The consumption of food products obtained in areas subjected to radioa
ctive contamination as a consequence of a radiation accident appears t
o be the most significant source of irradiation for the population. At
the same time, this route can be regulated very effectively. The regu
larities of contamination of agricultural production, peculiar feature
s of internal dose formation in the population and the effectiveness o
f countermeasures in agriculture have been analysed using the experien
ce of two major accidents in the former USSR -- in the South Urals (Ky
shtym accident) in 1957, and at the Chernobyl NPP in 1986.