Food Safety
Issues of Concern

How do I know if this is safe to eat? Is there something in this food that could make me sick? The safety of our food is a major concern to many people, and you may have similar questions about how food and toxicants interact, or how we are affected by toxicants in our food, or what measures can be taken to reduce exposure. So, what are the most dangerous hazards found in food? EXTOXNET FAQs has produced the following pages to address these concerns about food safety issues:

• Biotechnology and Food - brings together information about biotechnology, genetic engineering, and how food is affected by these processes.
  
• Food Additives - Provides science-based information about the safety of food additives, the history of the regulation of food additives, how the safety of a proposed food additive is assessed, and information about specific food additives which have aroused concern.
  
• Food Contaminants - Discusses such topics as: Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, PCBs, Dioxins, and Pesticides in your food
  
• Food Irradiation - Discusses issues of safety, quality, and environmental protection with regard to food irradiation.
  
• Natural Toxins in Food - Information on naturally-occurring toxins in food plants, toxic mushrooms, naturally occurring carcinogens, 'Endocrine Disrupters' in plants, naturally occurring toxins used as pesticides, and toxins in shellfish.
  
• Pesticides in Food - Answers some of the most common questions about pesticides and food.
  

This page was prepared by B.T. Johnson, March 1998. UCD EXTOXNET FAQ Team.