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P. A. HANSEN, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 200C Street SW, Washington, DC 20204

The use of ionizing radiation in food processing has received increasing interest as a means of reducing foodborne pathogens. The range of packaging materials currently permitted for use during irradiation of prepackaged foods is rather limited, however, and dominated by materials characteristic of 1960s technology. The history of the development of current regulations regarding packaging materials for use during irradiation will be presented. The impact of recent regulatory changes and current initiatives on future directions for packaging used during irradiation will also be discussed.