Irradiation can be used as a processing technology whereby certain types of food can be exposed to a source of ionising energy in order to kill or sterilise insects, bacteria, micro-organisms and other pathogens. In Australia, it is particularly helpful to help farmers, processors and retailers meet quarantine and biosecurity requirements, as irradiation is highly effective against common insect pests including fruit fly.
Food irradiation is used around the world and the widely held scientific consensus after more than fifty years of research is that when carried out within specified standards irradiation produces food that is safe to eat. Irradiation has the support of all the leading international scientific health and food safety bodies and each year an estimated one million tonnes of irradiated food is consumed worldwide.
Before a food product can be irradiated in Australia it must first go through a strict safety assessment by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and once approval has been granted and irradiated food must be labeled as having been treated by radiation. Currently, there is regulatory approval in Australia for the irradiation of herbs and spices, some herbal teas and ten tropical fruits, including mangoes, papayas and persimmons.
For more information about Food Irradiation click here.