The information on this site is subject to a disclaimer and a copyright notice . 3 Consultation 4 Communication of the Commission 1 Introduction Irradiation is a physical treatment of food with high-energy, ionising radiation. In practice, the use of this technique is rather limited although it is authorised in many countries. The marketing of any product not complying with the Directives has been prohibited since 20 March 2001.
Any food irradiated as such or containing irradiated food ingredients has to be labelled.
The SCF emphasised that food irradiation must not be used to cover negligence in handling foodstuffs or to mask their unsuitability for use as food. National authorisations allowing the irradiation of certain foods within Member States can be maintained until the completed EU-wide list of products authorised for irradiation enters into force. Foodstuffs may only be irradiated in approved irradiation facilities in the Member State or in irradiation facilities in third countries which have been approved by the Community. 3 Consultation DG Health and Consumer Protection published a Consultation Paper on Food Irradiation on 2 October 2000 and invited all interested parties to send comments. While the Commission services do their utmost to avoid any errors or omissions, the Commission disclaims all liability for this document.