Food Process Types of Food That are Being Irradiated Benefits / Effects Safety Worldwide Application US Status		Food : Worldwide Application Internationally, foods such as apples, strawberries, bananas, mangoes, onions, potatoes, spices and seasonings, meat, poultry, fish, frog legs, and grains have been irradiated for many years. In Japan, more than 20,000 pounds of potatoes are irradiated each year to prevent sprouting. In the Netherlands more than 18,000 pounds of foods such as strawberries, spices, poultry, dehydrated vegetables, and frozen products are irradiated daily. Belgium irradiates more than 8,000 tons of food per year. Canada has approved the irradiation of potatoes, onions, wheat, flour, fish fillets, and spices and seasonings. Decisions in these and other countries have been influenced by the adoption, in 1983, of a worldwide standard for food irradiation. The standard was adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a joint body of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Health Organization. The standard is based on the results of a Joint Expert Committee on Food Irradiation study that stated that irradiation of any food commodity up to 10 kGy presents no toxicological or nutritional hazards in foods. Presently 41 countries have approved applications to irradiate approximately 40 different foods -- in total more than 0.5 million tons on a yearly basis. This amount represents only a fraction of the food consumed annually. One factor influencing the pace of the development of food irradiation is public understanding and acceptance of the process. So far, this has been difficult to achieve, in view of the misconceptions and fears often surrounding nuclear-related technologies and the use of radiation. However, the amount of food that is being irradiated is constantly growing. This trend is due to three main factors: High losses of food due to insect infestation and spoilage: Economic losses due to insects and microbes have been estimated to fall between $5 and $17 billion yearly in the US alone, and the FAO estimates that worldwide 25% of food production is lost after harvesting. Food irradiation can help reduce these losses and can also reduce our dependence on chemical pesticides, some of which are extremely harmful to the environment. Increasing concern over food-borne illness: Food-borne diseases pose a widespread threat to human health and they are an important cause of reduced economic productivity. Studies by the US Center for Disease Control in early 1990's showed that even in the US, food-borne diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, and by Trichinae and other parasites, claim an estimated 9000 lives annually and cause 24-81 million cases of diarrhea. Economic losses associated with such food-borne diseases are high -- estimated between US $6.5 billion and $33 billion. The relatively low doses of radiation needed to destroy certain bacteria in food can be useful in controlling food-borne disease. Growing international trade in food products: As our economies become more global, food products must meet high standards of quality and quarantine in order to move across borders. The inability of countries to satisfy each other's quarantine and public health regulations is a major barrier to trade. For example, not all countries allow importation of chemically treated fruit. Moreover, major importing countries, including the USA and Japan, have banned the use of certain fumigants identified as health hazards. The problem is most acute for developing countries whose economies are still largely based on food and agricultural production. Radiation processing offers these countries an alternative to fumigation and some other treatments. All these irradiated products bear the radura international symbol for irradiation, and a statement that the product was treated by irradiation. Irradiated meat used in other products such as sausages and bologna also must be labeled. For unpackaged meat products that do not have labels, the statement and logo must be displayed at the point of sale to consumers. These labeling requirements do not apply to products purchased through foodservice operations, such as restaurants. They also don't apply to irradiated spices used in small quantities in process foods to avoid premature spoilage from bacterial growth. Countries with Approval of Food Irradiation Asia Bangladesh China India Indonesia Iran Japan Korea Pakistan Philippines Russian Federation Syria Thailand Africa Algeria South Africa South America Argentina Brazil Chile Peru Uruguay Europe Belgium Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Hungary Israel Italy Netherlands Norway Poland Spain Ukraine United Kingdom Yugoslavia North America Canada Costa Rica Cuba Mexico United States