The preservation of food by irradiation was hailed in the 1960s as a valuable addition to existing processes such as freezing and canning, but has since become a matter of controversy. While it is permitted in some countries it is forbidden in others. This article reviews the advantages and limitations of irradition, and weighs the evidence alleging hazards.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Wholesomeness of irradiated food, Report of joint FAO/IAEA/WHO Expert Committee Tech. Rpt. Series 659 WHO Geneva, 1981.
2.
Report on the Safety and Wholesomeness of Irradiated Foods, Advisory Committee on Irradiated and Novel Foods, HMSO, 1986.
3.
Proceedings of the Institute of Food Science and Tecnology, 19, No. 4, December1986.
4.
‘Irradiation of Foods’, RobinsonD.S.; ‘Food irradiation in Practice’, WilkinsonV.; ‘Safety Aspects’, GauntI. F.; ‘Microbiological Aspects’, GouldG. W.; ‘Irradiation and Nutrition’, BenderA. E.; ‘Labelling and Enforcement Aspects’, ColesL., Institute of Food Science and Technology, 20, Queensbury Place, London, SW7 2DR.
5.
Codex Alimentarius Commission (1984) ‘Codex General Standard for Irradiated Foods’ and ‘Recommended international code of practice for the operation of radiation facilities used for the treatment of food’. CAC, Vol. XV, Edition 1, Rome.
6.
EliasF. S., and CohenA. J. (eds) ‘Radiation chemistry of major food components, its relevance to the assessment of the wholesomeness of irradiated foods’, Elsevier Biomedical Press, Amsterdam.
