10 a.m. Monday at the Mulberry Civic
Center to discuss safety at the plant.
SC: TAMPA BAY AND STATE qq •1~q
PG: 1$ G~rmrn. No. ~Y •7
AT: food controversy cancer consumer healthS business FND ~ COQ
tiaf .Presented
~~t. ihate. MAY 2 0 1997
• G
E Story "~I10735° Re' ~sted by INFO STATION (\S* $L5RV) on 5/20/97 13:45:
St. Petersburg Times
Publication Date: 10/i9/91 %
Pt ge: SA
xD: Legitimate concerns about 'eradiation
SE: EAZTORIALS
EX: There are three proper public concerns about Food irradiation:
the safe handling of the radioactive materials used in the process,
the lass of nutritional value in processed foods and the full and
meaningful notification tc the public on all foods that have been
irradiated.
More than 1,000 people in Florida were concerned enough to write
to the governor opposing the Vindicator Inc. irradiation plant,
scheduled to begin operations by the end of the year in Palk
County.
Irradiation is a sterilization technique in which food is exposed to
gamma rays to kill bacteria and other pests. It is commonly used to
sterilise medical supplies and some spices, though it isn~~t yet widely
used for lood. That could change if Vindicator Inc. opens the
' n"s firs a~f{{~~od irradiation plant in Mulberry.
The state~~as"`~esponded to the public"s concern. The department
f Health an Rehabilitative Services F agreed to hold a public
hearing in Mulberry Nov. a to gather nform ti n u the safety
nd operation of the plant ~.H~; ~~Edtz~y~-nl~iz~'
~d
_'~Phe hearing is a good move. It will provide the public its first
opportunity to raise safety questions before the plant begins
o ations.
To make well-informed comments, people should obtain as much
information as possible befogs the hearing about the transpoxtation
n handling of large amounts of radioactive materials. ~
At a plant in Georgia, the radioactive sources have leaked,
exposing workers and their families to radiation. What will prevent
such an accident here? What kind of training will the workers and
the transporters receive? Who pays for the cleanup in the case of an
accident? The Georgia plant cost $3o-million to clean up.
eeple also need to push for close monitoring of the plant. ThE
vNuclear Regulatory commission says most accidents at irradiation
plants have been caused by operators who circumvented safety
features. HRS should keep a close eye on the plant to make sure
p rotors don"t get sloppy.
HRS spokesman David Adams said the agency will have -
inspectors on hand 3aily while the operation is being set up, and will
do six-month checks initially. But HRS is required to inspect only
once a year, far too seldom for adequate oversight of such a
potentially dangerous operation. That"s one thing HRS can control
and citiaens can demand.
Sam Whitney, president of Vindicator, has brushed off questions
by neighbors, rejecting them as the dupes of out-oE-town opponents.
This is the public"s chance to remind him of his responsibilities
w he runs an operation that could endanger their health.
one thing the hearing won"t settle is the question of nutritional
loss of irradiated °ood. HRS has a narrow purvic-w, limited only to
the handling of the cobalt 60 and the plant"s operations.
it"s clear that irradiation, like other methods of processing, can
liminish the nutritional value oP food •
Consumers who want to kr~••+ whether z food they"re y+uying has
;een irradiated should loot. or the international irrs ated Pood
symbol, which resembles a flower inside a circle, and the phrase
"treated by irradiation."" Exactly how that symbol and phrase are
presented will determine whether the notice is adequate.
(Irradiated spices and ingredients arch"t required to carry notice.
they should be.)
If the license is approved, the questions raised about irradiated
Food will be answered ~+y shoppers at the supermarket. At the
hearing, they should push far the highest safety and monitori,.y
standards.
SC: EDITORIAL
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TY: EDITORIAL .
ED: CITY
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PROOF of Story "x"8771" ReG__jsted by INFO STATION (\Sf~.$LSRV) on 5/20/97 13:4'1:5
St. Pe rsburg 'mes
Publication Date: 4•! ~
Page: 2D - -
D: Faod irradiation company posts lass
DL: PLANT CITY
Vindicator Inc. said Thursday it last $1.4-million last year, bu
the tough times are behind it. The Plan± r_ity company said it
expects to begin irradiation of poultry this quarter.
"The cast of developing our company was ~rsater than
management anticipated and the federal bureaucracy moved much
slower than predicted due to the impending change in (presidential)
administrations,"" Vindicator president Sam Whitney said in a
statement. "The development stage of the company is ending, and
Vindicator will be a viable entity in food processing by the end of
1993.""
Irradiaticn kills bacteria and slows ripening and deterioration in
food. Vindicator, which has a plant in Mulberry, has been
irradiating fruits and vegetables to extend their shelf life. However,
poultry represents a much larger potential market.
Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved poultry
irradiation in September, it took six more months for the U.S. Food
and Druq Administration to approve packaging materials far
irradiated food, Whitney said.
The company said it had revenues last year of $75,287.
SC:' BUSINESS
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AT: finance
ED: CITY
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'P.OOF Cf Story "513395" Req, ~ted by INFO STATION (\SP rLSRV) on 5/20/97 13:23:
St. Petersburg Times
Fublioatian Date: 6/13/94
Page: 15A
HD: Food irradiation company changes its Hama
SY: KIM NORRIS ` '
?..PLANT CITY
Vindicator Inc., which has taken some heat Eor its pJ.ans to nuk
' he meat America eats, has changed its name.
Henceforth, the company will be known as Faad Technology
rvice Inc.
Sam Whitney, chairman of the Plant City food irradiation
company, said the name was changed to reflect the company"s plans
to branch into other technologies to increase the shelf life and
reduce harmful bacteria in foods.
" We"re working now with the meat industry to go into other
technologies to reduce pathogens and the meat people thought we
ought tc have a name that better reflects ail the technologies,""
Whitney said.
" We want to be identified as a service company and food
technology is the service we want to render.""
Whitney said the name change was not prompted by the public
criticism the company has received from a small but persistent
group called Food & Water Inc. The group opposes food irradiation,
claiming it is unsafe.
"All the meat magazines and newspapers have praised it
(irradiation) to the skies,"" Whitney said.
In 1992, the federal government approved the irradiation process
for poultry and in September 1993, irradiated chicken made a
limited debut in two retail stores. widespread distribution of
irradiated poultry awaits government approval of the special
packaging the product requires.
The federal government has not approved irradiated meat, but
Whitney said the industry anticipates getting the green light in the
eas future.
~,~Ii~~4p'~Yi~3[i6~, Vindicator reported 5 , 974 on ~
sales of 154,470 for 1993. The company last $1.4-million on sales of
7~~t3Tin 19y 2. ' / ~ y ~ ,~~~~r/%~!~i
~~~1~~q~y ~e"'~~s~t~~c ~1gs~d. aft, p7 Fti~ag„ up 5"0VCents,
in SDAQ trading.
SC: BUSINESS ,~Gj/y~~~/~~ ~iL~
PG: 15A
AT: Change finance 7 i~.
CR: BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO, Times files
CU: Vindicator Inc. will now be tailed Food Technology Service Inc.
AR: Vindicator Inc.: 91
ED: CITY
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PROOF of Story "g8770" Rec ~ted by INFO STATSON (\SF $LSRV) an 5/20/97 13:44:4
~t. Petersburg Times
Publication Date' 12/11/96`'
Page: GE
HD: Stiruggling Food Technology"s chief executive tc step down
8Y : HELEN I?UNTLEY
DL: PLANT CITY
Health prcblems have forced founder Sam Whitney to step
down as chairman and chief executive of Food Technology Service
inc. just when things are locking up for the struggling Plant City
company.
Food Technology has had a tough time finding a market for its
food irradiation process, which kills bacteria that cause food to
spoil.
~ St also has met delays in trying to get U.S. Food and Drug
Administration approval for the foam trays it wants to use to
package poultry sold in grocery stores. Whitn ~i~~~~~opes
a royal will come in the new year. ~ V
Currently, Food Technology is processin~pou try for hospitals
and fast-food restaurants. It also expects o process strawberries
and winter vegetables for northern markets; ~Ph'i~_~p,~~`~,i~dlVL,a~st-,
_/L. W. "Pete"" Ellis, a former executive ;kith the agricultural giant
ConAgra lnc., took over as CEO this week. Gordon Shirah, another
of Food Technology"s founders, became chairman.
Whitney, 73, said he plans to stay on as a director and will continue
working part time at the company. He said he has not fully
recovered from vascular surgery he had last year and is unable to
travel to the company"s irradiation plant fn Mulberry. He said he
a d the company"s board last April to find a necv chief exec 've.
Stock in Food Technology, formerly known as Vindicator Inc.,
sold for as much as $13.50 a share in 1992, but lately has been
trading for around $1 a share ir. the Nasdaq small-cap market.
SC: BUSYNESS
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AT: business finish health J
ED: 0 SOUTH PINELLAS