Food irradiation is not a substitute for proper food handling and cannot enhance food that is deteriorated, contaminated or of inferior quality, or prevent contamination from improper handling after irradiation. Irradiation is an option as part of a total system to improve food hygiene throughout the food processing and handling chain. Irradiation of foods may help reduce the incidence of food borne disease. It could also help prevent insect pests entering or leaving the country on certain foodstuffs, and it would be an alternative to some chemical treatments of food. In many countries, including New Zealand, an increasing number of people are becoming sick from food borne diseases caused by micro-organisms like Campylobacter and Listeria.
Food borne illnesses can be serious and in rare cases cause death.
Food irradiation is one safe and effective tool to help combat this pressing public health problem related to our food supply. Some foods, such as spices and uncooked chicken, can occasionally carry a high risk of bacterial contamination. For dried herbs and spices, there are very few treatment methods that can be used without loss of quality or flavour. Spices are currently treated with ethylene oxide gas to rid them of potentially harmful bacteria. Food irradiation may be an alternative to chemical treatments such as ethylene oxide.