The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a regulation on Aug. 22 to allow food producers to irradiate fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce in order to kill micro-organisms such as E. coli and salmonella.

"What this does is give producers and processors one more tool in the toolbox to make these commodities safer and protect public health," Dr. Laura Tarantino, FDA's chief of food additive safety, told reporters.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association has also petitioned the FDA to allow certain other foods to be irradiated as well as leafy greens.

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