Foodborne Diseases: Overview of Chemical, Physical, and Other Significant Hazards

Abstract

An overview of the chemical, physical, and miscellaneous hazards that may occur in food are presented. Chemicals represent the largest group of potential hazards that are of public health concern. These include chemicals intentionally added to food (food additive, veterinary drugs and pesticides, processing aids, and packaging contaminants). Considered as potential hazards in food safety legislation, most countries require that these chemicals must undergo safety assessments before they are permitted to be used. Other large groups of chemical hazards are contaminants which are inadvertently present in food and which are known to pose potential health risks. Such contaminants include a range of chemicals from organic to inorganic, from natural to man-made, and from those known in antiquity to those discovered within the past decade. Also discussed are physical hazards that pose risks of injury, such as cutting or choking. Finally, short discussions of radiological and nutritional hazards are provided.