Irradiation typically does not work so well on products with high amounts of fat or oil like peanut butter because they can turn rancid during the process.

With irradiation from the inside as well as out, it may take much less to cause genetic changes and impair growth and reproduction, even if it's still not enough to kill the species.

Though it's fairly uncommon to see irradiated steaks in your grocer's meat case, electron beam irradiation is a well-established practice, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.