NGO WARNS PHILIPPINE GOV'T ON USE OF IRRADIATION TECH ON MANGOES Asia Pulse MANILA, June 29, 2004 A non-governmental organization (NGO) has warned the Department of Agriculture (DA) against the use of irradiation technology on mango fruits for exports. Jerome Ignacio, program coordinator of the Integrated Rural Development Foundation of the Philippines (IRDF), said data from the US-based consumer group Public Citizen showed there is a decline in the demand for irradiated food in the US. "This means the Philippines may be investing on putting up the irradiation facility to satisfy US Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements for us to export fresh mango when in fact the target consumers in the US would not want to buy irradiated food," he said. It would be recalled that Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr. has announced that the USDA agreed to provide a US$2.3 million grant to help mango growers in the Philippines improve the quality of their mango exports by employing the irradiation technology. Food irradiation refers to the process of exposing food to high doses of ionizing radiation to kill bacteria and extend its shelf life. While the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) claimed that the technology is an effective quarantine method that kills plant pests like fruit fly and mango pulp weevil, it admitted that Japan and some European countries still prefer the vapor heat treatment (VHT) on mango exports. Major users of the irradiation technology are the US, China, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, South Africa, France, Mexico and South Korea. The USDA prescribes the use of irradiation technology on Philippine mangoes before they are allowed into the American market. At present, the US only allows mango exports from the island province of Guimaras, which has been under quarantine for more than 15 years and is the site of the application of sterile insect technique that uses radiation to control fruit fly population. Guimaras province produces only a small fraction of Philippine mangoes and the USDA maintains that only an irradiation facility may be able to make the rest of Philippine mangoes safe for export to the US. BPI director Hernani Golez admitted that the Philippine government sees irradiation technology as an option because it can enhance the export competitiveness of local exports. The IRDF, however, said the Philippines must first study the issues in the certification of food irradiation including well-documented ill effects of irradiated food such as immature growth of tumors and problems with reproductive organs. "Even testing by the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) did not hide the fact that irradiation of some food items results in physical changes in food such as its color and taste," Ignacio said. He said health experts classified food irradiation as an additive because it produces chemical compounds that are not naturally found in food, such as benzene, toluene, methyl ethyl kitone and cyclobutanones. "This brings us to the conclusion that consumption of irradiated food is not actually safe. Aside from producing chemical compounds not naturally found in fresh food, exposure to ionizing radiation also removes some vitamins in food," Ignacio said. Aside from the real threat posed by eating irradiated food, he said "the establishment and operation of irradiation facilities poses a big threat to the host communities. Dozens of cases of accidents in food-irradiation facilities have resulted in radioactive water being flushed into the sewer system, radioactive waste getting exposed, radiation leakage, injuries and deaths of workers." The BPI and the PNRI have earlier drafted proposals evaluating the applicability of irradiation technology to local farm products. The proposals include the establishment of effective irradiation dose to kill plant pests, adoption of X-ray technology as a quarantine detection method, upgrading existing irradiation facility and strengthening plant quarantine services. In 2003, the Philippines exported over US$30 million worth of fresh mangoes to Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, the United States and other countries. It has recently ironed out the kinks delaying shipment of fresh mangoes to American islands of Hawaii and Guam.