Is irradiated food safe? How is it labeled?

The Food and Drug Administration last December approved treating red meat products with a measured does of radiation. This process, commonly call irradiation, has drawn praise from many food industry and health organizations because it can control E. coli 0157:H7 and several other disease-causing microorganisms.

As part of its approval, FDA requires that irradiated foods include labeling with either the statement "treated with radiation" or "treated by irradiation" and the international symbol for irradiation, the radura. Irradiation labeling requirements apply only to foods sold in stores. For example, irradiated spices or fresh strawberries should be labeled. When used as ingredients in other foods, however, the label of the other food does not need to describe these ingredients as irradiated. Irradiation labeling also does not apply to restaurant foods.

FDA has evaluated irradiation safety for 40 years and found the process to be safe and effective for many foods. Before approving red meat irradiation, the agency reviewed numerous scientific studies conducted worldwide. These included research on the chemical effects of radiation on meat, the impact the process has on nutrient content, and potential toxicity concerns.

In this most recent review and in previous reviews of the irradiation process, FDA scientists concluded that irradiation reduces or eliminates pathogenic bacteria, insects and parasites.

Approved Uses of Irradiation

FDA approved the first use of irradiation on a food product in 1963 when it allowed radiation-treated wheat and wheat flour to be marketed. In approving a use of radiation, FDA sets the maximum radiation dose the product can be exposed to, measured in units called kiloGrays (kGys). The following is a list of all approved uses of radiation on foods to date, the purpose for irradiating them, and the radiation dose allowed.

Food	Approved Use	Dose
Spices and dry vegetable seasoning	decontaminates and controls insects and microorganisms	30 kGys
Dry or dehydrated enzyme preparations	controls insects and microorganisms	10 kGys
All Foods	controls insects	1 kGy
Fresh foods	delays maturation	l kGy
Poultry	controls disease-causing microorganisms	3 kGys
Red meat (such as beef, lamb and pork)	controls spoilage and disease-causing microorganisms	4.5 kGys (fresh) 7 kGys (frozen)