Irradiated food being sold by supermarkets 

Robin Young / London Times 7may01

IRRADIATED food is being sold illegally by supermarkets, according to a report published today. The Food Commission, which campaigns for wholesome food, says three surveys have shown that samples were irradiated before sale although none bore the labelling required by law.

Trading standards officers in Suffolk confirmed that they had found three samples of shelled prawns that showed evidence of irradiation, although irradiated prawns should not be offered for sale even if they are clearly labelled as such. Suffolk Trading Standards Department said that of 18 samples of shellfish sent for analysis over the past five years, seven were found to have been irradiated.

Earlier this year Suffolk found irradiated cumin powder on sale. This is permitted but only if it is clearly labelled as “irradiated” or “treated with ionising radiation”, which the sample was not.

A month later a survey by the BBC found five products that tested positive for radiation from 28 samples sent for analysis. The products were Sharwoods curry powder, Fiddes Payne seasoning mix, Sainsbury’s French roulé cheese, Haldane’s vegeburger mix and Holland & Barrett’s Good ’n Natural Korean ginseng. The ginseng carried a label claiming “non-irradiated”. In all five cases it is thought that the irradiated ingredients were herbs or spices.

The companies concerned have all said that they will re-examine the products and review the sources from which the ingredients came.

In the latest issue of its publication, The Food Magazine, the commission says it is launching a campaign to raise awareness of the issue. Kath Dalmeny, the commission’s spokeswoman, said: “Good food does not need irradiating. The supermarkets know customers do not want irradiated food, and reputable parts of the food industry do not want it either, but irradiation is creeping in by the back door.”

Consumer groups oppose irradiation because the process can be used to “clean up” food that has been contaminated. Trading standards officers and consumer groups suspect that unhygienic shellfish are sent to The Netherlands to be irradiated to kill live bacteria such as E.coli and salmonella before being sent to Britain.

Irradiating herbs and spices can sterilise food that has been contaminated by insects or rodent faeces before being ground into powder for sale.