Large amounts of food, perhaps as much as one quarter of the world's agricultural production, is lost due to spoilage or contamination by harmful bacteria and other parasitic life forms. Food irradiation is an energy-efficient, non-chemical method of food processing that can help reduce these huge losses. Properly treated, irradiated foods retain their fresh appearance, flavour, and nutritional value, while most foods can be pre-packaged before irradiation, reducing the risk of recontamination. The technology for food irradiation is now well developed and irradiated foods are gaining public acceptance as they become more widely available.