020545 Dairy Queen to Test Irradiated MeatMay 24, 2002A dozen Dairy Queens in central Minnesota will test using irradiated hamburger meat to make burgers in an experiment expected to be closely watched by fast-food franchises across the country. The test will be conducted in outlets in the central part of the state, and if those tests go well the treated patties to be in the Twin Cities by July 4, an official with locally based Dairy Queen said. In May 2000, grocery stores in the Twin Cities were the first in the nation to began selling irradiated frozen hamburger patties, clearly labeled as having been treated with low level gamma rays or electronic beams as a way to destroy harmful bacteria. The process used on patties sold in the Dairy Queen restaurants will reportedly use only electricity to kill the bacteria as a safety measure guarding against diseases such as E. coli and listeria. Such irradiation is the only certain way to kill the bacteria, according to federal health officials. There were reports in the months following introduction of the treated patties in grocery-store freezers that demand was growing. The test by Dairy Queen is a first for fast-food restaurants. "If everything goes well, hopefully by the end of June, possibly early July we could have the irradiated product in stores in the Minneapolis Twin Cities area," a company official told WMNN-Radio. It was in December 1999 that the USDA OK'd the sale of irradiated meat. Other national fast-food franchisers are expected to monitor the results of the Dairy Queen test marketing and possibly the process themselves.
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