Food irradiation and its role in improving the safety and security of food

Abstract Reports which WHO receives from countries all over the world indicate that diseases due to contaminated food are increasing and still remain one of the most widespread threasts to human health and an important cause of reduced economic productivity. There are also indications that, every year, an enormous part of the world's food supply is spoiled because of microbial contamination and insects infestation. Evidently, such important food losses will have irrefutably grave consequences for the world's rapidly expanding population and call for appropriate remedial measures. The present paper illustrates some of the current problems related to biologically contaminated food and tries to explain in what way and to what extent food irradiation can contribute to resolve these problems.