Elimination of Harmful Organisms from Food and Feed by Irradiation. Report of a Panel

The international trade in food and feed products has seriously increased the risk of outbreaks of food poisoning in human beings and animals. The problem is of major concern to the public health authorities in both the developed and developing countries of the world. Radiation has been studied extensively as a method of controlling harmful organisms in food and animal feeds, and its potential usefulness is generally recognized. However, there are still problems to be solved before radiation will be applied for this purpose on an industrial scale. A Panel on the Elimination of Harmful Organisms from Food and Feed by Irradiation was held by the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Atomic Energy in Food and Agriculture at the Central Institute for Nutrition and Food Research, Zeist, The Netherlands, from 12 to 16 June 1967, at the generous invitation of the Dutch Nutrition Organization (TNO). The primary purpose of the meeting was to advise the Directors General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and of the International Atomic Energy Agency how their organizations can best fulfil their role in this field. Twelve experts, a representative of the World Health Organization and three observers from national research organizations attended. A detailed evaluation was made of the prospects of the industrial application of irradiation for the devitalization of parasites, the radicidation treatment of Salmonella, the control of clostridia and the inactivation of viruses in different food and feed products. The possible use of irradiation for producing vaccines was also discussed. The report contains the contributions of the Panel members together with the conclusions and recommendations for further research and for feasibility studies on irradiation pilot plants for a variety of food and feed products