The Government of Canada has made a regulation change which allows for the irradiation of ground beef.
The federal government says permitting the technology will give the beef industry yet another tool to improve on food safety.
The Canadian Cattlemen's Association has been pushing for approval of irradiation for almost two decades.
After conducting what it calls a "thorough assessment", Health Canada concluded the process to be a safe and effective treatment for reducing harmful bacteria in the meat.
During irradiation, food is exposed to a low level energy called ionizing radiation.
Health Canada notes the benefit to the process is that leads to a longer shelf life while reducing amounts of bacteria like E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter.
It also points out that all irradiated foods must be labelled with a written description and a distinct symbol.
Canada joins 60 other countries across the globe who permit irradiation of various foods, including the U.S. which approved the process for frozen ground beef in 1999.
