Detection of irradiated foodstuffs

The radiation treatment of different foods is now legally accepted in about 40 countries while it is still prohibited in others. Consequently, regulatory authorities in all countries appear to be interested in having simple and reliable methods to detect irradiated foods and to check on compliance with labelling regulations. Several detection methods have been discussed previously but considerable progress has been made recently, particularly due to the actions of the Reference Bureau of the Commission of the European Communities (CEC, Brussels) and of the Joint Division of FAO and IAEA (1994) in Vienna. (A.L.)