Research project
Radioactivity in Food and the Environment (RIFE) Report 2014
The FSA has published the 13th annual Radioactivity in Food and the Environment (RIFE) report, which shows that the level of man-made radioactivity to which people in the UK were exposed, during 2014 remained below the EU legal limit. No food safety concerns were identified.
The report combines FSA’s monitoring results with those of the Environment Agency, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Food Standards Scotland. It also combines the FSA’s data on food with data on environmental sources of radioactivity to provide a comprehensive picture for people who live close to nuclear sites and eat locally produced food.
Key findings
The key findings are:
- The total radiation dose to members of the public in the UK is significantly below the EU annual dose limit of 1 millisievert for all exposures.
- The exposure of consumers to radioactivity in 2014 was similar to that for 2013 from the majority of nuclear sites.
Our sampling strategy: tell us what you think
In 2014, the FSA’s monitoring programme was revised after a risk-based review of our programme which led to changes in the sampling strategy. We are seeking feedback from stakeholders about these changes by asking these two questions:
- Based on the information in this RIFE report, do you consider that the FSA has successfully implemented changes in monitoring after the risk-based review conducted in 2013?
- Have you found any unforeseen consequences or impacts as a result of the implemented changes in the monitoring that were not considered in the FSA’s consultation?