Are irradiated foods labeled so that consumers can choose to not buy them?

Yes and no. Foods containing ingredients that are irradiated and comprise more than 10% of the product are required to be labelled with a flower-like symbol (that imparts a seal of approval) and with wording implying irradiation. However, ingredients constituting less than 10% of a product are not required to be labelled, even if there are numerous irradiated ingredients in the product. Another major labelling concern is that there is no requirement to label any irradiated foods served in restaurants, hospitals and schools. If hamburger is irradiated in Canada and sold exclusively to fast-food restaurant chains, Canadians will be consuming irradiated food without knowing it, since irradiated hamburgers will not be labelled.