Another Approval Pushed Through
In July 2011 Food Standards Australia approved the irradiation of persimmons with a devious back door process that would have removed the legal requirement for labelling. Consumers would have been deprived of the right to choose irradiated foods if this part of the application had been approved. While labelling requirements were not removed, the labelling requirements are now unclear and do not follow international standards.
Major changes to food labelling regulations should entail an application to amend the Standard, involve rigorous public consultation, and should be processed separately to other matters.
The Ministerial Council should:
- Immediately reject all changes to food labelling regulations included in any application for technology changes
- require FSANZ to initiate a separate and formal round of investigation and public consultation regarding changes to food labelling regulations if an application to do so has been received
- reject the application as the public health and safety of irradiating persimmons has not been adequately demonstrated and cannot be guaranteed.
Despite industry claims, food irradiation has not been proven safe. Irradiation is known to deplete vitamin and nutritional content of food and to create “radiolytic” products, such as benzene, peroxides and cyclobutanones.