REPORT POINTS UP REASONABLE COMPLIANCE WITH EU DIRECTIVE on IRRADIATION (except supplements) Press release from Commission of the European Communities Europe Agri October 11, 2002 Summary: Compliance with the provisions of Directive 1999/2/EC on foodstuffs and food ingredients treated by ionisation (or irradiation) is generally satisfactory throughout the European Union. The irradiation units inspected comply with the majority of provisions and only a very small number of irradiated samples were not labelled or were not authorised for ionisation, with the exception of food supplements. These are the principal conclusions of the Commission's recently published report on the ionisation of foods over the period September 2000 to December 2001. The Commission indicates that now that Directive 1999/2 has been transposed into national law in all the Member States, stricter compliance with its provisions can be anticipated. The report is available in all languages at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sfp/fi_index_en.html (section Annual Reports) ----------- Over the period covered by the report (September 2000 to December 2001), the Commission notes that only six Member States had licensed units for the irradiation of foods on their territory (Belgium, Germany, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom). However, four of these Member States had still not transposed the Directive onto national statutes when the enquiry was conducted. The Directive was only transposed into national legislation by all the Member States in June 2002. Owing to this delay in transposition, it was not possible during the period covered by the report to conduct all the controls required under the Directive. Individual reports from the Member States indicate that all the units in question will comply with the majority of the Directive's provisions. However, the accuracy of these reports varies considerably. The Commission has decided in future to draw up precise instructions to ensure that reports are drafted according to a harmonised format. Eight Member States (Austria, Germany, Finland, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom) have conducted controls on foods placed on the market. The Commission report notes that the types of food sampled were not the same in all the Member States. The results show that in general, only a few irradiated products are marketed without labelling bearing the indication "irradiated" (about 0.5%), notably herbs, spices, foods containing herbs and spices, pink shrimps, prawns and vegetables. However, in the United Kingdom, the authorities discovered that 42% of certain food supplements on the market had been irradiated. The majority of these products are not very common (aleo vera, luzerne, cat's claw, devil's claw, garlic, ginger, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, guarana, kava kava, cabbage palm, silymarin and curcuma). Given that the ionisation of the majority of these products is not authorised in the European Union, the other Member States have been asked to check the sector to ensure compliance with the Directive's provisions. --The Directive 1999/2 on the convergence of Member States' laws on food and food ingredients treated with ionising radiation became applicable on September 20, 2000. Since March 20, 2001, all irradiated foods on the market have to comply with the requirements of the Directive. In pursuance of Article 7, paragraph 3, the Member States have to forward the Commission every year: the results of checks carried out in irradiation facilities, in particular in the case of categories and quantities of products treated and the dose administered, and the results of checks carried out at the product marketing stage and the methods used to detect irradiated food. The EU allows the irradiation of herbs, spices and vegetables (European Parliament and Council Directive 1999/3 of February 22, 1999 creating an EU list of food and ingredients treated with ionising irradiation). Pursuant to Article 6 of Directive 1999/2, when any food product is irradiated or any food ingredient of a compound food is irradiated, the label should feature the information "irradiated" or "treated by ionising radiation". In order to guarantee correct labelling or detect unauthorised products, the CEN (European Committee for Standardisation) is allowed by the Commission to standardise a series of analytical procedures.-- In all, more than 6,500 food samples have been checked of which about 1.5% (including the irradiated dietary supplements in the United Kingdom) were irradiated but not labelled. Some of them, in particular the dietary supplements, are not authorised for treatment by ionising radiation in the EU. The Commission expects that the number of irradiated dietary supplements will fall sharply as a consequence of additional checks by the Member States' national food inspection authorities, now that that the problem has been identified. Irradiation units. According to Article 3, paragraph 2, of Directive 1999/2/EC, food may be irradiated only in approved irradiation facilities. In order to obtain approval the facilities have to comply with the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission's recommended international code of practice for the operation of irradiation facilities used for the treatment of food. For facilities in the EU, approval is given by the competent authorities of the Member States. The EU, countries are required to send the Commission details about the approved irradiation units (Article 7, paragraph 1). Press release from Commission of the European Communities October 11, 2002 Commission adopts first EU report on irradiated food The European Commission has adopted a report on food irradiation in the EU, which includes information on whether irradiated food placed on the EU market is correctly labelled. The report, the first of its kind, is based on the results of checks undertaken by national authorities in the Member States. In general, the report indicated a high level of compliance with the requirements of the EU food irradiation Directive. However, the United Kingdom authorities found evidence of irradiation in 42% of certain dietary supplements. As most of these supplements cannot be irradiated legally in the EU, the Commission has asked the other Member States to check this particular sector. David Byrne, EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Affairs, said: "This report helps us to identify where we should focus our attention in future as regards irradiated food, to ensure that the rules are respected and that consumers are properly informed." Irradiated food in the EU The irradiation of dried aromatic herbs and spices is authorised across the whole of the EU. Five Member States (Belgium, France, Italy, Netherlands, UK) also allow the marketing of certain irradiated foods for example fresh and dried fruits and vegetables, poultry, shrimps, fish or frog legs on their national territory. Directive 1999/2/EC requires all irradiated foods to be labelled with the words "irradiated" or "treated with ionising radiation" to allow consumers to make an informed choice. This labelling requirement also applies to irradiated food ingredients, present in small amounts in compound foods. Analytical methods can determine whether or not foods have been irradiated. The Directive also states that irradiation of food can only take place in facilities approved by the competent authorities of Member States, and that such facilities must provide information on the amounts of foods treated. Member States are required to report to the Commission on an annual basis. Results of the Commission report The report compiles the results of these checks for the period September 2000 to December 2001. In this period, only six Member States gave approval to facilities on their territory to irradiate foods (Belgium, Germany, Denmark, France, Netherlands, UK). The individual reports of the Member States indicate that the facilities mostly complied with the requirements of the Directive. Eight Member States (Austria, Germany, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden, UK) performed checks on foods placed on the market. The results show that only a few irradiated products are on the market which are not correctly labelled. These products are herbs, spices or foods containing herbs or spices, frog legs, shrimps and vegetables. However, in the United Kingdom, the authorities found that 42% of certain dietary supplements are irradiated (aleo vera, alfalfa, cat's claw, devil's claw, garlic, ginger, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, guarana, kava kava, saw palmetto, silymarin, turmeric). As the treatment of these products except garlic and ginger by ionising radiation is not allowed in the EU, other Member States have been asked by the Commission to check specifically this sector additionally to the UK, in order to ensure that the requirements of the Directive are respected. In total, more than 6500 food samples have been checked of which 1,5 % were found to have been irradiated but were not labelled as such. Background Irradiation is a physical treatment of food with high-energy, ionising radiation. It can be used to prolong the shelf life of food products and/or to reduce health hazards associated with certain products due to the presence of pathogenic micro-organisms. The list of products authorised for irradiation within the EU contains only one food category: "dried aromatic herbs, spices and vegetable seasonings". The marketing of any product not complying with the Directive has been prohibited since 20 March 2001. The framework Directive 1999/2/EC sets out the following: The treatment with ionising radiation of a specific food item may only be authorised if: there is a reasonable technological need, it presents no health hazard, it is of benefit to consumers, it is not used as a substitute for hygiene and health practices. Any food irradiated or containing irradiated food ingredients must be labelled. A favourable opinion of the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) is needed to place a specific food item on the EU-wide list of products authorised for irradiation. National authorisations allowing the irradiation of certain foods within Member States can be maintained until the full EU-wide list of products authorised for irradiation enters into force. Member States may also maintain restrictions or bans on irradiated foods, in compliance with the rules of the Treaty, until the full EU-wide list of products authorised for irradiation enters into force.