This paper presents basic supporting data necessary for planning an educational intervention strategy as part of a communication strategy that would form an extensive national consensus on and enhance national understanding of irradiated foods. A survey was conducted to collect data on the knowledge, attitude, and behavior with regard to irradiated foods among community. It appeared 133 male (36.5%) and 231 women persons (63.5%). After irradiated food were analyzed, whole knowledge, attitude, and behavior standard to the irradiated food is 2.32, 11.90, and 12.92 scores respectively. The knowledge, attitude, behavior of irradiated foods according to person characteristics were analyzed. The knowledge on irradiated food was statistical difference by gender, age, education standard and occupation (p<0.05), whereas no statistical difference marriage (p>0.05). The attitude on irradiated food was statistical difference by age, education standard and occupation (p<0.05), whereas no statistical difference gender (p>0.05). The behavior on irradiated food was statistical difference by age, education standard and occupation (p<0.05), whereas no statistical difference gender and marriage (p>0.05). The coefficient of correlation of knowledge and attitude in irradiated food showed positive correlation of r=0.324 (p<0.01). The coefficient of correlation of knowledge and behavior in irradiated food showed negative correlation of r=－0.118 (p<0.05). The coefficient of correlation of attitude and behavior in irradiated food showed negative correlation of r=－0.316 (p<0.01).

In this study, we investigated the applicability of the photostimulated luminescence(PSL), thermoluminescence( TL) and electron spin resonance(ESR) methods for various foods which are not allowed to be irradiated in Korea. All 15 foods including sesame, almond, peanut, cocoa powder etc. were analyzed. Samples were irradiated at 1~10 kGy using a 60Co gamma-ray irradiator. In PSL study, the photon counts of all the unirradiated samples showed negative(lower than 700). The photon counts irradiated(1 kGy) dried shrimp, roasted peanut and seasoned peanut showed positive(higher than 5,000) and the other samples were negative or intermediate(> 700 and < 5,000). In TL analysis, results showed that it is possible to apply TL method to all foods containing minerals. In ESR measurements, the ESR signal(single-line) intensity of irradiated foods was higher than non-irradiated foods. In particular, the specific ESR signals of irradiation-induced crystalline sugar, cellulose and bone radical were detected in dried plum, raisin, dried cherry, mango(dried, frozen), rambutan, cocoa(powder), cinnamon, parsley, carrot, broccoli, dried arrow squid, dried pollack and dried shrimp. According to the results, PSL, TL and ESR methods were successfully applied to detect the irradiated foods because TL method is not able to detect the irradiated foods rarely composed of minerals. ESR is also a difficult method to detect the changes of ESR signal patterns of food. It is concluded that TL analysis or ESR assay is suitable for detection of irradiated samples and a combined method is recommendable for enhancing the reliability of detection results.

This research was conducted to assess applicability of photostimulated luminescence (PSL) and Thermoluminescence (TL) methods for investigation of infant and young children products, nut, seasoned dried fish,spice, dried fruits, fruit & vegetable, grain and marine products, which are not approved for irradiation in Korea. PSL results show that the photon counts of non-irradiated samples were lower than 700, while those of irradiated samples were higher than 700. In TL measurement, TL ratio of irradiated samples were higher than 0.1 or ones can decrease below 0.1 whereas the temperature range of TL Glow curve was between 150-250℃. Monitoring result about 8 class of 325 not approved to irradiated foods, photon counts of samples were less than 700, and after re-irradiation TL Ratio (TL₁/TL₂) through re-irradiation step at 1 kGy were higher than 0.1 for the all samples. Therefore, these results suggested that PSL and TL measurements were useful detection methods for 8 class food products not approved to irradiation in Korea and all sample (325 cases) were not irradiated when we analysed by PSL and TL methods.

Photostimulated luminescence (PSL)-Thermoluminescence (TL) combined analysis was applied to detect whether composite seasoning products and spices were irradiated or not. Samples were irradiated with 60Co at 0~7 kGy. A total of 12 different samples (6 of composite seasoning products and 6 of spices) was examined. Depending on the PSL results, TL analysis was performed. In case of both PSL positive ( ≥ 5,000 counts) and intermediate (700~5000 counts), TL analysis had to be performed to confirm the result of PSL. Using TL, the shape of the glow curve (Glow 1) made it possible to identify the irradiated samples. In addition, The TL glow ratio (Glow 1/Glow 2) obtained by normalization was less than 0.1 for the non-irradiated samples and ≥ 0.29 for irradiated ones, respectively.

This study examined the consumers' awareness and information need toward the irradiated foods and environmental hormones. The data were collected from 350 adults living in Daegu and Busan by the self-administered questionnaire. Frequencies and chi-square tests were conducted by SPSS. The results of the survey were as follows: (1) consumers' awareness regarding the irradiated foods and environmental hormones were low, while consumers' concerns for them were high, (2) the orders of the information needs for the irradiated foods are safety of irradiated foods, dose permitted for food irradiation, benefits of irradiated foods, kinds of permitted irradiated foods, and legislations of food irradiation, and (3) the orders of the information needs for the environmental hormones are harmfulness of environmental hormones, standards for contamination by environmental hormones, materials releasing environmental hormones, methods to prevent environmental hormones, and kinds of environmental hormones.

This study provides a national examination on youths' 'understanding' of irradiated food. The 1,200 subjects of the survey were randomly sampled from male and female students throughout the nation, between grades five and eleven. The survey was conducted toward these samples in November 2000. The number of respondents with exposure to irradiated food was so small, amounting to only 4.0 percent of the whole sample. The core concept used in this study is 'impression'. An impression is information about a specific subject, which carries significance to an individual. The results show that the higher the grade was, the more value the contents of impression contained. Furthermore, impressions concerning atomic or nuclear energy, and radioactivity increased greatly among students in middle school and above. Providing information of effects and advantages of irradiated food was focused to increase positive impressions and decrease the negative ones more greatly than providing simple factual information. Youths showed less value-centered impressions of irradiated food and more impressions centered on fragmented facts than adults. Respondents previously exposed irradiated food were shown to acquire the most of their information from the television and newspaper media. Among six information sources presented in the survey, youths pointed out 'science and technology research institutes' as the most credible. International organizations and environmental/ consumer organizations were evaluated as having relatively high credibility. Providing simple factual information of irradiated food did not seem to bring about any difference to the intention of purchasing irradiated food. On the other hand, respondents provided with effects-included information showed an increase in such intention. Our research results of the youth show a notable difference with that of the adults. Thus, programs and strategies to enhance youths' understanding should differ from those concerning adults.

The main purposes of this study are to know the contents and forms of impressions that the general public, and the consumerists and environmentalists have of irradiated food, and to know what information of irradiated food influences their impressions. Other purposes are to know what sources those impressions derive from, to know which media they have recently been exposed to and paid attention to irradiated food through, to know which sources they trust of information regarding irradiated food most greatly, and finally to suggest policies and strategies of communication in order to shed positive impressions of irradiated food on people. This study was conducted through the person-to-person interview survey toward 1,200 adults, and 150 consumerists and environmentalists in 1999. Adults are sampled nationally in South Korea. Only 8.7% of the general public have heard of irradiated food. Impressions of irradiated food that the general public mentioned most frequently are: harmful, insecure, negative, etc. The consumerists and environmentalists were found to have the most inaccurate knowledge of irradiated food. Television and newspaper were the major sources of impressions of, exposure to and focus of attention on irradiated food. Based on these results, we seem to devise methods to enhance impression of irradiated food by disseminating information of advantages and benefits that irradiation provides food with and to promote the fact that irradiation on food is totally irrelevant to being radioactive, danger of a nuclear power plant, genetically modifying food, etc.

A survey was conducted to examine the effect of food irradiation education on college students' knowledge and acceptance of food irradiation. The instrument for the knowledge and acceptance of food irradiation was administered before and after food irradiation education, to 150 students majoring in food and nutrition or food technology in the Chungnam National University. Before the education approximately 93% of the respondents did not know that radioactivity dose not remain in food after irradiation; whereas, after education half of them thought that radioactivity dose not remain in irradiated food. Knowledge about food irradiation has improved through education. The education significantly increased all the mean scores of need for food irradiation and willingness to use irradiated foods for the six food groups (p<0.01). The education significantly decreased the mean scores of concern about the irradiated food for all the six food groups (p<0.01). Although the responses to irradiated foods are, in general, negative or neutral even after education, the mean scores of acceptance of the irradiated foods have improved through education in all the six food groups (p<0.01). In conclusion, this study showed that food irradiation education may positively affect the college students' knowledge and acceptance of food irradiation, and that the development of both the appropriate detection methods to identify irradiated foods and the education programs to enlighten the college students are needed.

A survey was conducted to examine the knowledge and acceptance of food irradiation in order to provide baseline data required in the development of food irradiation education programs for college students. 150 students majoring in food and nutrition or food technology in the Chungnam National University were chosen for a survey. The results are as follows. First, college students' knowledge about food irradiation is scanty. Knowledge assessment showed that 56% of the participants had previously heard of food irradiation. 68% of the respondents thought that radioactivity remains in food after irradiation and 25.3% of them were not sure whether radioactivity remains in food after irradiation or not. Only half of the respondents thought that nutrient loss due to irradiation is equal to or lower than that due to cooking or freezing. Second, approximately 56% of the respondents showed that food irradiation is somewhat or strongly needed for meat or fish; whereas, over 60% of them showed that food irradiation is not needed for grain, vegetable and fruit. Almost 40% of the respondents were seriously concerned about irradiation of vegetables and fruits; whereas, they showed less concern about spice irradiation. More than half of the respondents were not willing to use irradiated food in all the six food groups. Third, the correlation analysis showed that the need of food irradiation is negatively correlated with concerning about the irradiated fish and fruits, but positively correlated with willingness to use irradiated food in all the five food groups, except in spices. Concern about the irradiated food is negatively correlated with willingness to use irradiated food from all the six food groups. Fourth, almost all the respondents (over 90%) agreed that the irradiated food labeling is required as well as the development of proper methods to identify irradiated foods.

식품의 방사선조사 기법은 지난 40여년간 세계적으로 체계적인 연구가 수행되면서 그에 대한 안전성과 기술적 타당성이 입증되고 있음에도 불구하고 아직까지도 제한적으로 이용되고 있는데 이의 주된 이유는 방사선조사 식품에 대한 소비자의 수용도를 확신할 수 없기 때문이다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 방사선조사 식품에 대한 올바른 정보를 소비자들에게 제공하기 위한 기초자료를 얻기 위해 방사선조사 식품에 대한 소비자들의 구입의도 및 구입의도에 따른 집단을 구분하는데 영향을 미치는 변수들을 분석하였다. 본 연구를 통해 얻어진 결과를 요약하면 다음과 같다. 첫째, 우리 나라 소비자들의 식품의 안전성 및 식품의 신선도 보존에 관한 관심도는 매우 높았다. 방부제, 잔류농약, 식중독, 식품의 변패 및 식품의 신선도 보존 등의 5가지 항목 중 식품의 변패에 대한 관심도가 특히 높게 나타났으며, 그 다음으로는 잔류농약, 식중독의 순으로 관심이 많았다. 둘째, 우리 나라 소비자들의 방사선조사 식품에 대한 인지도는 대체로 낮았으며 특히 연령이 많거나 학력이 낮은 경우 방사선조사 식품에 대해 인지도가 낮은 것으로 나타나 이들을 대상으로 한 소비자교육이 보다 활성화되어야 할 필요가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 방사선조사 식품에 대한 수용 정도에 있어서는 응답자의 1/3-4/5가 방사선조사 식품의 구입에 대한 찬성이나 반대의 의사표시를 보이는 대신에 관망적인 자세를 취하고 있었다. 방사선조사 기법이 제공하는 혜택 중에서 농약 처리 후 식품에 농약이 잔류되는 것과는 다르게 방사선조사 식품에 방사선이 잔류하지 않는 경우, 방사선조사 식품을 구입할 의도가 많은 것으로 나타났다. 즉 식품의 안전성과 관련하여 많은 소비자들이 식품에서 농약의 잔류성분에 대해 우려를 하고 있는 것으로 나타났으므로 앞으로 이를 대체할 수 있는 하나의 방법으로 식품에 방사선조사 처리 기법이 활용될 것으로 예상되며, 이를 위해서는 방사선조사 식품의 안전성이 뒷받침되어야 할 것으로 보인다. 셋째, 방사선조사 식품의 구입의도 정도에 따른 집단을 구분하는데 영향을 미치는 변수를 살펴본 판별분석의 결과, 식품의 안전성에 대한 관심도, 혁신성에 대한 자아평가, 유기농작물에 대한 지불의도, 그리고 방사선조사 식품의 인지도는 방사선조사 식품의 구입의도를 구분하는 집단을 설명하는 데 있어 대체로 영향력이 있는 것으로 나타났다. 반면에 월가계소득은 5개의 판별분석에서 한 번도 유의하지 않은 것으로 나타나서 방사선조사 식품의 수용정도를 구분하는 데 있어 영향력이 없는 것으로 나타났다. 특히 소비자의 혁신성 정도가 방사선조사 식품의 수용도를 구분하는데 있어 중요한 변수라는 사실은 방사선조사 식품의 기법이나 그러한 식품이 갖는 혜택과 관련된 정보를 혁신적 소비자나 조기수용자에게 우선적으로 제공하는 것이 효과적임을 알려주고 있다. 최근 국제적으로 방사선조사 식품의 이용이 확대되고 있으며, 수출입 식품에 대한 방사선 처리가 증가되고 있는 국제환경 속에서 소비자들에게 방사선조사 식품에 대한 올바른 정보를 효과적으로 제공함으로써 그들의 식품구입 의사결정에 도움을 주는 것이 매우 필요하다. 더욱이 본 연구결과 우리 나라 소비자들은 방사선조사 식품에 대한 낮은 인지도를 가지고 있어 소비자로서의 알권리를 제대로 누리지 못하고 있는 것으로 나타나 앞으로 국내에서 방사선조사 식품이 상업적으로 널리 보급되기에 앞서 방사선조사 식품에 대한 소비자교육이 활발하게 이루어질 필요가 있다고 본다.

Food irradiation is an emerging technology which offers many advantages such as reduction of microorganisms, extension of shelf-life of foods, reduction in the use of post-harvest chemicals, and destruction of insects and parasites. The commercial utilization of food irradiation, however, has been restricted because of the uncertainty of consumers' responses to it. Because success of food irradiation in the marketplace will depend upon their acceptability by consumers, this study focused on the consumers' perception and acceptance toward food irradiation in order to get basic data for commercial utilization of food irradiation and give information to consumers to help rational consumption behavior. The survey with 411 respondents living in Youngnam area was conducted during the spring of 1997 by the questionnaires. The results and implications from this study are as follows. First, consumers' knowledge about food irradiation is scanty. Two-thirds of respondents in the survey had not heard of irradiated foods and many people confused irradiation with radioactivity. In the willingness to accept food irradiation, one-third of respondents showed a wait-and-see attitude. This result indicated consumers had insufficient information about the irradiation process and nationwide education of food irradiation technology should be undertaken. Second, although the purchase and use of food are very important consumption behaviors, consumer education by mass communication has been rarely done. For the successful commercialization of food irradiation, the information provision by mass communication for the consumers should be made. Third, consumers generally worried about residual pesticide and intended to purchase irradiated foods if radioactivity was not retained in the foods. Therefore, food irradiation could be an alternative method to the use of pesticide Fourth, consumers pointed out that they wanted to extend shelf-life of milk and dairy foods, fish and seafood and to irradiate these foods. Therefore, research for the safety of irradiated foods should be continually conducted. finally, labeling for irradiated foods is needed to provide the information and to further increase public understanding. Especially, the labeling should show the definite reason why irradiation is being used. In conclusion, recently, under the circumstances that the commercial utilization of food irradiation and irradiation for the import and export products have been increased in many countries, many efforts are needed to improve the quality of irradiated foods, and prove the safety of them in Korea. In addition, consumer education for food irradiation should be given to help consumers to make decision for food purchase and use.

Progress in commercialization of the irradiation process, greater international trade in irradiated food, differing regulations relating to use of the technology in many countries, and consumer demand for clear labeling of irradiated food highlighted the need for tests that could be applied to the food itself. Scientists have had to focus on identifying and isolating the minute changes caused in the component food molecules by the process. A number of investigators have reviewed the changes occurring in food after irradiation, detecting and measuring the effects of irradiation. The Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture organised a coordinated program on analytical detection methods in irradiation treatment of food (ADMIT) which promoted cooperation in this area and sponsored collaborative testing of some of the most promising methods.

식품의 살균법은 가열법, 저온살균법, 훈증법 그리고 방사선 조사법과 같은 다양한 방법으로 살균을 수행하고 있다. 방사선 조사식품은 다른 타 살균법에 비해 에너지 소요량이 적으면서 강력한 투과력으로 연속적인 처리 공정이 가능하다는 장점뿐만 아니라 살균에만 국한하지 않고 살충 및 발아억제 그리고 숙도를 조절함으로써 안전성에 관한 연구가 많이 이루어지고 있으나, 국내에선 연구된 보고 사례가 많지 않다. 본 연구에서는 방사선 조사식품에 대한 인식을 파악하기 위해 설문지를 통해 연구를 수행하였다. 연구대상자는 가정에서 식생활을 책임지고 있는 학부모를 대상으로 하였다. 그 결과 방사선조사식품에 대한 인식은 평균 2.73점으로 낮게 나타났으며, 인식개선을 위한 적극적인 홍보와 교육이 필요할 것으로 사료된다.