JOINT FAO/WHO FOOD STANDARDS PROGRAMME
CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION
Twenty-Third Session, FAO Headquarters, Rome, 28 June -3 July 1999
Agenda Item 9
CODEX COMMITTEE ON FOOD ADDITIVES AND CONTAMINANTS
PROPOSED REVISED GENERAL STANDARDS FOR IRRADIATED FOODS
Comments of the
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONSUMER FOODS ORGANIZATIONS
The International Association of Consumer Foods Organizations (IACFO) opposes a revision of labeling requirements for irradiated food. The current Codex standard, which requires prominent labeling of irradiated food and irradiated ingredients of food, helps protect consumer health and promotes fair trade practices.
Irradiation can affect the nutritional value of foods. For example, irradiated foods may lose significant amounts of some vitamins, such as thiamin. Irradiation can also affect the taste of certain foods, such as beef and chicken, by creating off-flavors. Furthermore, some people (e.g. elderly consumers, persons with compromised immune systems, etc.) may want or need to purchase irradiated foods to protect their health while other people may want, for health or other reasons, to avoid purchasing irradiated foods. Therefore, the prominent disclosure of the fact that a product or an ingredient has been irradiated is essential.
The current standard ensures that consumers are provided with information that allows them to make informed purchasing decisions and exercise free choice in the marketplace. Such factors are essential to promoting both consumer health and fair trade practices.