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A BRIEF HISTORY:
Using Irradiation to process foods originated in the
1930's, and was researched during world war II. This method was taken into consideration in hopes of replacing K rations and
other preserved foods with sterile, fresh foods that needed no refrigeration.
The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic act of 1958 defined irradiation as an additive. The FDA definition of
an additive in regards to irradiation finds the sources of radiation used to process the food (i.e. the process itself) to
be the actual additive. This may provide many misgivings as many people assume that 'additives' are found specifically
within food.
Other information:
* The FDA has been approving irradiated foods foods since 1963, wheat being the first marketed.
* Irradiation has been used on vegetables since 1986
* The FDA has been evaluating irradiation for safety purposes, and setting safety standards for over
40 years.
Although the chart below may appear that food is being exposed to an unhealthy dose of radiation, it is actually
quite safe and leaves behind no traces after the process is completed rendering it clean, healthy, and safe to eat.
| The energy spectrum |
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| this chart shows which kind of rays are used for food Irradiation |
This next chart shows the amount of radiation given to different foods at different doses. The current unit for measuring
radiation is the Gray (Gy). This is one Joule of energy absorbed per kilogram of material (food). As stated previously, after
the process is complete there is no radiation left in the food.
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| Chart of food products and the amount of radiation given to achieve purpose |
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| A picture of a food Irradiation facility |
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| Through this process, foods are exposed to low beams of radiation to sterilize and preserve |
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