This year's 315 evening party, CCTV focused on the report of the Muji enterprise, it is said that a lot of food is produced from the Japanese nuclear radiation area. This news broke, really let everyone was shocked, then exactly what is going on? I believe that before this, for most consumers, the word "irradiation" is still a little strange. In fact, in the domestic food issues have been the people's top priority, and a period of time before people concerned about genetic modification has a lot of **** the same place, are food processing technology involved in quality and safety issues, companies are used to cover up, the people's attitude is from the unheard of directly up to the "heard of the color change". But in the author's view, the radiation problem is not as panic as the public imagination, but only a food sterilization link of a technology, if the government supervision and corporate standards under the dual norms of dosage, its safety concerns can disappear.

First of all, let's understand what is food irradiation? Food irradiation (Food irradiation), also known as "food irradiation" or "ionizing radiation sterilization", refers to the exposure of food to free radiation (ionizing radiation). This process destroys microorganisms, bacteria, viruses or microscopic insects on the food. Other applications include inhibiting germination, delaying fruit ripening, promoting juice production, and enhancing re-hydration. The principle of sterilization is to use the energy of electromagnetic radiation to destroy the DNA structure of living organisms, so that microorganisms can no longer continue to reproduce, and also can cause the germ of plants to stop growing and differentiating.

International organizations and countries around the world on irradiation technology regulations:

According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), WHO (World Health Organization) and other international organizations on the safety of this technology research, and in 1980 for the technology used by the upper limit of the amount of radiation absorbed by the foodstuffs to make the provisions of less than 10kGy. In 1980, the upper limit of radiation absorption of food used in this technology was set at less than 10kGy. However, in 1997, with the continuous progress of science and technology development FAO, IAEA, WHO three international organizations for less than 10kGy upper limit to make a revised proposal, proposed to abolish the upper limit of 10kGy. In terms of food safety testing, none of the foods irradiated by radioactive rays have been shown to have toxicity, carcinogenicity, increased toxicity, or nutrient damage. Therefore, in this sense, it can be concluded that radioactive sterilization products are harmless to human beings, because the radiation standards for the use of this technology are far less than the benchmarks set by international organizations.

There are now more than 60 types of products in more than 50 countries around the world that are produced using radiation sterilization, and the number of food products produced using this method since 2005 has reached 405,000 tons. China and the United States accounted for about two-thirds of the world's production. In Japan, due to the increased emphasis on food safety, radioactive sterilization is only permitted for preventing potato sprouting, and radioactive sterilization is not permitted in any other area. Nevertheless, the amount of potatoes processed using this sterilization method was 0.81 million tons in 2005 and 0.62 million tons in 2010, a trend that is decreasing year by year. This shows how strict the standards are in Japan's food production field.

So after irradiation has no effect on food?

The nutritional composition of irradiated food testing has shown that irradiation treatment in the specified dose does not lead to a significant loss of nutritional quality of food, food protein, sugar and fat remain relatively stable, and essential amino acids, fatty acids, minerals and trace elements will not have a great loss. The World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency in the 1980s issued a joint report, irradiation technology with other food processing technology, is safe, it is the destruction of food nutrients, not more than the destruction of traditional processing methods, irradiation technology is safe and reliable food processing technology, irradiation according to the prescribed dose of food does not have safety problems.

Is irradiated food radioactive?

The ray used in irradiated food is released by the radioactive source, so irradiated food has no radioactivity? This point consumers do not have to worry about. First of all, food in the irradiation, will not be in direct contact with the radioactive source, food is only to obtain the energy released by the ray; second, the energy used in irradiated food is relatively low, the intensity of this lower than the critical energy needed to stimulate the elements of food, so food irradiation will not be stimulated by the food in the material to produce a sense of radioactivity. Consumers are concerned about radioactive food is contaminated by radioactive particles of food, such as nuclear power plant leakage caused by radioactive particles adhering to the surface of the food, resulting in radioactive contamination, such food is called radioactive food. Therefore, irradiated food and radioactive food are fundamentally different.

China's irradiated food safety regulations and current status:

According to national regulations, food or food ingredients that have been irradiated should have irradiation markings or corresponding text markings. Since irradiated food is safe, why does the state still require labeling on irradiated food packaging? This is to protect the consumer's right to know on the one hand, the consumer has the right to choose to buy or not to buy irradiated food; on the other hand, it is also to prevent the food or ingredients were irradiated many times, because irradiated food hygiene management methods, the vast majority of food is not allowed to repeat irradiation.

For example, we all know the "pickled pepper phoenix claws" is a typical example of small food, according to industry sources, if you do not add preservatives, phoenix claws can only be preserved for 2-3 days, if the use of irradiation technology can be used to make the shelf-life of the cycle extended to 1 -6 months. Now only in Sichuan Province, the annual irradiation of pickled pineapple claws reached more than 10,000 tons.

Such a huge output of irradiated food, I tried to visit some of the big supermarkets found that the word "irradiated food" but it is difficult to find in the prepackaged food easily. It seems that many domestic enterprises are like this, I consulted a food industry alumni, he told me that the use of irradiation technology for sterilization and preservation has always been the industry to talk about a **** knowledge.

Maybe some readers would like to ask, why is everyone in China shutting up about irradiation technology? Or why not in the packaging labeled "irradiation" of the word it? In fact, the reason is very simple, it has a deep connection with the processing enterprises of the overdose processing.

At present, China's irradiated food processing problems are: First, some enterprises blindly pursue sterilization or preservation effect, arbitrarily increase the irradiation dose, greatly exceeding the limit standards. Second, the producers of food for radiation treatment, ignoring the marking requirements, not in accordance with the provisions of the marking. Third, the export enterprises of the importing country's food standards, restrictions, requirements do not understand, not familiar with the irradiation does not meet the requirements of the importing country's standards were returned and caused adverse effects of the incident occurred from time to time, at this point in our country's Customs audit is still relatively strict, as long as it does not comply with the provisions of the mainland market, it is difficult to enter.

According to some domestic experts in the food industry, the current domestic irradiation technology is to shine as long as possible. Central Television host Bai Yansong evidence corroborated the views of these food experts: "As irradiation has a very good sterilization effect, increase the dose if the microbial content is even reduced to zero, and sterilization time can also be greatly reduced, so many companies even relax the intermediate process of hygiene control, bacteria and viruses seriously exceeded the standard of the product pull to". Irradiation" to meet the standard, the dose of irradiation is also far more than the international standard." This will not be able to ensure the safety of food. According to relevant statistics, only the last two years, China's exports of food has 10 times by the EU notification of the existence of illegal irradiation.

Japan's irradiation food safety regulations and the current situation:

Currently the world's most stringent requirements for irradiation technology is Japan, because the Japanese people on the ray irradiation holds a very strong resistance to psychology. Because of this, food irradiation, a technology widely recognized internationally, is difficult to promote in Japan, where restrictions on food irradiation technology are extremely strict. Japan's Food Research Institute director Lin Che to Xinhua News Agency reporter said that Japan began in 1967, for potatoes, onions, rice, wheat and other 7 kinds of food, food irradiation technology to carry out research on the effect, safety and reliability. The study concluded that irradiation can extend food storage time and maintain food quality; irradiated food is safe.

Lincher said Japan approved the use of gamma rays to irradiate potatoes in 1972 to prevent sprouting, and in 1974, the Hokkaido Taxi Frontier Town Agricultural Association formally began irradiating potatoes, but a campaign against food irradiation technology soon began in Japan. As a result of constant pressure from opposition groups on the government, Japan has not approved the use of irradiation for other foods. At present, Japan's national only Sapporo Town Agricultural Association in the food irradiation treatment, irradiation treatment of about 5,000 tons of potatoes per year, while Japan's annual listing of about 3 million tons of potatoes. The amount of irradiated food in Japan is negligible in relation to the total amount of food. Because Japan's management of food irradiation technology is very strict. Japan's "Food Sanitation Law" provides that, in addition to potatoes, food irradiation technology in Japan is in principle prohibited. Application for a new food irradiation treatment, the relevant departments to be in accordance with the law of this food to accept the safety of irradiation of seminars and assessments, and report to the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare.

Putting aside the nationalistic complex, on the issue of food safety, should we not look at this issue objectively, it is clear that in Japan, irradiated food is basically prohibited, even if the application of a new food of the same kind for irradiation, the relevant departments are required by law to the safety of this food to receive irradiation of the seminar and assessment, and report to the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare. On the contrary, our domestic, simply develop a large uniform-like standards, as long as it is similar, in line with the so-called standards, can be marketed, everyone is doing, there is no rigorous review, the bad industry are silent; so also appeared in our irradiated food processing process of the author has just talked about the existence of the three major problems. The most distressing thing is that we ourselves in this regard is not satisfactory, and now take advantage of the problem of nuclear radiation in Japan to attack Japan's irradiation technology, not knowing that people in this regard than we have to be much more stringent, which gives the author a feeling that, as a Chinese, we are all day duty Briton English speakers are not good, is not it a little funny?

So in the people's livelihood on the issue of food safety, whether from the subjective or objective, irradiated food, another important issue is the right to know, although there are many experts and industry insiders believe that irradiated food is safe, which, as in the case of genetically modified food on the issue of the same mistake: ignoring the public's right to know. Now the domestic market is flooded with irradiated food, but it is difficult to see such food labeled, the result is not only the consumer's right to know is not guaranteed, to the safety of the consumer also lay hidden dangers, but also to some legitimate business enterprises will be unfair. If we can not do to Japan as a ban on irradiation technology, but let consumers know whether the irradiation technology is a must, and as we consumers to say, this kind of hidden information, deprive the right to know the practice, will produce instinctive resentment, no matter whether irradiated food is really safe or not