Food Irradiation - Australia & New Zealand
ANZFA Food Standard A17: Irradiation of Food
On 3 August 1999 Australian and New Zealand Ministers of Health, meeting as the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Council (ANZFSC), agreed to a new standard to cover the irradiation of food in both countries.
The standard prohibits the irradiation of food, or food ingredients unless specific permission is given by the health ministers, on a case-by-case basis, in response to applications to irradiate specific foods. The standard also imposes a labelling requirement for any food that has been irradiated and any food containing irradiated ingredients. This must be stated on the label.
Before an application to irradiate food can be approved, ministers must be satisfied that there is a technological or food safety related need for the irradiation of the foods in question.
The standard states that food should not be processed using irradiation as a substitute for good manufacturing practice and that an appropriate code of manufacturing practice should be used.
The radiation dose must be the minimum that is reasonable with reference to the technological and public health requirements for the treatment and the packaging materials must be of an appropriate quality and condition.
The standard sets out an expectation that the operation and control of any food irradiation premises will be in accordance with the relevant State, Territory and New Zealand law and with an appropriate Code of Practice related to the irradiation of food.
Finally the standard specifies permitted radiation sources and records that must be kept.
Applications for Approval to Irradiate Food
The Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) must take specific issues into account in respect of any application to irradiate food, in addition to any other matter raised during the two stages of public consultation which form part of the application review process.
Applicants must identify a code of Good Manufacturing Practice that is appropriate to the facilities and foods in question, and show that they can comply with that code. In addition, the following points must be addressed in respect of every application:
- the safety of the food including its toxicological and microbiological safety; and
- the nutritional adequacy of the food once it is irradiated.
Applications must also cover the proposed operating procedures and processes, the labelling requirement, and the nature of the facilities to be used.
When an application to irradiate food is received by ANZFA it is processed in accordance with the normal statutory processes followed by ANZFA and evaluated against the provisions of Standard A-17 - Food Irradiation. The Authority's recommendation in respect of any such application is then submitted to ANZFSC.
Separate Fact Sheets provide general information on food irradiation and information on the Herbs & Spices Application. These are available from www.foodstandards.gov.au.
FSANZ – Australia P O Box 7186 Canberra BC ACT 2610 Tel: 61 2 6271 2222 | FSANZ - New Zealand P O Box 10 559 The Terrace, Wellington 6036 Tel: 64 4 473 9942 |