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Further and More Technical Questions and Answers Regarding Food Irradiation

This content was archived on June 24, 2013.

1. What is the process for approval of irradiation in Canada?

Petitioners submit new applications for food irradiation to Health Canada for scientific review. The organization applying for approval submits scientific data that is evaluated by a team of scientific experts in the areas of nutrition, microbiology, chemistry and toxicology, who evaluate the impact of irradiation on food safety and nutritional quality.

If any part of the information provided is incomplete, the department will request further information or studies; if this data is not provided, the submission will be rejected. Products ae not approved until the evaluators are satisfied that the application addresses all regulatory requirements and that the science is complete, and the irradiated food product is safe to consume.

Once experts in the Food Directorate of Health Canada's Health Products and Food Branch have completed the scientific evaluation, the results are considered by a senior management team. If accepted, it is proposed as an amendment to the regulation. All proposed regulatory amendments are reviewed by the Special Committee of Council, a Cabinet committee. If accepted, the proposals are published in Canada Gazette, Part I, to allow stakeholders and the public an opportunity to comment.

All of the comments are then considered by Health Canada. Only if and when any significant issues are fully addressed does Health Canada recommend the amendment to the Cabinet committee for final approval. The final regulation is then signed by the Governor in Council and is published in Canada Gazette, Part II. At this time, the food products are considered approved for treatment by irradiation if the producers choose to use that method.

The Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada continues to evaluate new scientific data to assess any risks to the Canadian consumer from irradiation technology.

2. Is it possible for a food subjected to the irradiation process to become radioactive?

No. The energy of gamma-rays emanating from Cobalt-60 or Caesium-137, used in the irradiation process, is too low to cause the food to become radioactive. Additionally, in the process, the food does not come into contact with the radioactive source and therefore cannot become contaminated. In the case of machine sources used to irradiate foods (accelerators generating electrons or machines generating X-rays), regulatory constraints are imposed on the energy of the radiation targeting the food, such that the food cannot become radioactive.