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Nuclear technologies are important tools for food safety: FAO

Posted 04 Jun 2024

2 min read

Role of Nuclear technologies has been highlighted at the International Symposium on Food Safety and Control, held in Vienna, Austria.

  • Event was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

 

Nuclear technologies offer solutions to combat hunger, reduce malnutrition, enhance environmental sustainability etc. 

  • Also, technologies are complimentary to the One Health approach.
    • One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems.

Role of Nuclear Technologies in Food system 

  • Animal health: Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests, a molecular nuclear technique, will rapidly detect diseases. 
  • Soil and water management: Radioactive nuclides left behind after nuclear events can help scientists determine the health of soil and rate of erosion.
  • Insect pest management: Nuclear based Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) to manage pest.
    • Technique involves mass-rearing the insects then sterilizing them through ionizing radiation before releasing them.
  • Food safety and control: Food irradiation (the application of ionizing radiation to food) improves the safety and extends the shelf life of foods by reducing or eliminating microorganisms and insects.
  • Plant Breeding and Genetics: Desired Genetic changes can be done by irradiation.  

Key Initiatives 

Global 

  • Atoms4Food Initiative, by FAO and IAEA
  • Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture

India

  •  Technology demonstration  plants  were set  up for Irradiation:
    • KRUSHAK at Lasalgaon, Nashik for low dose radiation treatment
    • Radiation Processing Plant (RPP) in Navi Mumbai for high dose radiation treatment.
  • Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) brought Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Sixth Amendment Regulations, 2016, to harmonize food irradiation rules with the international regulation. 
  • Tags :
  • Agriculture
  • Food safety
  • Nuclear technologies
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