Kuwait’s Health Ministry has introduced new regulations establishing maximum allowable levels of radioactive isotopes in food, drinking water, and animal feed, aiming to enhance public health protections through stricter monitoring and control. The ministerial decision, announced on Monday by Health Minister Dr. Ahmad Al-Awadhi, details limits designed to prevent the circulation of contaminated products within the local market.
According to the ministry, the regulations specify maximum permissible concentrations of various isotopes based on their radioactive properties and the category of the item. Radioactivity levels are quantified in becquerels per kilogram for food products, with particular methods outlined for calculating combined radiation when multiple isotopes from the same group are detected.
The new framework excludes dried and concentrated foods from the standard limits, instead subjecting them to an intervention threshold equating to an annual exposure of 3.0 millisieverts. For drinking water, the regulation sets the maximum activity concentrations at 0.5 becquerels per liter for alpha-emitting isotopes and 1 becquerel per liter for beta-emitting isotopes, excluding potassium-40 (K-40) from the beta-emitter limit due to its natural occurrence.
Animal feed is also regulated, with artificial radionuclides capped at 300 becquerels per kilogram to prevent the entry of radioactive contamination into the food chain.
The ministry indicated that the Radiation Protection Department will be responsible for monitoring compliance, triggering notifications to relevant authorities if limits are breached. Actions may include inspections of locally produced or distributed food products and measures to prevent further circulation of any that exceed permissible radiation levels.
For imported goods, the ministry said it will coordinate with the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition and the Customs Department to ensure imported products meet regulatory requirements before entering the domestic market. These steps reflect Kuwait’s commitment to maintaining food safety standards concerning radioactive contamination and protecting consumer health.