Call for harmonisation of food treatment legislation

Date: 15/05/1997

By Leyla Linton

THE contentious issue of food safety and modern production methods will come under the spotlight again next week as member states discuss how to harmonise their laws on a technique which kills bacteria in food using radiation.

Internal market ministers will try to draw up an EU list of products which can be irradiated, as well as setting down general rules on conditions and standards, when they meet next Wednesday (21 May).

Proposed legislation on ionisation has been blocked since 1991 by a minority of member states either opposed to irradiation or anxious to limit it to herbs and spices.

Many Union countries have national bans on the process. “There is a ground swell against tampering with food,” said an Austrian official, suggesting any attempt by the EU to lift the ban could spark a wave of anti-European sentiment in his country.

Austria has already temporarily outlawed the import of genetically-modified maize because it believes it poses a health risk. Vienna acknowledges that it is unlikely to be able to extend the ban when it expires next month, but is pushing for clear labelling on GM maize.

Attitudes towards ionisation vary widely across the Union, with Germany and Scandinavian countries sharing Austria's reluctance to allow the process while other countries feel that it is the safest way to destroy pathogens in some foods.

The UK only permits ionisation in the production of herbs and spices, while France, the Netherlands and Belgium use the process much more widely. Greece and Portugal have no national legislation and are waiting for EU laws to be introduced.

The European consumers' organisation BEUC says people are becoming increasingly suspicious of food treatment techniques and is calling for irradiation to be used only where it is needed for food safety reasons and where other hygiene methods are inadequate, and not simply to extend the shelf-life of products.

“We always think it is a last-resort technology,” said BEUC's Kees de Winter, adding that consumers were psychologically opposed to ionisation, even though the process was safe when carried out correctly.