Report from the Commission on food irradiation for the period September 2000 to December
2001
(COM(2002) 549 final)
(2002/C 255/02)
SUMMARY
Directive 1999/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 February 1999 on the
approximation of the laws of the Member States concerning foods and food ingredients treated withionising radiation became applicable on 20 September 2000. Since 20 March 2001 all irradiated foodson the market have to comply with the requirements of Directive 1999/2/EC. According to its Article 7(3)the Member States shall forward to the Commission every year:
— the results of checks carried out in the irradiation facilities, in particular regarding the categories and
quantities of products treated and the dose administered, and
— the results of checks carried out at the product marketing stage and the methods used to detect
irradiated foods.
During the period covered by this report (September 2000 to December 2001) only sixMember States had
given an approval to facilities on their territory to irradiate foods. However four of these Member States
had not yet transposed the Directive into national law. The individual reports of the Member Statesindicate that all facilities complied with most of the requirements of the Directive. The level of detailof these reports differed however substantially. For future reports the Commission will establish clearguidelines for a harmonised reporting format.
Eight Member States performed checks on foods placed on the market. The food types included in these
checks varied between the Member States. The results show that in general only a few irradiated productsare on the market which are not labelled as ‘irradiated’ (about 0,5 %). These products are herbs, spices orfoods containing herbs or spices, frog legs, shrimps, prawns and vegetables. However, in the UnitedKingdom authorities found that 42 % of certain dietary supplements on the market are irradiated. Mostof these products are not very common (aloe vera, alfalfa, cat's claw, devil's claw, garlic, ginger, ginkgobiloba, ginseng, guarana, kava kava, saw palmetto, silymarin, turmeric). As the treatment of most of these
products by ionising radiation is not allowed in the EU, other Member States have been asked to check this
sector in order to ensure that the requirements of the Directive are respected.
In total more than 6 500 EUR food samples have been checked of which about 1,5 % (including the
irradiated dietary supplements in the United Kingdom) were irradiated but not labelled. Some of them, inparticular most of the dietary supplements, are not authorised for treatment by ionising radiation in theEU. The Commission expects that the number of irradiated dietary supplements will decrease sharply inconsequence of additional checks performed by food control authorities of the Member States.
On the basis of the available information, the Commission concludes that, in general, the provisions of
Directive 1999/2/EC are respected, in particular the labelling requirements that food business operators
must indicate on each product whether it is irradiated or contains irradiated ingredients. Now that all
Member States have transposed the Directives into national law, the Commission expects that compliancewill improve even further.
1.
LEGAL BASIS AND BACKGROUND
Directive 1999/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 February 1999 on the
approximation of the laws of the Member States concerning foods and food ingredients treated withionising radiation (
1) became applicable on 20 September 2000. All irradiated foods on the market
have to comply with the requirements of Directive 1999/2/EC since 20 March 2001. According to itsArticle 7(3) the Member States shall forward to the Commission every year:EN C 255/2 Official Journal of the European Communities 23.10.2002
(1) OJ L 66, 13.3.1999, p. 16.
— the results of checks carried out in the irradiation facilities, in particular regarding the categories and
quantities of products treated and the dose administered, and
— the results of checks carried out at the product marketing stage and the methods used to detect
irradiated foods.
Some Member States did not transpose Directive 1999/2/EC into national law in time, i.e. before 20
September 2000. The Commission launched therefore infringement procedures against some MemberStates. Since June 2002, the Directives have been transposed in all Member States. Due to the delayedtransposition, not all checks have been performed according to the requirements of the Directive duringthe period covered by this report.
For practical reasons, this first report covers the period from 20 September 2000 to 31 December 2001.
The following reports should then cover one full calendar year.
Information on general aspects of food irradiation, on EU legislation and on standardised analytical
methods for the detection of irradiated foods is available on the website of the Directorate-General
Health and Consumer Protection of the European Commission(
2).
1.1.Irradiation facilities
According to Article 3(2) of Directive 1999/2/EC food may only be irradiated in approved irradiation
facilities. In order to obtain approval, the facilities have to comply with the requirements of the JointFAO/WHO CodexAlimentarius Commission recommended international code of practice for the operationof irradiation facilities used for the treatment of foods. For facilities in the EU, approval is given by thecompetent authorities of the Member States (
2). The Member States have to inform the Commission about
their approved irradiation facilities (Article 7(1)).
At the beginning of the period covered by this report, sixMember States had given approval to facilities to
irradiate foods. Only the Netherlands and the United Kingdom had approved their facilities according toDirective 1999/2/EC. Belgium, Germany, Denmark and France had not yet transposed the Directive intonational law and, therefore, their approvals were based on former national provisions. The list of auth-
orised facilities in the Member States has been published and updated by the Commission(
3), (4), (5).
1.2.Irradiated foods
The irradiation of dried aromatic herbs, spices and vegetable seasonings is authorised in the EU (Directive
1999/3/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 February 1999 on the establishment of aCommunity list of food and food ingredients treated with ionising radiation (
6)). In addition, five Member
States maintain national authorisations for certain foods in accordance with Article 4(4) of Directive1999/2/EC. The list of national authorisations has been published and up-dated by the
Commission(
7), (8), (9).
According to Article 6 of Directive 1999/2/EC any irradiated food or any irradiated food ingredient of a
compound food need to be labelled by the words ‘irradiated’ or ‘treated with ionising radiation’.
For the enforcement of the correct labelling or to detect non-authorised products, several analytical
methods (2) have been standardised by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), following a
mandate given by the Commission.EN 23.10.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities C 255/3
(2) http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sfp/fi_index_en.html
(3) OJ C 128, 28.4.2001, p. 7.
(4) OJ C 38, 12.2.2002, p. 17.
(5) OJ C 145, 18.6.2002, p. 5.
(6) OJ L 66, 13.3.1999, p. 24.
(7) OJ C 128, 28.4.2001, p. 6.
(8) OJ C 43, 16.2.2002, p. 18.
(9) OJ C 174, 20.7.2002, p. 3.
2.RESULTS OF CHECKS CARRIED OUT INTHE IRRADIATIONFACILITIES
The Member States submitted the following information:
2.1.Belgium
IBA-Mediris, Fleurus, reported to the Belgium Federal Agency for Nuclear Control that 5 836 t of food has
been irradiated in 2001.
2.2.Germany
Germany had approved two irradiation facilities during the period covered by this report:
(a) Gamma Service, Radeberg
The following table provides the categories and quantities of foods irradiated in the company Gamma
Service, with the average absorbed doses. The vegetables were irradiated for export to non-EU countries.
Food Amount (t) Average absorbed dose (kGy)
Spices, seasonings 440 7-9
Vegetables 32 7-10 (*)
Total 472t
(*) Not authorised in the Community.
(b) Gammaster Deutschland GmbH, Allershausen (4)
An inspection by the competent authority on 9 October 2001 confirmed compliance with the
requirements of Directive 1999/2/EC.
The company irradiated exclusively food for export to third countries.
2.3.Denmark
The Danish irradiation facilities authorised under the previous national authorisation agreed to stop
irradiating foods until they were approved in accordance with Directive 1999/2/EC. Therefore, no
checks were performed by the Danish competent authority during the period 20 September 2000 and31 March 2002.
2.4.France
In France, sixfacilities were approved under national regulations during the period covered by this report.
No checks were performed since the approval of the facilities according to Directive 1999/2/EC wasongoing.
The following table provides the categories and quantities of foods irradiated in France during 2001:
Food Amount (t) Average absorbed dose (kGy)
Spices, herbs, dehydrated vegetables 1 218 10
Dried fruits 17 1
Gum arabic 543 3EN C 255/4 Official Journal of the European Communities 23.10.2002
Food Amount (t) Average absorbed dose (kGy)
Mechanically recovered chicken meat, meat and offal of
chicken 4 222 5
Frozen frog legs 878 5
Dehydrated blood 38 10
Total 6925 t (*)
(*) 8 853 t were treated during the year 2000.
2.5.The Netherlands
In the Netherlands there are two facilities in Ede and Etten-Leur, owned by the company Gammaster BV,
which are licensed for performing irradiation by the Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports.Inspections have been carried out by the Dutch Food Inspection Service (Keuringsdienst van Waren).
In general, the facilities complied with most of the requirements of Directive 1999/2/EC. The shortcomings
identified during the inspection were discussed between the company and the competent authority.Follow-up by the Food Inspection Service has been foreseen in order to check whether the shortcomingsare adequately addressed.
The following table provides the categories and quantities of foods irradiated in the Netherlands between
1 October 2000 until 30 September 2001:
Food Amount (t) in EdeAmount (t) in
Etten-LeurAverage absorbed dose
(kGy)
Spices, herbs 2 609 30 No information
submitted
Dehydrated vegetables 656 1 245
Food additives (*) 66 915
Dried fruits 138 —
Flavourings (*) 45 —Poultry meat 1 539 479Shrimps 116 27Frog parts 135 33
Egg whites 95 673
Samples (*) 33 —
Total 8843 t
(*) Not authorised in the Community.
2.6.United Kingdom
The company Isotron is licensed to irradiate certain spices and herbs. No food has been irradiated since
1999. An inspection, performed on 17 May 2001 by the competent authority, confirmed compliance withthe requirements of Directive 1999/2/EC.EN 23.10.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities C 255/5
2.7.Summary for the EU
The exact amount of foods irradiated in the EU during the period covered is not known due to incomplete
reporting. Available reports account for approximately 22 000 t. Part of this amount has been irradiatedfor export, however the Directive does not require to report the portion which is placed on the internalmarket or which is exported.
3.
RESULTS OF CHECKS CARRIED OUT AT THE PRODUCT MARKETING STAGE AND THE METHODS
USED TO DETECT IRRADIATED FOODS
The Member States submitted the following information:
3.1.Austria
Food analysedNumber of analysed samples
CEN method used
Result: non-irradiatedResult: irradiated,
not correctly labelled
Spices 21 0 EN 1788
Total in % of analysed samples 100 0
3.2.Belgium
No analytical checks have been performed.
3.3.Germany
Food analysedNumber of analysed samples
CEN method used
Result: non-irradiatedResult: irradiated,
not correctly labelled
(origin)
Milk products 5 0
Cheese 21 0 EN 1784, EN 1788
Cheese with herbs 190 3 cream cheese
with herbsEN 1784, EN 1787,
EN 1788, prEN 13751
Butter with herbs 10 0 EN 1787, EN 1788Egg, egg products 51 0Meat (including frozen meat) 165 0 EN 1784, EN 1786,
EN 1787
Meat products (except sausages) 37 0 EN 1786
Sausages 108 0 EN 1784, EN 1787,
EN 1788
Poultry, game 46 0 EN 1784, EN 1787Meat, poultry, game 118 0 EN 1784, EN 1786Fish, fish products 120 0 EN 1786
Crustaceans 341 0 EN 1785, EN 1787,
EN 1788EN C 255/6 Official Journal of the European Communities 23.10.2002
Food analysedNumber of analysed samples
CEN method used
Result: non-irradiatedResult: irradiated,
not correctly labelled
(origin)
Crustaceans, shell fish, molluscs and other
aquatic animals and their products197 3 frog legs
(1 Indonesia,
2 unknown origin)EN 1787, EN 1788
Pulses 49 0 EN 1787, EN 1788
Soups, sauce 68 0 EN 1784Cereals, cereal products 33 0 EN 1784, EN 1788,
prEN 13751
Oil seeds 38 0 EN 1787
Nuts 186 1 pistachio
(US, California)EN 1784, EN 1787,
EN 1788
Potatoes, parts of plants with high starch
content94 0 EN 1788
Fresh vegetables, salad 77 0 EN 1784, EN 1787,
EN 1788
Dried vegetables, vegetable products 73 0 EN 1787, EN 1788
Mushrooms, fresh 98 0 EN 1788Mushrooms, dried or products 175 2 mushrooms
1 cepEN 1787, EN 1788
Fresh fruits 505 0 EN 1784, EN 1787,
EN 1788
Dried fruits or fruit products 305 0 EN 1787, EN 1788
Cacao powder 39 0 EN 1787, EN 1788Coffee, raw 1 0
Tea, tea-like products 131 0 EN 1787, EN 1788
Ready-to-serve meals 39 0 EN 1784, EN 1787Seasonings, including preparations and
seasoning salts256 1 seasoning salt
(Germany),contained alsocurry, coriander,paprika, spicesEN 1784, EN 1787,
EN 1788, prEN 13751
Spices and herbs 1 897 1 ground chilli (US,
California) 4marjoram (2 fromHungary, 2
unknown origin), 7
paprika, 2 caraway,1 basilEN 1787, EN 1788,
prEN 13751
Asian noodle snacks, party snacks, pizza,
TV snacks9 0 EN 1788, prEN 13751
Alcoholic beverages 9 0 EN 1784
Total 5491 26
Total in % of analysed samples 99,5 0,5EN 23.10.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities C 255/7
3.4.Denmark
The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration have not on a routine basis carried out analytical control
to specifically check for irradiated foods at the marketing stage. There are two main reasons for this:
1. All Danish food producers, importers and retailers are obliged to carry out auto-controls in order to
document to the authorities that they comply with the current legislation. An integral part of
inspections carried out by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration is the document controlensuring that all operators can document that they only use or market products containing irradiateddried aromatic herbs or spices if they are properly labelled.
2. In Denmark an indirect approach to check for unlabelled or non-authorised irradiated foods has been
chosen: On a continuous basis, a broad selection of foodstuffs is analytically monitored for theirmicrobial quality. The results are also used as a first screening procedure to check whether driedaromatic herbs and spices have undergone irradiation. If a sample deviates significantly from thebackground, it is taken out for further analysis in order to determine if it has been irradiated ornot. During the period of 20 September 2000 to 31 March 2002, this process has not identifiedany sample which might have been irradiated.
3.5.Spain
No analytical checks have been performed.
3.6.Finland
Food analysedNumber of analysed samples
CEN method used
Result: non-irradiatedResult: irradiated,
not correctly labelled
Marinated meat products 20 4 pr EN13751, if positive,
confirmation by EN 1788
Spices 133 0
Total 153 4
Total in % of analysed samples 97,5 2,5
The checks focused on the use of irradiated spices in marinated meat products and the possible irradiation
of spices sold directly to the consumer. By traceability studies it was found that the same irradiated paprikapowder had been used in the manufacture of all four irradiated non-labelled samples of marinated meat
products.
3.7.France
No analytical checks have been performed.
3.8.Greece
Food analysedNumber of analysed samples
CEN method used
Result: non-irradiatedResult: irradiated,
not correctly labelled
Spices 99 0 prEN 13751
Total in % of analysed samples 100 0EN C 255/8 Official Journal of the European Communities 23.10.2002
3.9.Italy
No analytical checks have been performed. However, a training course for staff of public laboratories is
foreseen for the second half of 2002.
3.10.Ireland
Food analysedNumber of analysed samples
CEN method used
Result: non-irradiatedResult: irradiated,
not correctly labelled
Spices 315 1 basil, 1 nutmeg prEN 13751
Total in % of analysed samples 99,4 0,6
3.11.Luxembourg
No analytical checks have been performed as there was no analytical equipment available.
3.12.The Netherlands
Food analysedNumber of analysed samples
CEN method used
Result: non-irradiatedResult: irradiated,
not correctly labelled
Shrimps 88 0 prEN 13751, EN 1788
Total in % of analysed samples 100 0
3.13.Portugal
No analytical checks have been performed.
3.14.Sweden
Food analysedNumber of analysed samples
CEN method used
Result: non-irradiatedResult: irradiated,
not correctly labelled
Chicken meat 5 1 EN 1784
Total in % of analysed samples 83 17
3.15.United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom checks were performed on herbs and spices, prawns and shrimps as well as on
dietary supplements (10). Authorities found that 42 % of checked dietary supplements on the market were
irradiated. The irradiation of most of these products is not authorised in the EU (11). Some of these
products, most of which are not very common, are also sold as medicinal products.EN 23.10.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities C 255/9
(10) Products like: aloe vera, alfalfa, cat's claw, devil's claw, garlic, ginger, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, guarana, kava kava,
saw palmetto, silymarin (milk thistle), turmeric.
(11) Garlic is authorised in some Member States (see footnote 9). Some products can be considered as spices which are
authorised for radiation treatment in the whole EU.
Of the 64 samples which were found to be irradiated and unlabelled, 58 were dietary supplements.
Detailed information is available on the Internet (12).
Food analysedNumber of analysed samples
CEN method used
Result: non-irradiatedResult: irradiated,
not correctly labelled
Herbs and spices 202 1 containing
irradiated
componentsprEN 13751, if positive or
intermediate EN 1788
Prawns and shrimps 197 1 irradiated whole,
4 containingirradiatedcomponentsprEN 13751, if positive or
intermediate EN 1788
Dietary supplements 80 44 irradiated
whole, 14containingirradiated
components(*)prEN 13751, if positive or
intermediate EN 1788
Total 479 64
Total in % of analysed samples 88,2 11,8
Totalin%ofanalysedsampleswithout
dietary supplements 98,5 1,5
(*) Not authorised in the Community.
3.16.Summary for the EU
The following table adds the samples analysed and the results obtained for the whole EU:
Member StateNumber of analysed samples
Result: non-irradiatedResult: irradiated, not correctly
labelled
A2 1 0
B— —D 5 491 26DK — —E— —
FIN 153 4
F— —EL 99 0I— —IRL 315 2L— —
NL 88 0EN C 255/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 23.10.2002
(12) http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/68301.
Member StateNumber of analysed samples
Result: non-irradiatedResult: irradiated, not correctly
labelled
P— —
S5 1
UK 479 64
Total 6651 97
Total in % of analysed samples 98,6 1,4
Total in % of analysed samples without
dietary supplements analysed in the UK 99,4 0,6
4.CONCLUSIONS
Most Member States transposed Directive 1999/2/EC only during the period covered by this report.
Therefore, certain requirements of Directive 1999/2/EC had not been enforced at national level for thewhole period.
4.1.Results of checks carried out in the irradiation facilities
Directive 1999/2/EC requires the Member States to inform the Commission about results of checks in
irradiation facilities, about the categories and quantities of foods irradiated and about the average dosesapplied.
SixMember States had given approval to irradiation facilities on their territory during the period covered
by this report. However only in the Netherlands and in the United Kingdom were approvals givenaccording to Directive 1999/2/EC. Approvals in Belgium, Germany and France were based on formernational rules.
The Directive does not specify the level of detail for the reports. Consequently, the reports of the Member
States differed substantially. Some Member States did not provide all the information requested withrespect to categories, quantities or doses and gave only general statements. The checked facilitiescomplied with most of the requirements of Directive 1999/2/EC.
In order to get complete information and comparable reports in the future, the Commission will set up a
check list and will specify which results should be reported. The checks should be performed on a regularbasis.
4.2.Results of checks carried out at the product marketing stage
Directive 1999/2/EC requires the Member States to inform about results of checks carried out at the
product marketing stage and the analytical methods used to detect irradiated foods.
Eight Member States submitted the requested data, whereas seven did not perform analytical checks during
the period covered. The Commission expects that in the future all Member States perform checks in order
to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Directive in the whole EU.
The results in the eight Member States are similar, although the number of samples analysed differs widely.
Only a few products on the market were found to be irradiated and not labelled. These products aremainly herbs and spices or compound foods containing herbs and spices. Also, a few samples ofnon-labelled irradiated frog legs, shrimps, prawns and vegetables have been detected.EN 23.10.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities C 255/11
The United Kingdom also performed checks on dietary supplements. The results indicated that 42 % of the
products checked were irradiated. Most of these products are also sold as medicinal products. However,care was taken during sampling to focus on the products which were sold as food. As most of theseproducts are not authorised for treatment by ionising radiation in the EU, other Member States were askedby the Commission to check this sector in order to ensure that the requirements of the Directive arerespected.
In total more than 6 500 food samples have been checked of which about 1,5 % (including the irradiated
dietary supplements in the United Kingdom) were irradiated but not labelled. Some of them, in particularmost of the dietary supplements (
11), are not authorised for treatment by ionising radiation in the EU. The
Commission expects that the number of irradiated dietary supplements will decrease sharply as a conse-quence of additional checks by the food control authorities of the Member States, now that the problemhas been identified.
4.3.General conclusions
In general, it can be stated that compliance with the provisions of Directive 1999/2/EC is good. The
checked irradiation facilities complied with most of the provisions and only a very limited number ofirradiated samples have been detected which were not labelled or which were not authorised for irradiationtreatment, with the exception of dietary supplements. For the latter, the Commission asked the MemberStates to control this sector and expects a sharp decrease of the number of irradiated dietary supplementsas a result of these checks.
The Commission invites the Member States to regularly perform the necessary checks on irradiation
facilities and on food products in order to enforce the requirements of the Directive in the whole EU.The Commission will develop guidelines to ensure more uniform reporting of results.
Notice of the expiry of certain anti-dumping measures
(2002/C 255/03)
Further to the publication of a notice of impending expiry (
1), following which no request for a review was
received, the Commission gives notice that the anti-dumping measures mentioned below will shortly
expire.
This notice is published in accordance with Article 11(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 384/96 of 22
December 1995 (2) on protection against dumped imports from countries not members of the European
Community.
ProductCountry(ies) of origin
or exportationMeasures Reference Date of expiry
Footwear (with textile
uppers)People's Republic of
ChinaDuty Council Regulation (EC)
No 2155/97(OJ L 298, 1.11.1997)1.11.2002
Indonesia
(
1) OJ C 29, 1.2.2002, p. 2.
(2) OJ L 56, 6.3.1996, p. 1, as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2238/2000 (OJ L 257, 11.10.2000, p. 2).EN C 255/12 Official Journal of the European Communities 23.10.2002