Each year specific foods that may have been irradiated but not labelled appropriately are sampled and analysed to determine compliance with Framework Directive 1999/2/EC and its implementing Directive 1999/3/EC (S.I. No 297 of 2000).
1. Results of checks carried out on irradiation facilities in Ireland
There are no facilities in Ireland that have been approved for the irradiation of food.
2. Results of checks carried out at the product marketing stage to detect undeclared irradiated foods
Foods were sampled by Environmental Health Officers and analysed by the Public Analyst Laboratories in Cork and Galway. A total of 105 food products were sampled and analysed in 2023, with 1 sample found to be possibly irradiated but incorrectly labelled (Table 1).
Table 1: Results for the food irradiation checks in 2023
| (EU Food Categories) Food Types Analysed |
No. samples analysed | No. positive samples (i.e. irradiated but not declared) | CEN Method |
|---|---|---|---|
|
(01) Dairy Products |
11 |
0 |
|
|
(03) Meat, Meat Products, Game, Poultry |
2 |
0 |
|
|
(08) Fruit and Vegetables |
13 |
0 |
|
|
(09) Herbs and Spices |
39 |
1 |
|
|
(14) Cocoa and Cocoa Preparations, Coffee, and Tea |
39 |
0 |
|
|
(18) Foodstuffs Intended for Special Nutritional Uses |
1 |
0 |
|
|
TOTAL |
105 |
1 |
CEN (European Committee for Standardization); EN (European Standard)