4 °C - the National Sea Grant Library

ECONOMICS OF IRRADIATION OF FISH AND SEAFOOD
Economics of food irradiation facilities is best characterized as capital
intensive but low operating cost. It requires an economy of scale to justify
investment in an irradiation facility. i.e. large quantities of food must be treated to
achieve reasonable average unit costs. Factors which are important to determine the
cost of operation of irradiation facility and consequent treatment cost include type of
radiation, efficiency of radiation source, minimum throughput capacity, dose
absorbed, number of hours the facility is operated over a given time period, types of
product and their packaging configuration, etc. (Urbain, 1993).
A number of cost estimates on irradiation of fish and seafood have been made
using a number of assumptions. These estimates together with actual cost charged
by a commercial irradiation facility in France are listed below:
Product Absorbed Dose (kGy) Treatment Cost/kg
(US$)
Frozen shrimp 2 0.08 -0.10 1
Frozen froglegs 4 0.10 -0.12 l
Fish fillet 1.75 0.06 -0. 15 2
Live oysters 1 0.10 -0.15 3
Source: 1. Y. Henon. Gammaster-Provence, France (Personal
Communication)
2. Ref.: R. Morrison. 1985.
3. Ref.: K. Roberts. 1992.
CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE OF IRRADIATED FOOD
A. Consumer Attitude Surveys
As food irradiation is perceived to be associated with nuclear technology, any
introduction of irradiated food can be erroneously connected with radioactive
materials. Thus, it comes as no surprise that there appears to be a widely held opinion
among national authorities and the food industry that consumers would be
apprehensive about food treated by irradiation because of the perceived association
with radioactivity.
Because of the controversy and public debate on food irradiation during the
1980‘s, a number of consumer attitude surveys were conducted in several advanced
countries during this decade to ascertain whether consumers would be willing or
prepared to accept irradiated food (Anonymous, 1984; Anonymous, 1986; Titlebaum