Results of nutritional, genetic, and toxicological studies of shelf-stable chicken sterilized by ionizing radiaiton are presented. No evidence of genetic toxicity or teratogenic effects in mice, hamsters, rats, and rabbits was observed. There was an unexplained reduction in the hatchability of eggs of Drosophila melanogaster reared on gamma-irradiated meat. No treatment-related abnormalities or changes were observed in dogs, rats, or mice during multigeneration studies. These nutritional, genetic, and toxicological studies did not provide definitive evidence of toxicological effects in mammals due to ingestion of chicken meat sterilized by ionizing radiation.
