Process control in phytosanitary irradiation of fresh fruits and vegetables as a model for other phytosanitary treatment processes

Abstract

Phytosanitary treatments reduce the risk of commodities carrying invasive quarantine pests to negligible levels. Ionizing radiation processing of fresh fruits and vegetables to prevent successful infestation from these pests is steadily growing in commercial use because it provides safe solutions to quarantines and is tolerated by more fresh produce than any alternative treatment in use. Unlike all other commercial phytosanitary treatments (heat, cold, fumigation), the burden of proof of efficacy of phytosanitary irradiation is entirely on process control. Facilities for phytosanitary irradiation processing are more tightly controlled than facilities for other treatments, and the process control involved can serve as a model to harmonize and streamline the latter. Basing treatment certifications of efficacy on process control instead of inspection will help guide phytosanitation towards a phytosanitary hazard analysis and critical control point approach more consistent with other forms of food process control.