<P> Food irradiation is the process of exposing food and food packaging to ionizing radiation . Ionizing radiation, such from gamma rays, x-rays or electron beams, is energy that can be transmitted without direct contact to the source of the energy (radiation) capable of freeing electrons from their atomic bonds (ionization) in the targeted food . The radiation can be emitted by a radioactive substance or generated electrically . This treatment is used to improve food safety by extending product shelf - life (preservation), reducing the risk of foodborne illness, delaying or eliminating sprouting or ripening, by sterilization of foods, and as a means of controlling insects and invasive pests . Food irradiation primarily extends the shelf - life of irradiated foods by effectively destroying organisms responsible for spoilage and foodborne illness and inhibiting sprouting . Although consumer perception of foods treated with irradiation is more negative than those processed by other means, because people imagine that the food is radioactive or mutated, all independent research, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have confirmed irradiation to be safe . </P> <P> Food irradiation is permitted by over 60 countries, with about 500,000 metric tons of food annually processed worldwide . The regulations that dictate how food is to be irradiated, as well as the food allowed to be irradiated, vary greatly from country to country . In Austria, Germany, and many other countries of the European Union only dried herbs, spices, and seasonings can be processed with irradiation and only at a specific dose, while in Brazil all foods are allowed at any dose . </P>

What is the reason for irradiating food with gamma rays