Present status of food irradiation and trend of its development

Food irradiation has been studied, tested and evaluated intensively for more than 40 years, and at present, this technology has been taking-off for commercial use in many countries. Some 40 countries have approved its application for various food items on groups of food, and about 60 commercial irradiators have been providing irradiation service for food in 29 countries. In 1983, Codex General Standard for Irradiated Food with average irradiation dose limit not exceeding 10 kGy. The latest WHO press release on September 1997 stated that the maximum 10 kGy limit should not be there, since scientific evidences indicated that food irradiated even up to 75 kGy was safe to be consumed, as long as the sensory quality was acceptable and pathogenic organisms had been killed. The development of food irradiation in advanced countries, especially in USA is very significant lately, and hopefully this will be followed by other countries. In Indonesia, application of this technology has been approved since 1987, and six items or groups of food have been cleared for commercial irradiation. Further development and introduction of the technology are still needed to widen its application and to increase public awareness through harmonization of regulations among countries and dissemination of information. In addition, irradiation techniques for some specific purpose using either low dose, medium or high doses should be established to support effective, efficient and economical application. (author)