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Irradiation of meat

In 1983 the Institute of Food Technologists published its first scientific status summary on radiation preservation of foods (Food Technology 37(2)1983 55-61). The summary concluded: if and when the (US) government grants approval to produce and market irradiated foods, it will not assure commercial success. Irradiation of foods must be seen as useful enough by processors to justify the costs of the equipment needed and the process. The cost of irradiated foods to the consumer must also be competitive with the cost of foods produced by alternate processing technologies, or they must satisfy some other perceived consumer need at a reasonable cost, if they are to be accepted and successful in the marketplace.

The Institute has now published an updated scientific status summary (Food Technology 52(1)1998 56-62) following the recent approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to irradiate meat and meat products (Food Safety & Hygiene, February 1998).

In this summary, the author concludes that the FDA approval of irradiation for red meats ends a long chapter in the tumultuous history of an important food safety and preservation technology. Federal acceptance validates what food scientists have long known: that appropriate absorbed doses of radiation effectively kill disease-causing bacteria and delay food spoilage. When irradiated ground beef becomes available, consumers once again may enjoy their hamburgers rare or medium rare. Low doses of radiation can kill 99.9% of Salmonella in poultry and an even higher percentage of Escherichia coli O157:H47 in ground beef.

The 1998 summary echoes the 1983 statement with the caution that irradiated meat will be successful in the market place only if consumers are satisfied with its sensory quality.

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Prepared by Keith Richardson and Beverley George
Food Science Australia
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