§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements he has made for the vitamins value of irradiated foodstuffs to be checked; and when he expects to have the results of such tests.
§ Mr. MacleanExtensive research by a number of expert bodies has established that food irradiation does not result in any greater loss of vitamins than other comparable food preservation processes. Nevertheless the Government intend, if Parliament approves the introduction of food irradiation, to require details of vitamin content before and after irradiation to be provided by those licensed to undertake the process. This information would be made available to the steering group on food surveillance (SGFS) who would keep under review the nutritional implications of the consumption of irradiated food. The SGFS regularly publishes the results of its work.