A bulletin for the Australian Food Industry September 2001
Contents: Chloropropanols in food | Irradiation of herbs, spices and certain nuts in Australia | Surface decontamination of melons | Antibiotic use in food producing animals | 75 years of CSIRO Research
Irradiation of herbs, spices and certain nuts in Australia
A draft assessment report and regulatory impact statement prepared by ANZFA in response to an application by Steritech Pty Ltd to irradiate some foods in Australia has been approved in part by the Australia New Zealand Food Safety Council (ANZFSC). The foods for which permission to irradiate in Australia was sought are herbs, spices, herbal infusions, peanuts, almonds, cashews and pistachio nuts.
- microbial contamination
- pest infestation; and
- sprouting and/or germination of food or those weed seeds inadvertently present in food.
In its Executive Summary of the report, ANZFA noted that approval of the application would bring significant benefits to consumers, industry and governments. The scientific risk assessment concluded that the irradiated foods named in the current application are safe to consume. ANZFA further stated that these irradiated foods will not have any significant impact on the average dietary intakes of essential vitamins and minerals.
The dietary modelling performed as part of the assessment indicated that nuts are not the primary source of vitamin E for the general population or for vegetarians. Consequently the effects of irradiation on vitamin E intake are relatively insignificant.
ANZFSC has approved ANZFA's recommendation that irradiation of herbs, spices and herbal teas be permitted. The Council did not approve irradiation of nuts as sought by the applicant. While they considered irradiation of nuts a safe practice, members of the Council concluded that there was no technological need for the use of irradiation for this purpose.
- approval be granted for a minimum dose of 2.0kGy and a maximum dose of 30kGy for the decontamination of herbs and spices.
- approval be granted for a minimum dose of 2.0kGy and a maximum dose of 10kGy for the decontamination of herbal infusions.
- approval be granted in all cases based on the condition that the food is to be handled before and after irradiation according to good manufacturing practice (GMP).
There is also a requirement that the food must be labelled with a statement that the food has been treated with ionising radiation. Where an irradiated food, or a food containing irradiated components, is displayed for retail sale other than in a package then that display must have on it, or in connection with the display, a label stating that the food or its ingredients have been treated with ionising radiation. Now that the proposal has been approved, Australia joins a growing number of countries which permit irradiation of herbs and spices although only three have approved doses up to 30kGy.
An extension of the current temporary maximum residue limit of ethylene oxide in herbs and spices has been granted until 1 October 2003. This is to allow transition by industry to new technology and progressive phasing out of ethylene oxide.
It is interesting to note that of the 18 toxicological studies cited in the report (taken in turn from World Health Organization Reports 1994 and 1998 as evidence of the safety of foods subjected to controlled irradiation) almost all have been available for scrutiny for over 20 years.
The Gray (Gy) is the unit of absorbed dose of ionising energy and is equivalent to one joule per kilogram.
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