Food science symposium: a national food irradiation forum

A national food irradiation forum was held to further promote the use of irradiation for food applications. This offered opportunity for the Department of National Health to announce new legislation for the labelling of irradiated foodstuffs. Subjects which dominated the proceedings included the implementation of labelling legislation and consumer education; cost implications and commercialisation of radurisation; the increasing trend towards the radurisation of processed foodstuffs as opposed to fresh and the future of food irradiation in South Africa. The safety of the irradiation process was stressed. The forum came to the conclusion that South Africa has this technology which has the government's stamp of approval and it is now up to the food industry, the Consumer Council, etc., to educate consumers into realising that they are buying quality products - and that the Radura symbol is a symbol of quality