U.K. Having Problem with Irradiated Dietary Supplements

LONDON--In what is more of a labeling issue than a health concern, a survey conducted by the Food Standards Agency (FSA)--the United Kingdom's regulatory body for food products--indicated a large sum of dietary supplements have allegedly been irradiated, which is a breach of U.K. food regulations. The survey results indicated 42 percent of the dietary supplements tested (58 out of 138 samples) had been irradiated--although none were labeled as "irradiated" or "treated with ionizing radiation."

"These results for dietary supplements are not acceptable," said Jon Bell, director of food safety policy at FSA. "There is no food safety concern, but they are being sold illegally." He added FSA has made it clear to the industry that action must be taken to remove affected products from the shelves.

According to FSA, the only foodstuffs allowed to be irradiated and sold in the U.K. are herbs and spices, and only then if they are labeled as such. FSA and local authorities will conduct a future survey to check that the companies in question have taken appropriate action.

FSA reports that food irradiation--which exposes food to electron beams, X-rays or gamma rays--does not make food unsafe or radioactive. However, FSA "is committed to ensuring that consumers are not misled about the food they buy" due to a lack of an irradiation label.

FSA gathered samples from supermarkets, cash and carry stores, the Internet and by mail order during August and September of 2001. The products that tested positive included samples from companies such as Solgar (including ginseng, ginkgo biloba and cat's claw products) and Kwai (a garlic product). A Solgar spokesperson in the United States told INSIDER the company had just been made aware of the report and has no comment as of yet.

According to a press release on the FSA Web site (www.food.gov.uk), this survey was conducted for surveillance purposes and cannot be used in prosecutions. However, local authorities can conduct further samplings with the intent to prosecute.

A spokesperson for the Proprietary Association of Great Britain (PAGB) (www.pagb.co.uk), a U.K.-based trade association for manufacturers of food supplements, told BBC News (news.bbc.co.uk), "All the companies in PAGB membership have recently initiated internal quality control programs to ensure that products do not contain traces of irradiated ingredient." He added the World Health Organization (WHO) encourages the use of irradiation to reduce the incidence of food-borne diseases caused by micro-organisms.