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C. BARMORE, Cryovac Division, Sealed Air Corporation, P.O. Box 464, Duncan, SC 29334

Packaging materials for foods to be irradiated for the destruction of pathogenic bacteria must comply with the regulation 21 Code of Federal Regulations 179.45—Packaging materials for use during the irradiation of prepackaged foods. This regulation was promulgated in the 1950s and 1960s. Unfortunately, it has undergone very few revisions and has not kept pace with polymers and additives that are used in modern-day packaging materials. The objectives of this presentation will be to review the composition of packaging materials that are most applicable to food irradiation applications and how the food additive regulations will impact their use. Also to be discussed are the activities currently underway by the packaging industry and the National Center for Food Safety and Technology to expand the list of approved polymers and additives, the relationship between packaging and the organoleptic attributes of irradiated foods, and future needs.