NUKING YOUR BURGERS?

For Bill Clinton and other hamburger-loving Americans, nothing could have been scarier. At the height of the barbecue season last August, more than a dozen people became seriously ill from ground beef contaminated by a virulent strain of bacteria known as E. coli 0157:H7, which was traced to a Columbus, Neb., processing plant. The incident prompted the nation's largest meat recall, a whopping 25 million lbs. of beef patties. It also brought a vow from gourmand Clinton to wage a major war for food safety.

Last week the Food and Drug Administration unleashed the war's ultimate weapon. It approved use of...