The federal government has approved the use of irradiation for raw fresh and frozen ground beef.

It’s a process the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) has been calling for since 1998.

Mark Klassen is the CCA’s director of technical services.

"It's essentially a process of exposing food, in this case, ground beef to a controlled amount of energy that can reduce bacteria or other organisms that can cause illness or spoilage," he said. "This energy in the most common form of radiation comes from ordinary electricity known as E-Beam and that process has been used in the US for ground beef for 17 years now."

Klassen expects it will be phased in gradually, as it will take time to set up.

He adds E-Beam radiation is an option, not a requirement, noting irradiated beef will have a special label so that consumers understand the product they are buying.