• Food irradiation is the process of exposing food to ionizing radiation to destroy microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, or insects that might be present in the food. Further applications include sprout inhibition, delay of ripening, increase of juice yield, and improvement of re-hydration.
• Food irradiation is a technology that can be safely used to reduce food losses due to deterioration and to control contamination causing illness and death.
• Food is irradiated for many reasons. It is used by food processors to destroy bacteria including the parasites, moulds and yeasts that spoil food and salmonella and campylobactor that cause illness.
• Irradiated foods have much fewer harmful bacteria than other foods. So, irradiated foods are particularly useful for older individuals with increased sensitivity to foodborne illness , patients with cancer, HIV, or other illnesse.
• Food irradiation is carried out in special containment areas where the food is exposed to a defined dose of radiation in a continuous or batch process.
• Three different irradiation technologies exist, that use three different kinds of rays: gamma rays, electron beams and x-rays.
• The use of radiation in food processing is by no means new. Meats, fish, fruits and vegetables have been preserved for centuries by the sun’s energy.
• The use of ionizing radiation to sterilize, disinfect, and preserve food is becoming more widespread as technology enables safer irradiation practices; however, public sentiment, wary of the use of radiation, is resisting its implementation.
• The foods are not changed in nutritional value and they are not made dangerous as a result of the irradiation. The high energy ray is absorbed as it passes through food, and gives up its energy. The food is slightly warmed. Some treated foods may taste slightly different, just as pasteurized milk tastes slightly different from unpasteurized milk.
• The first country to grant a clearance for human consumption of irradiated foods was the former Soviet Union. In March 1958, the former Soviet government granted a clearance to irradiate potatoes 
  to inhibit sprouting and a year later, a clearance was given for grain to be irradiated for insect infestation.
• Globally, national legislation is still very divergent. This lack of international harmonization is seen as a major impediment to international trade as it constitutes a non-tariff barrier.
• Labeling of foods treated with ionizing energy has been one of the most controversial issues related to commercial production. The Joint FAO/IAEA/WHO Expert Committee concluded that for irradiated foods which had been approved as safe to eat, there was no valid scientific reason for identifying the products with a label at the retail level when similar labeling is not required for the other commonly used processing methods .
• The commercialization of food irradiation is also increasing. Retail stores that offer irradiated products for sale are experiencing positive consumer responses.
• The cost of food irradiation is influenced by dose requirements, the food's tolerance of radiation, handling conditions, i.e., packaging and stacking requirements, construction costs, financing arrangements, and other variables particular to the situation.

• Food Irradiation
• The facts about food irradiation
• FAQ
• The facts about food irradiation
• Food Irradiation - Info
• About Food Irradiation
• The History of Food Irradiation

Process

• The Ethics of Food Irradiation
• The Food Irradiation Process
• Food Irradiation - Process
• Food Irradiation
• Irradiated Food
• Photon energy limits for food Irradiation : a feasibility study
• Food preservation by irradiation
• Food Irradiation Processing Alliance
• Food Preservation by Radiation
• Food processors requirements met by radiation processing
• Food Irradiation: A Global Food Safety Tool
• Uses of Radiation: Food Irradiation

Technology

• Food Irradiation - Technology that can Enhance Food Safety
• Food Irradiation
• Irradiated food Global Developments and Irradiation as a Quarantine Treatment
• Study of the impact of food irradiation on preventing losses
• Food Irradiation  - Technical Report

Patents

• Apparatus for irradiating food products
• Conveyor system for irradiated food products
• Product irradiator
• Method for the detection of irradiation treatment of foods
• Irradiator and method of using irradiator to irradiate
• System for, and method of, irradiating food products
• Irradiation plant
• Irradiation apparatus and method
• Irradiator and method of using irradiator to irradiate
• X-ray irradiation apparatus

Equipment and Turnkey Plant Details

• Food Irradiation Companies
• A high-power electron linear accelerator for food irradiation applications
• Irradiation Plants in Mango Producing Countries
• Food Irradiation Facility
• Engineering Assessment of Ghana's Gamma Irradiation Facility
• Company from Ontario
• Company from California
• Company from Kolkata
• Company from Navi-Mumbai
• Company from Virginia
• Another Company from Virginia
• Company from West Bengal

Legal Prospects

• Regulation, Application and Perspect of Food Irradiation in China
• Code of Practice for Radiation Processing of Food
• Irradiation of Foods - An FDA Perspective
• Food Irradiation - Research and Technology
• Prescribing Regulations for Irradiated Foods
• Regulation of Irradiation foods in US Market
• Irradiated Food
• Food Irradiation Activities in Thailand

• Petition Opposing the Cobalt-60 Food Irradiation Facility Planned for Honolulu
• Irradiation Quarantine
• Food Irradiation - Feasibility Study
• Petition Opposing the Cobalt-60 Food Irradiation Facility Planned for Honolulu
• Novel Applications of Food Irradiation Technology
• Practical Utilization of Food Irradiation in Developing Countries
•  Food Irradiation Project
• Techno Economic and Commercial Feasibility of  Goof  Irradiation
• Technology Transfer in the Food Irradiation Project
• Thematic Plan

• Consumer acceptance and market development of irradiated  food in Asia and the Pacific
• Progress and Future Tasks in Food Irradiation
• Food Irradiation Technology in India
• Food irradiation makes progress
• The Status and Prospects of Food Irradiation
• Radiation Technology
• Food Irradiation - Application, Status and Trends
• Food irradiation in the UK and the European Directive

Application

• Food Irradiation: Approved Applications in the U.S.
• Irradiation Technology in Application
• Food irradiation: Applications, public acceptance and global trade
• Food Preservation by Radiation Processing
• Gamma Irradiation Applications in Food Industry
• Tropical Fruit Irradiation – From Research to Commercial Application
• Use of Irradiation for Shelf-Stable Sterile Foods
• The Use of Irradiation for Food Quality and Safety

Consultant

• Company from Canada
• Company from Denmark
• Company from Oregon
• Expert
• Experts

Reports

• Consumer acceptance of food irradiation: a test of the recreancy theorem
• Country's second food irradiation plant to begin operations
• Is Food Irradiation Dangerous?
• Food Irradiation: A Gross Failure
• Is Food Irradiation The Future?
• India: Govt to set up radiation plant for mango export
• Food Irradiation Is Already Here
• High Dose Irradiation
• A Country with Hungry Mouths To Feed Needs Food Irradiation
• Food Irradiation
• Food Irradiation standard addresses Processing and Packaging Issues