Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: International Atomic Energy Agency –
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What is food irradiation and why is it important?
What's what in the nuclear sphere?
Food irradiation using X-rays or gamma rays helps countries reduce the loss of fruits and vegetables.
October 16, 2025
Monika Shifotoka, IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication
Illustration: A. Barber Huescar/IAEA
Food irradiation is a gentle, non-contact method that uses radiation to ensure the freshness and safety of food products. It eliminates microbes and controls insects and other pests while preserving the nutritional properties, flavor, and overall quality of food products. It can also be used to prevent the spread of insect pests. This method uses irradiation to transfer energy to food without changing its temperature or leaving residues. It is commonly used to preserve the quality of expensive foods such as spices, fish, and meat, and now also exotic fruits and vegetables.
Ensuring food is available in sufficient quantities, nutritious, and safe is a critical component of food security. However, food is more than just nourishment and sustenance; it is also an integral part of our cultural heritage and identity. Importantly, there are a number of methods that help preserve the safety and nutritional value of food, as well as its pleasant taste, texture, aroma, and appearance.
Food irradiation helps effectively extend shelf life, reduce waste, and provide consumers with access to the highest quality fresh produce. For example, thanks to irradiation, fresh strawberries can be stored in the refrigerator for up to seven days longer.
Why is food irradiated?
There are many benefits to food irradiation.
Elimination of microbial contamination. Irradiation destroys bacteria, mold and yeast that cause food poisoning and food spoilage.
Reducing the risk of foodborne illness. Irradiation reduces the risk of foodborne illnesses caused by microorganisms found in meat, poultry and fish, among others.
Reduce the use of chemicals. Irradiation eliminates the need to use chemicals to kill germs, delay ripening or prevent sprouting in foods such as potatoes, yams, ginger, onions and garlic. It is also an alternative to fumigants that are used to disinfest imported fruits, grains and vegetables.
Extending shelf life. Irradiation helps prevent foods such as potatoes and onions from sprouting.
Delayed maturation. Irradiation allows you to slow down the ripening of fruits and extend their shelf life.
Maintaining quality. Irradiation can complement other food preservation methods to improve food safety. For example, it can be used in combination with methods such as drying, packaging and freezing in the production of dried spices, packaged meats and frozen seafood.
Pest control. Irradiation prevents the proliferation of insect pests, facilitating the development of trade outside the boundaries of quarantine zones. It can also help eliminate barn pests that destroy stocks of wheat, rice, flour and other products.
Export promotion. Food irradiation allows countries to export their products to places that have strict pest quarantine controls or strict food safety regulations.
Increasing the shelf life of fruits and vegetables using irradiation
Food irradiation using X-rays or gamma radiation helps countries reduce the loss of fruits and vegetables. With the assistance of the IAEA, a food irradiation facility in Havana, Cuba, has reopened after 20 years.
How is food irradiated?
Irradiation uses electron beams or electromagnetic waves with sufficient energy to break chemical bonds. This prevents food from becoming radioactive, but the method destroys bacteria, mold, and yeast, slows down putrefaction, and reduces spoilage, making irradiated foods completely safe for human consumption. Unlike other food preservation methods, irradiation has virtually no effect on taste, appearance, or odor due to the efficient transfer of energy without compromising food quality.
Using gamma radiation to kill bacteria on strawberries. Illustration: A. Barber Huescar/IAEA
The irradiation process is fully automated and involves no human exposure to radiation. Food packages move along a conveyor belt and pass through an irradiation chamber, where they are exposed to a controlled dose of ionizing radiation in the form of gamma rays, high-energy electron beams, or X-rays. The beams penetrate the food similar to microwaves in a microwave oven, but unlike a microwave oven, irradiation does not "cook" the food, as it does not heat it up. The highest radiation dose per kilogram of food is equivalent to the amount of energy required to boil two tablespoons of water (10 kilojoules).
Irradiation can even be used to treat already packaged or frozen foods, but it is carried out in a climate-controlled environment to ensure the integrity of the cold chain and maintain food freshness.
The same technology is widely used on an industrial scale around the world to sterilize medical devices, although much higher doses of radiation are required to completely sterilize them.
Illustration: A. Barber Huescar/IAEA
Why are irradiated foods safe to eat?
Food irradiation does not render food radioactive, nor does it alter its texture, taste, or appearance, nor does it lose its nutritional value. Extensive research and testing of food irradiation have led to its widespread recognition as a completely safe and effective means of reducing harmful bacteria in food products.
Illustration: A. Barber Huescar/IAEA
This is why the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have recognized and confirmed the safety of food irradiation.
In accordance with international standards, the Radura logo is used to label irradiated foods. Illustration: A. Barber Huescar/IAEA
How developed is the food irradiation industry?
Competent authorities in at least 69 countries have approved the irradiation process for more than 60 types of food products, including spices, chicken, beef, seafood, fruits, vegetables and other food products.
Food irradiation facilities must obtain a food processing permit (license) from the appropriate regulatory agency, which determines the specific types of food products that can be irradiated. Approximately one million tons of food are irradiated worldwide each year.
Using Nuclear Science in Food Irradiation
Food irradiation involves exposing food to electromagnetic radiation, particularly X-rays, gamma rays, or electron beams, to preserve its quality, kill harmful bacteria, and control insects. It not only reduces the risk of food poisoning but can also extend the shelf life of foods.
How does irradiation help ensure food safety and food security?
Illustration: A. Barber Huescar/IAEA
The ability to trade fresh food products and prevent the introduction of invasive pests during export to other countries ensures the integrity of the food supply chain and increases accessibility. Fresh fruits and vegetables are increasingly being irradiated to prevent the spread of invasive insects, as other control methods have significant drawbacks. For example, fumigation chemicals can deplete the ozone layer and leave residues in food products, heat treatment reduces food quality, and cold processing requires extended periods of time, which can be detrimental to foods with a short shelf life.
Food irradiation and climate change
Insect pests have been a problem throughout human history, spreading diseases, destroying crops, and impacting the environment, causing over $70 billion in damage annually. With climate change, insects are moving to new areas, forcing authorities to impose strict quarantine measures—even within countries.
How can food irradiation contribute to economic growth?
Today, food is produced, processed, transported, and consumed in ways that would have been unimaginable just 20 years ago. Not only must we produce more food for a growing global population, but we must also use the food produced more efficiently. A large amount of food never reaches people. Food loss and waste are a pressing problem. According to the FAO, 14% of food worldwide spoils before it reaches stores and markets (worth an estimated $400 billion). Another 17% is wasted in stores and by consumers. Such losses represent a colossal waste of resources, which not only impacts food security and nutrition but also contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, environmental pollution, and the loss of natural ecosystems and biodiversity.
Food safety is a primary public health concern, but it is also crucial for promoting economic development and improving people's quality of life through increased access to domestic, regional, and international markets. Many countries' economies could grow significantly if they were able to prevent food spoilage, reduce the incidence of food poisoning, supply more food to their domestic markets, or export more food and agricultural products. Unfortunately, many foods cannot be traded due to the risk of pests, microbial contamination, or because these products spoil before they reach their destinations.
Illustration: A. Barber Huescar/IAEA
As a result, when developing countries try to sell their food products abroad, they often face significant challenges in complying with the strict quality standards and quarantine measures imposed by major importing countries.
By irradiating food, countries can ensure that their products meet international standards and export them to any market, including those with the strictest import regulations.
Irradiation is a safe and effective technology for solving technical problems in the trade of many food and agricultural products, and can be used either alone or in combination with other technologies.
Irradiation helps strawberries and other fruits stay fresh longer. Photo: Adobe Stock
What role does the IAEA play?
The IAEA promotes the safe and appropriate use of nuclear and related technologies in food and agriculture, contributing to global food security and sustainable agricultural development worldwide.
Joint FAO/IAEA Centre for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agricultureis dedicated to developing nuclear technologies to improve food safety and quality. The joint FAO/IAEA centre assists countries in developing the capacity of their laboratories and regulatory authorities so that they can trade safe and high-quality food products. The IAEA and FAO collaborate with national authorities, research institutes, and industry stakeholders to conduct research to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of irradiation technologies. Both organizations collaborate closely with Codex Alimentarius Commission to harmonize international food irradiation standards to protect plant health and ensure food safety and quality worldwide.
Read more about food irradiation Here.
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