Food exposed to Cobalt 60 (highly radioactive material) is now approved for consumption by the Australian & New Zealand Health Ministers. The company, Steritech, operates in Sydney, Victoria, and in Qld, just 30 minutes north of Brisbane CBD. Govt approval was given for the Queensland facility just 6 days aafter their application was approved by FSANZ.
Already herbs, spices, herbal teas, black teas, oil seeds and nuts have the go ahead, and now tropical fruits are included. Packaged irradiated goods will be labelled but it's not clear how to label fruits. It seems we are going along the same path as the US, though consumers in UK and Europe are protesting.
There are real dangers with irradiation, including destruction of essential vitamins and nutrients, as well as other physical damage.
To protest, please email FSANZ - advice@anzfa.gov.au or write to FSANZ, POBox 7186, Canberra MC ACT 2610.
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