This method of radioconservation called irradiation or ionization consists in subjecting foodstuffs to ionizing radiation in specialized facilities. This process aims for a double action :

- it increases the shelf life of plant foods by slowing down ripening (fruits, vegetables), sprouting of bulbs and tubers (potatoes, onions...), and by reducing the number of insects or destructive microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts, molds) ;

- it increases the hygienic qualities of food by destroying bacteria (salmonella, listeria monocytogenes...), microorganisms, harmful insects and parasites (trichinella spiralis, taenia solium...) pathogens (spices, meat, eggs) in case of storage of foodstuffs (cereals, flours, fruits, dried fish).

This expensive treatment can be generated either by a mobile mini nuclear power plant according to the demand of the suppliers interested in this process, it is the case of the irradiation by cesium 137, or more frequently in the food, by a radioactive source, like the cobalt sixty (60Co) which emits a gamma radiation to which are subjected whole pallets of food conveyed in loop on conveyor belts. Gamma rays are emitted continuously during the exposure of the products concerned and remain active for a very long time. It is estimated that the dangerous duration of this type of radiation is a few hundred years for cobalt 60 and a few thousand years for cesium 137.

According to scientific studies, an irradiated food does not become radioactive in itself, its nature is however deeply altered. This technique instantly degrades the nutritional quality of food by destroying vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes and beneficial fatty acids. In addition, irradiation by generating a new class of chemicals causes undesirable effects with consequences still not well known on health. Of course, official health agencies are ignoring the growing body of evidence.

However, it is known that when radiation passes through the food, it tears electrons from atoms, breaks molecules and causes the formation of highly reactive free radicals which, when recombined, will give rise to molecules that did not initially exist in the food. For example, the irradiation of lipids, meats and certain fruits leads to the formation of cyclobutanones, molecules that do not exist anywhere on earth in their natural state and whose toxicity has been demonstrated in several studies. It was recently discovered that they cause genetic and cellular damage in rats, but also in humans.

Dozens of experiments carried out over the last 50 years on animals fed with irradiated food have shown that irradiation carries health risks (premature death, genetic mutations, reproductive problems, immune system disorders, tumors, organ damage...). Anecdotes that could be found amusing if these chemical compounds were of no consequence, cyclobutanones are so detectable and remain so long (more than 10 years) within foods that they are used as markers to determine whether or not a food has been exposed to ionizing radiation.

Irradiation not only produces free radicals, but also benzene, toluene and other chemical molecules. These compounds have long been known to promote the onset of many diseases. It should also be noted that high dose irradiation destroys bacteria, but does not affect the toxins produced by these bacteria. However, it is known that most of the time it is toxins, and not bacteria, that are responsible for food poisoning.

It seems that Europe currently limits ionization to only 3 categories of products, dried aromatic herbs, spices and vegetable condiments. Eight EU Member States (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Italy) allow the irradiation of foods other than those listed above. In France, the legislation allows the irradiation of about fifteen products: spices and herbs, gum arabic, cereal flakes and germs, casein and caseinate, rice flour, poultry meat (whole, ground, crushed or broken), poultry offal, frozen frog legs, frozen peeled or headed shrimp, dehydrated or frozen liquid egg white, dried vegetables and fruits, garlic, onions, shallots, dried blood, plasma...

It is essential to know that the consumer has no way of identifying by himself the foods that have been irradiated and that he can therefore only rely on the veracity of the labeling. Normally, throughout Europe, any irradiated food should be marked "treated with ionizing radiation" or "treated with ionization". In addition, some products (especially those imported from South Africa) may bear the "RADURA" symbol. Once again, we see that the consumer should have the right to a rigorous labeling, but that unfortunately there is still a lot of progress to be made in terms of control and labeling obligation, especially in France.