It is not a panacea however, and will not eradicate all bacteria by itself. Food irradiation is to be seen as a partner with good manufacturing practice, good hygiene, packaging and temperature control. Irradiation has been studied since 1905, and no other food processing method has been subject to such close examination for so many years. Whilst some individual scientists may have reservations, the weight of scientific opinion agree this to be a safe process. In the United Kingdom the Advisory Committee on Irradiated and Novel Foods reported in 1986 that food irradiation is a safe process, presenting no toxicological hazard and introducing no special nutritional or microbiological problem.
All food contains bacteria.
It is well known that some foods can contain food poisoning organisms amongst their normal microbial flora. Campylobacter jejuni and Salmonella are ever present in animals and from there, spread throughout the environment. Pasteurisation and other methods are ways of controlling bacterial level, thereby increasing safety margins. Irradiation enables this to be achieved while having minimal effects on the nature and quality of food. At Government suggested levels of 10kGy, irradiation does not destroy viruses, preformed toxins in food, nor does it make the food sterile.