Wegman's brands its irradiated ground beef

The stores sell 1- and 3-lb “rolls” of both 80%-lean and 90%-lean ground beef, each dated 20 days from date of packaging, compared to two days for store-packed ground beef. The irradiated products are priced from 10¢ to 30¢ more per pound than conventional ground beef.

“The product itself has a longer shelf life than non-irradiated ground beef,” says Jeanne Colleluori, a communications specialist for the Rochester, NY-based chain. “But that’s mostly due to the packaging rather than the treatment.” The chub pack is a fully printed film that’s tightly sealed with a metal clip on each end. The combination of the tight seal and light barrier are major contributors to the shelf life, Colleluori says.

“Our sales thus far have exceeded our original goals,” she adds. “However, we have had some questions about the package and some shoppers have told us they’d feel more comfortable if they could actually see the product.” Wegman’s didn’t do any specific consumer testing on irradiated ground beef, though it did ask questions about irradiation in other consumer testing.

“People seem to realize that this is a value-added product, and many are actually glad to have another choice in purchasing ground beef,” Colleluori says. —AO