Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 March 2004
216 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children the action he intends taking following the results of a survey carried out by the FSAI which showed that more than 50% of herbal supplements and herbal substances were irradiated but not labelled as such; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4937/04]
View answerWhile irradiation is not suitable for all foods, the process is generally considered safe when carried out under controlled conditions and in suitable facilities.
European Community legislation, transposed into Irish law by S.I. No. 297 of 2000, covers general and technical aspects for carrying out the irradiation process, conditions for authorising food irradiation, exemptions, and labelling requirements of irradiated foods. The legislation sets out a list of foods and food ingredients that are authorised across the EU for treatment with ionising radiation. Currently, only dried aromatic herbs, spices and vegetable seasonings, with a permitted maximum overall average absorbed dose of 10 kGy, are listed, though, for the time being, in some member states a number of other food types may be irradiated under national authorisations.
In November 2002, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, FSAI, conducted a survey of herbal supplements available in central Dublin retail outlets. Of the 24 samples taken, ten — 42% — tested positive, six samples were wholly irradiated while four others contained irradiated components. None was labelled to indicate exposure to ionising radiation. The second phase of this survey was carried out in 2003 and found that 50% of the herbal supplements tested had been wholly or partially irradiated. Again the labelling failed to indicate exposure to ionising radiation.
In its report on the 2003 survey, published in February 2004, the FSAI stated that there were no immediate food safety concerns arising from the survey. However, in view of the inadequate labelling of some of the products surveyed, and following a meeting with the authority, the health food industry agreed to remove the irradiated product batches from the Irish market and provide action plans on how to address the problem long term. The authority is planning to hold further meetings with the industry in the near future to review progress on the industry action plans after which the authority will carry out further sampling and analysis to ensure the problem is being resolved.
