Since 2002, there have been several media reports from the Philippines indicating the U.S. Government was interested in providing financial assistance to build a food irradiation facility. The purpose of the irradiation facility was to treat fruits and vegetables for food safety purposes so that they could be exported to the United States. The mango industry is highly productive in the Philippines, and an export market could absorb excess production. However, most produce cannot be exported due to invasive pests, poor fruit quality, short shelf life and high transportation costs.

The Philippine government believes irradiation could be an effective quarantine treatment for disinfesting fruits for export. The government had lobbied the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for a $10 million grant to build the facility. In a byzantine turn, the USDA donated 9,300 metric tons of wheat to the Philippines in 2005 so that they could sell the grain to raise money to build an irradiation facility to export “super” mangoes to the U.S. At most, the Philippines could raise only $1.5 million by selling the wheat. There has been no other reported assistance provided by USDA since last year. However, the food irradiation industry – not doing too well in the United States- is looking to expand internationally, by building facilities elsewhere, and using irradiation to increase exports.

– Excerpt from Food Irradiation Around the World