Food Process Types of Food That are Being Irradiated Benefits / Effects Safety Worldwide Application US Status		Food : US Status Several Federal agencies are responsible for regulations on food irradiation.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the primary regulatory agency involved with food irradiation.  FDA sets criteria for the safe use of irradiation on all foods.  FDA's involvement is mandated by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which specifically defines sources of irradiation as food additives.  The use of irradiation on some specific foods is regulated by agencies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulates irradiation used as a quarantine treatment for fresh produce coming into the United States from other countries to prevent the establishment of exotic pests that could harm U.S. agriculture.  The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) regulates the implementation of the process for meat and poultry to ensure that those foods remain safe and wholesome. Regulations governing food uses of irradiation in the US did not change for many years, and only spices, wheat, wheat flour, and potatoes were approved for processing.  New regulations began to appear slowly starting in 1986 with the approval of irradiation to control trichina in pork.  Another broader approval in 1986 established new uses of irradiation to inhibit growth and maturation and to control insects in fresh foods.  There have been two APHIS regulatory actions resulting from the 1986 FDA regulation.  In 1989, APHIS added a section to their quarantine regulations permitting irradiation of Hawaiian papaya passing to the U.S. mainland.  In 1990, FDA (USDA in 1992) passed a rule permitting the use of irradiation on fresh or frozen poultry and poultry parts, including ground poultry products, to control food-borne pathogens and other bacteria.  In 1995, the FDA permitted the irradiation (for sterilization) of frozen meats used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the U.S. space program.  A ruling from 1997 (1999 USDA) extends the approvals for irradiation to include control of food-borne pathogens and other bacteria in all red meat products. Even though a variety of foods have been approved for irradiation in the US, for several different purposes, irradiated foods are not widely available yet.  Some stores have sold irradiated fruits and vegetables since the early 1990s.  Irradiated poultry is available in some grocery stores (mostly small, independent markets) and on menus of a few restaurants.  On the other hand, most spices sold wholesale in this country are irradiated, which eliminates the need for chemical fumigation to control pests.  American astronauts have eaten irradiated foods in space since the early 1970s.  Since 1993, NASA has used about 1,500 irradiated entrees per year on 29 shuttle missions and four MIR missions.  Also, the use of irradiation sterilized entrees in several hospitals in the southeast U.S. is increasing.  Patients with weakened immune systems are sometimes fed irradiated foods to reduce the chance of a life-threatening infection. Below is a table listing when certain types of food were approved for irradiation for specific purposes.  Also listed are some milestones in the history of food irradiation in the US. Approval Food Purpose 1896 French physicist Antoine-Henri Becquerel discovers radiation 1898 Samuel Prescott shows that gamma rays from radiation destroy bacteria in food and other foodstuffs 1921 First US patent obtained by Schwartz on the use of X-rays to kill Trichinella spiralis in meat 1920-30 Patents released in US and France for use of radiation-based methods of killing parasites in pork and bacteria in canned food 1955 The Army Medical Department and MIT begin research concerning safety of irradiation of foods in the US diet 1963 Wheat flour Control of mold 1964 White potatoes Inhibit sprouting 1970 NASA adopts process to irradiate meat for astronauts to consume in space 1980 Formation of research groups, and the International Consultative Group for Food Irradiation 1986 Pork Kill Trichina parasites 1986 Fruit and vegetables Insect control/increase shelf life 1986 Herbs and spices Sterilization 1993 Declaration of American Medical Association that food irradiation is a safe and effective way to preserve food 1993 Outbreak of E. coli in Jack in the Box food chain 1997 Recall of bacteria tainted beef, Hudson Foods processing plant 1990 FDA/1992 USDA1 Poultry Bacterial pathogen reduction 1997 FDA/1999 USDA Meat Bacterial pathogen reduction 1 For meats, separate approval is required from both the USDA (for unprepared meat) and the FDA (for prepared meat).