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Consumer acceptance of irradiated meat and poultry in the USA

The potential market for irradiated foods in the USA expanded markedly in February 2000 when the Federal Government added raw red meats to the list of products which could be irradiated in that country to control pathogenic microorganisms. This extended the list of approved foods to include beef and lamb as well as the previously approved foods which included poultry, pork and spices.

Irradiation of foods is not permitted in Australia although an application is before the Australia New Zealand Food Authority to approve irradiation of herbs and spices, nuts, oil seeds and teas.

The US decision was hailed by industry and government in that country as a positive move with important public health implications as an additional weapon against food poisoning. Irradiation could be used to eliminate pathogens from raw meats before they entered the food service or retail sectors.

However a report just issued by the USDA Economic Research Service (Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 757, August 2000) suggests that food irradiation will have only a limited impact on public health unless consumers become convinced of its potential benefits. According to the report, several large food manufacturers that produce over 75 percent of US ground beef and nearly 50 percent of US poultry signed agreements with a commercial irradiation firm in 1999 to begin treating meat and poultry for test marketing. In July 2000, only one food manufacturer had begun marketing irradiated frozen beef patties in chain stores in the Minneapolis - St Paul area while another had begun selling irradiated fresh ground beef in several independent stores in Florida.

Irradiated chicken is served in some health care establishments because sick and elderly persons are more susceptible to foodborne pathogens than the general population.

Limits to market

The as yet very small size of the irradiated foods market is attributed to two factors: the high costs of irradiation and the perception among food manufacturers that relatively few consumers are willing to buy irradiated foods.

Meat and poultry processing is highly concentrated in large establishments. This should favour their adoption of irradiation technology because large plants can employ the most cost-effective irradiation systems. However, food manufacturers have been reluctant to invest in integrated or on-line irradiation units. The companies that signed contracts to irradiate meat and poultry for test marketing agreed to ship products to a contract irradiation unit. While this has obvious advantages in an uncertain market, it does add additional transport and handling costs because product must be shipped to an intermediate destination to be irradiated before it is sold.

Price matters

Surveys in the US indicate that about 50 percent of respondents are willing to buy irradiated foods but this drops to about 25 percent if the irradiated food is to cost more. This tallies reasonably well with a test marketing report cited in the USDA report which found that the share of sales for irradiated chicken breast dropped from 43 percent when there was no price difference to 19 percent when there was a ten percent premium for irradiated products.

Food service

From a public health point of view, acceptance of irradiated meats by the food service industry may be more important. The report notes that many outbreaks of foodborne illness have been traced to improper handling or inadequate cooking of meat or poultry by restaurants or other eating establishments. Not only are there public health consequences but the responsible firm can face fines, damage awards and other adverse consequences. However the report states that only a few food service companies have used irradiated meat.

The report concludes that accurate information about food irradiation may well determine whether more consumers become willing to buy and pay more for irradiated food products, expanding the market for irradiated foods and almost certainly reducing the annual number of foodborne illnesses and deaths.

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Prepared by Keith Richardson and Beverley George
Food Science Australia
PO Box 52, North Ryde 1670. Tel +61 2 9490 8397 Fax +61 2 9490 8499
Email enquiries@csiro.au