Twenty years ago, the prospect of irradiated fruit and vegetables from Australia going on sale here would have attracted strong opposition. At that time, opponents contended that irradiation would affect the appearance of food and deplete its vitamin content. So deep-seated was the concern that a public outcry stopped plans to build irradiation plants at Tokoroa and Mangakino.
Now, things are very different. Any qualms about the looming import of 11 types of fruit and vegetables from Queensland must focus on consumers being made fully aware that they have been bombarded with gamma rays.
The process was, in fact, declared safe by our regulator of food standards, a joint authority for New Zealand and Australia, more than a decade ago. That decision paid heed to increasing scientific evidence, as well as the desirability of replacing the chemical fumigation of pests and micro-organisms. Nonetheless, the fear of a consumer backlash initially limited imports to tropical fruits, such as papaya and mangoes, and spices. Only last year was a standard food item in the form of tomatoes added to this list.
Now, with an application by Queensland's Department of Agriculture to move much further along this path by irradiating the likes of apples, apricots, peaches and zucchini, the time is right to ensure consumers will have the knowledge necessary to make a fully informed purchase.
History does not inspire total confidence. Under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, irradiated food must be clearly labelled with signs or stickers showing it has undergone the treatment. But eight years ago, Australian mangoes appeared in Auckland fruit shops without stickers saying they had been zapped.