No irradiated foods are being imported by UAE

Abu Dhabi:  Irradiated foods are not available in the UAE market, the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) told Gulf News on Sunday.

Treating food with radioactive radiation for preservation and many other related purposes is called irradiation.

"To the best of our knowledge, no irradiated foods are being imported into the UAE. We have not come across any irradiation label on any food being imported," Mohammad Jalal Al Reyaysa, director of Communication and Community Services at ADFCA, said.

Still, the authority is working on developing a proper mechanism to determine if any irradiated food is being imported without mentioning that fact on the labels, he said.

ADFCA has drawn up a plan to detect irradiated foods which will soon be implemented, and it will be the first authority to test for irradiated foods in the UAE, among the few countries in the Middle East.

"By 2011 we will have a full-fledged laboratory to test for irradiated foods, thereby making the Authority one of the pioneers in this area in the region," he said.

Asked about the debate on the safety of irradiated food and any alternatives to irradiation, the official said: "We are also aware that although international bodies such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Trade Organisation(WTO) have endorsed it, there are sections that vehemently criticise it and even argue that it could be carcinogenic," he said.

"But so far we have not found any evidence to show that irradiation of foods is harmful to human health in any way," Al Reyaysa said. "As for your questions about alternatives, there are not many effective alternatives. Using chemicals for processes like fumigation can obviously be harmful," he said.

Awareness

"As a step towards creating more awareness about it among the public, we are organising a radiation day and a workshop on radiation on the sidelines of SIAL Middle East."

Irradiation of foods is not currently done in the UAE. He said no restriction is placed on irradiated foods in the UAE currently as all countries that are signatories to WTO treaties are supposed to accept irradiated foods. If any of these countries has evidence against the safety of these foods, they can take appropriate decisions, but no such step has been taken so far.

Food control body says reports are baseless

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) yesterday said that rumours spreading in some sections of the community about the safety risks related to McNuggets, a packed food from McDonald, were baseless.

"The authority confirms that the McNuggets are safe and do not comprise any chemical or petroleum or silicon materials, contrary to recent media reports on the subject," a senior official told Gulf News yesterday.

The authority has also clarified that the use of aluminium foil in food packaging does not pose any health risks as long as it is within the permitted limits, Mohammad Jalal Al Reyaysa, director of communication and community service at ADFCA, said.

Al Reyaysa pointed out that 14 per cent of all aluminium produced in the world is used in cooking utensils and food packaging.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed after repeated studies over a number of years that aluminium vessels and aluminium foil were safe, he said.

Aluminium also enters the human body through inhalation, water, many canned foods, dried fruits and vegetables, cereals and other food products, contrary to the claims made by some people who linked aluminium to Alzheimer's disease, he said.

"There is no scientific basis for such claims," the official said.