Justification of approaches to hygienic rationing and control of radiation treatment of food products in the Russian Federation

The paper considers modern approaches to the use of ionizing radiation to ensure microbiological safety of food products. In international practice, the issues of ensuring radiation safety in the processing of food products by ionizing radiation are well developed. On the contrary, the Russian Federation and the Eurasian Economic Union do not have hygienic standards and state control in the field of radiation biotechnologies, as well as special sanitary standards that set maximum permissible radiation doses for various categories of food products. Aim of the study: to analyze domestic and international regulatory documents establishing requirements for radiation treatment of food and agricultural products, in order to develop a set of requirements for hygienic standardization of such products in the Russian Federation. Materials and Methods: The study was based on the analysis of regulatory documents of the IAEA, WHO, and FAO, as well as the national legislation of countries that actively use methods of radiation treatment of food products. Results and Discussion: The analysis of international standards is carried out, and existing gaps in the regulatory framework of the Russian Federation are identified. It is shown that the lack of special sanitary standards and methods for identifying irradiated products complicates control and reduces market transparency. Conclusion: The necessity of developing a system of hygienic rationing and state control to ensure the quality and safety of products treated with ionizing radiation is emphasized.

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