Abstract
Phytosanitary treatments disinfest traded commodities of potential quarantine pests. Phytosanitary irradiation (PI) treatments use ionizing radiation to accomplish this, and, since their international commercial debut in 2004, the use of this technology has increased by ~10% annually. Generic PI treatments (one dose is used for a group of pests and/or commodities, although not all have been tested for efficacy) are used in virtually all commercial PI treatments, and new generic PI doses are proposed, such as 300 Gy, for all insects except pupae and adult Lepidoptera (moths). Fresh fruits and vegetables tolerate PI better than any other broadly used treatment. Advances that would help facilitate the use of PI include streamlining the approval process, making the technology more accessible to potential users, lowering doses and broadening their coverage, and solving potential issues related to factors that might affect efficacy.
Highlights
Foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, which are transported between countries and regions, may harbor invasive pests that could become established in new areas, harming crops, the environment, livelihoods, and economies
A generic phytosanitary treatment is one specific dose that is used for a group of quarantine pests and/or commodities not all were tested for efficacy [15]
Knowing what has been done to their food is a right of the consumer but it should be done in a uniform way; if fruit processed by other phytosanitary treatments need not be labeled, fruit irradiated for phytosanitary purposes should not require labeling either
Summary
Foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, which are transported between countries and regions, may harbor invasive pests that could become established in new areas, harming crops, the environment, livelihoods, and economies. Pest risk assessments and commensurate restrictions on the movements of fresh produce are used to prevent invasive species from spreading. Fresh fruits and vegetables from affected regions can be prohibited from crossing quarantine boundaries within or between countries. Ionizing radiation is used as a phytosanitary treatment in a growing number of countries for an increasing number of fruits and vegetables against a growing number of different pests [1]. The commercial use of phytosanitary irradiation has increased by ~10% every year since 2000 as the use of chemical fumigants is restricted, irradiation treatment protocols and their applicability to different fruits and. Foods 2016, 5, 8 vegetables are accepted internationally, and more countries and traders adopt the procedure for intra- and inter-national shipments
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