Food Irradiation (Hansard, 27 June 1989)

§ Dr. David Clark
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he intends to have a period of public consultation on his proposals to lift the ban on food irradiation and on his report of a working policy on the introduction of food irradiation in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. Donald Thompson
There will be full public consultation when detailed proposals are put forward.

§ Mr. Warren
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make arrangements to label all food which has been irradiated; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Ryder
The Council of the European Communities agreed on 14 June to amend the food labelling directive to provide for specific indication on the label of foodstuffs that have been irradiated. This requirement will be implemented into United Kingdom food labelling legislation in due course.

§ Mr. Home Robertson
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the micro-organisms which are not destroyed by food irradiation.

§ Mr. Donald Thompson
Populations of all micro-organisms in food are reduced to a greater or lesser extent by food irradiation. The process has been shown to be effective in dealing with vegetative micro-organisms such as salmonella, camphylobacter and listeria, but is not effective in the reduction of micro-organisms that produce spores—in particular clostridium botulinum.

§ Mr. Home Robertson
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the countries in which food irradiation is approved, giving the nature of the approval and details of the type of food covered for each country.

§ Mr. Donald Thompson
The list is as follows:
WORLD TAKE-UP OF FOOD IRRADIATION BY COUNTRY WITH FOODS FOR WHICH IRRADIATION APPROVED P = Provisional C = Conditional U = Unconditional
EC
Belgium

Potatoes (P)

Strawberries (P)

Onions (P)

Garlic (P)

Shallots (P)

Black, White Pepper (P)

Paprika Powder (P)

Arabic Gum (P)

Spices (P)

(Semi)-Dried Vegetables (P)

Denmark

Spices (U)

Herbs (U)

France

Potatoes (P)

Onions (P)

Garlic (P)

Shallots (P)

Spices (U)

Aromatic Substances (U)

Gum Arabic (U)

Muesli-like Cereal (U)

Dehydrated Vegetables (U)

Mechanically Deboned Poultry Meat (U)

Dried Fruits (U)

Dried Vegetables (U)

Germany (Dem. Rep)

Onions (U)

Enzyme Solutions (U)
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Spices (P)

Italy

Potatoes (U)

Onions (U)

Garlic (U)

The Netherlands

Mushrooms (U)

Potatoes (U)

Chicken (U)

Spices (P)

Onions (U)

Frozen Frog Legs (P)

Rice and Ground Products (P)

Rye Bread (P)

Frozen Shrimp (P)

Malt (P)

Boiled and Cooled Shrimp (P)

Frozen Fish (P)

Egg Powder (P)

Dry Blood Protein (P)

Dehydrated Vegetables (P)

Spain

Potatoes (U)

Onions (U)

REST OF EUROPE
Finland

Dry and Dehydrated Herbs and Spices (U)

All Foods for Patients requiring a Sterile Diet (U)

Hungary

Onions (U)

Sour Cherries Canned(C)

Black Pepper (C)

Spices (U) and (C)

Norway

Spices (U)

Poland

Potatoes (P)

Onions (P)

Yugoslavia

Cereals (U)

Legumes (U)

Onions (U)

Garlic (U)

Potatoes (U)

Dehydrated Fruits and Vegetables (U)

Dried Mushrooms (U)

Egg Powder (U)

Herbal Teas, Tea Extracts (U)

Fresh Poultry (U)

Spices (U)

NORTH AMERICA
United States

Wheat and Wheat Flour (U)

White Potatoes (U)

Spices and Dry Vegetable Seasonings (38 Commodities) (U)

Dry or Dehydrated Enzyme Preparations (Including Immobilised Enzyme Preparations) (U)

Pork Carcases or Fresh Non-Heat Processed Cuts of Pork Carcases (U)

Fresh Foods (U)

Food (U)

Dry or Dehydrated Aromatic Vegetable Substances (U)

Canada

Potatoes (U)

Onions (U)

Wheat Flour, Wholewheat (U)

Spices and Certain Dry Vegetable Seasonings (U)

Onion Powder (U)

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ELSEWHERE
Argentina

Strawberries (U)

Potatoes (U)

Onions (U)

Garlic (U)

Cocoa Powder (U)

Spinach (U)

Bangladesh

Chicken (U)

Papaya (U)

Potatoes (U)

Wheat and Ground Wheat Products (U)

Fish (U)

Onions (U)

Frog Legs (P)

Shrimp (P)

Mangoes (U)

Pulses (U)

Spices (U)

Rice (U)

Brazil

Rice (U)

Potatoes (U)

Onions (U)

Beans (U)

Maize (U)

Wheat (U)

Wheat Flour (U)

Spices (13 different products) (U)

Papaya(U)

Strawberries (U)

Fish and Fish Products (Fillets, Salted, Smoked, Dried, Dehydrated) (U)

Poultry (U)

Chile

Potatoes (U)

Papaya(U)

Wheat and Ground Wheat Products (U)

Strawberries (U)

Chicken (U)

Onions (U)

Rice (U)

Teleost Fish and Fish Products (U)

Cocoa Beans (U)

Dates (U)

Mangoes (U)

Pulses (U)

Spices and Condiments (U)

China

Potatoes (U)

Onions (U)

Garlic (U)

Peanuts (U)

Grain (U)

Mushrooms (U)

Sausage (U)

Apples (U)

Cuba

Potatoes

Onions

India

Potatoes (U)

Onions (U)

Indonesia

Dried Spices (U)

Tuber and Root Crops (Potatoes, Shallots, Garlic and Rhizomes) (U)

Cereals (U)

448W
Israel

Potatoes (U)

Onions (U)

Poultry and Poultry Sections (U)

Onions (U)

Garlic (U)

Shallots (U)

Spices (36 different products) (U)

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (U)

Grains, Cereals, Pulses, Cocoa and Coffee Beans, Nuts, Edible Seeds (U)

Mushrooms and Strawberries (A)

Spices and Condiments, Dehydrated and Dried Vegetables, Edible Herbs

Poultry Feeds

Japan

Potatoes (U)

New Zealand

Herbs and Spices (P)

Philippines

Potatoes (P)

Onions (P)

Garlic (P)

Republic of Korea

Potatoes (C)

Onions (C)

Garlic (C)

Chestnuts (C)

Fresh and Dried Mushrooms (C)

Garlic Powder (C)

South Africa

Potatoes (U)

Dried Bananas (P)

Avocados (P)

Onions(U)

Garlic (U)

Chicken (U)

Papaya (U)

Mango (U)

Strawberries (U)

Bananas(U)

Litchis (U)

Pickled Mango (Achar) (U)

Frozen Fruit Juices (U)

Green Beans (U)

Tomatoes (U)

Brinjals (U)

Soya Pickle Products (U)

Ginger (U)

Vegetable Paste (U)

Bananas (Dried) (U)

Almonds (U)

Cheese Powder (U)

Yeast Powder (U)

Herbal Tea (U)

Various Spices (U)

Various Dehydrated Vegetables (U)

Thailand

Potatoes, Onions, Garlic (U)

Dates (U)

Mangoes, Papaya (U)

Wheat, Rice, Pulses (U)

Cocoa Beans (U)

Fish and Fishery Products (U)

Stawberries (U)

Nam (U)

Moor Yor (U)

Sausage (U)

Frozen Shrimps (U)

Chicken (U)

Spices and Condiments, Dehydrated (U)

Onions and Onion Powder (U)

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USSR

Potatoes (U)

Grain (U)

Dried Fruits (U)

Dry Food Concentrates Buckwheat Mush, Gruel, Rice Pudding

Onions (U)

Uruguay

Potatoes (U)