THE sale of irradiated food in Britain should not be allowed before
the EEC has agreed a directive on the subject. This is a key recommendation
in a report from the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities
on the draft directive put forward by the European Commission. The Lords鈥檚
report, published last week, says that the 鈥榦verwhelming weight of evidence
is that irradiation of food on the limited basis proposed by the Commission
is safe鈥�. Irradiation with gamma-rays or other ionising radiation would
kill off some of the harmful organisms found in foods.
The Commission lists 11 foodstuffs that could be irradiated. These include
herbs and spices, shrimps and prawns, frogs鈥� legs and 鈥榩oultrymeat鈥�. The
select committee believes that there is no scientific basis for limiting
the initial use of radiation to the foodstuffs proposed by the commission.
But 鈥榮uch a limitation will enable the effects of irradiation to be monitored
and suitable regulatory controls to be developed鈥�, the committee says.
