AHPA opposes irradiation
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
The American Herbal Products Association submits a letter Dec. 14 to FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition requesting the agency deny a food-additive petition that would allow the use of ionizing irradiation on dietary supplements and dietary ingredients. The petition, submitted by Steris Corp in 2003, proposed that food-additive regulations be amended to provide for the safe use of ionizing radiation for the control of microbial contamination on dietary supplements and dietary ingredients, up to a maximum absorbed dose of 30 kGy (1"The Tan Sheet" Oct. 1, 2007, p. 6). AHPA proposed limiting ionizing radiation for supplements to 30 kGy, while the petition suggests the limit be from 3 to 30 times higher than currently allowed for all but two food categories. Irradiation currently is allowed in the U.S. for 11 food categories...