Canadian consumers will soon have another option in the beef section at the grocery store.

The Federal Government has approved the use of irradiation for raw, fresh and frozen ground beef.

It’s a process the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association has been calling for since 1998.

Mark Klassen CCA’s Director of Technical Services.

"It's essentially a process of exposing food, in this case, ground beef to a controlled amount of energy that can reduce bacteria or other organisms that can cause illness or spoilage," Mark Klassen CCA’s Director of Technical Services said. "This energy in the most common form of irradiation comes from ordinary electricity and is know as E-beam. That process has been used in the US for ground beef for 17 years now."

The CCA is pleased that this will now be an available option for Canadian consumers.

Klassen expects it will be phased in gradually as it will take time to set up.

"It does require special facilities that can irradiate food products and that takes time. I anticipate that the non-irradiate product will be in the vast majority of beef product sold and to the extent that consumers choose to purchase irradiated beef, that can be an option as well," he added.  

He adds E-beam radiation is an option, not a requirement noting irradiated beef will have a special label so that consumers understand the product they are buying.