An overwhelming body of scientific data indicates that irradiated food is safe, nutritious, and wholesome. Health authorities worldwide, including leading national and international scientific organizations, have based their approvals of food irradiation on the results of sound scientific research.
Irradiation increases the safety profile and the availability of a variety of foods. The safety of food irradiation has been studied more extensively than that of any other food preservation process. As is true of other food processes, irradiation can lead to chemical changes in food.
irradiated food
First Edition, October 1982
Second Edition (revised and updated), July 1985
Third Edition (revised and updated), December 1988
Fourth Edition (revised and updated), March 1996
Revised and updated by Paisan Loaharanu, M.S. International Consultant Former Head Food and Environmental Protection Section Joint FAO/IAEA Division, Vienna, Austria