Irradiation is used to.kill insects and bacteria, and to prevent sprouting and slow ripening.
It makes food last longer without the use of chemicals, pesticides, fumigation or other processes. In 1989 a moratorium on the irradiation of food was imposed due to concerns about its safety in spite of a World Health Organisation report which concluded that irradiation had the potential to alter flavours but was otherwise no different from other methods of food preservation. Meanwhile the many questions relating to safety, wholesomeness and need for irradiated foods remain unanswered. Clearly, further research is needed.