Radiation can rid food of bacteria

Between the spinach scare in the fall and the E. coli outbreak at Taco Bell, you may be worried about what you're feeding your family.

Now some experts say radiation could be the answer to all those problems.

“We expose food to a very high energy source, and that causes ionization of DNA so effectively we are killing these bacteria by damaging their DNA,” said Dennis Olson of Iowa State University.

Irradiated foods are available in stores, usually costing a few additional cents.

The process has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Critics say more testing needs to be done.

Zap that bacteria

Kitchen sponges are notorious breeders of bacteria.

But researchers at the University of Florida say your microwave can really clean things up. They soaked a sponge in raw wastewater, including fecal bacteria, and then zapped it in a household microwave for two minutes.

The results—99 percent of the bacteria, viruses and parasites were gone.

Researchers caution that a dry sponge can catch fire. So be sure to dampen the sponge first.