"U.S. food companies can seek federal approval to avoid using the word "irradiation" on labels of foods treated with the disease-killing process [3], and instead use language such as "cold pasteurization," the Food and Drug Administration said. ... The FDA issued guidelines explaining how companies can petition the agency to use more neutral language on the label of food treated with irradiation. American foodmakers have been slow to adopt the treatment for raw meat and poultry because of the cost of the equipment and worries about consumer acceptance. Some green groups and environmentalists fear using high-energy radiation in food products could have harmful side effects for consumers. Currently, foods treated with the technology must carry labels saying either "treated with irradiation" or "treated by radiation." ... Critics [4] say the industry is trying to use euphemisms to hide that their products were irradiated."