The wasted opportunity of the election.

The second concern is that irradiation may be used to conceal bacterial contamination of spoilt food without inactivating toxins generated by the earlier bacterial contamination."0 But the same need for good hygiene applies equally to other food processes like canning and freezing. Thirdly, there could be a novel pattern of nutrient loss either from the radiation or because irradiated "fresh" foods may be older when they are eaten. The British committee conceded that data on the effects of irradiation on the nutrient content of food are not comprehensive-but they are more extensive than for many accepted methods of food processing. The committee recommended that if irradiation is permitted in Britain the nutrient content of irradiated food and its consumption pattern should be monitored. The fourth worry is that we are unable to recognise that a food has been irradiated. Several laboratories have searched for substances that would enable an analyst to diagnose that a food had been irradiated. It is unlikely that any characteristic substance would be found across all types of foods after low dose irradiation, but different diagnostic substances might yet be found in individual foods. I see no reason why the government should not permit irradiation of stored winter potatoes and onions at 1 kGy and of listed spices at moderate dosage. This should be coupled with registration and control ofall irradiation plants and clear labelling regulations. One problem is that the toxicological evidence is poorly collected, reviewed, and presented. The World Health Organisation is planning a publication,5 and I hope that this-or perhaps a government publicationcan assemble the large amount of toxicological work that has been done over the past 30 years in the International Project in the Field of Food Irradiation, in the United States, at Leatherhead in Britain, and in many other countries.