§ Mr. William PowellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made on the development of detection tests for irradiated food.
§ Mr. GummerMy Department's food science laboratory today published a report in the "Food Analysis" series, a methodology for the detection of irradiated herbs and spices, using a technique called thermoluminescence.
The test has been validated internationally and recently was the subject of a successful collaborative trial in European laboratories co-ordinated by the Community bureau of reference (BCR). A summary of the BCR results appears in the report.