§ Mr. Greg KnightTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the safeguards in578W place to prevent the sale of irradiated goods in the United Kingdom; and what regular monitoring takes place in this regard. [65107]
§ Ms BlearsThe sale of irradiated foods in England are strictly controlled by the Food (Control of Irradiation) Regulations 1990, as amended by the Food Irradiation Provision (England) Regulations 2000. Similar legislation applies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The enforcement of these is the responsibility of local authorities. Periodic checks are carried out to ensure that irradiated foods are not being incorrectly marketed and action taken where necessary.
For example, in a recent survey by the Food Standards Agency a number of dietary supplements were found to contain non-approved irradiated ingredients and the companies concerned were told to withdraw the affected products. A copy of the survey report has been placed in the Library.