Understanding Food Safety and Toxicology

“Consumers have a lot of questions about chemicals in food, such as pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables,” explains Carl Winter, IFT spokesperson and a food toxicologist on the faculty of the University of California at Davis. “The main message we want people to take away from these videos is that the levels of exposure to chemicals in food, such as pesticides, is very low. We hope consumers will take this information and make good choices about food for themselves and their family.”

The eight video segments, each under three minutes in length, address different topics of food safety, such as “Basic Principles of Toxicology,” “Chemical Risks in Food,” “How Scientists Assess Food Safety Risks,” and “Eating a Balanced Diet.”

“When we talk about the presence of very small amounts of chemicals in our food supply, the question is what risks, if any, do they pose to consumers?” says Winter. “Fortunately, for most of these types of chemical contaminants, we find that our typical human exposure is far lower than levels that don’t even cause effects in laboratory animals. Our exposure to these chemicals is low; therefore our risks are very low.”

One video explains how consumers today are free to make many food choices, including purchasing organic food if they are concerned about chemicals. Whether they choose organically grown or conventionally produced food, the goal should be to eat a balanced diet.

“There are no ‘red light’ or ‘green light’ foods,” says Winter. “We need to think about having a balanced diet in moderation and that contains fruits and vegetables and grains. That can significantly decrease the risk of heart disease and many types of cancers. People concerned about potential exposure to chemicals in fruits and vegetables might reduce their consumption. But they should know that the benefits of consuming these foods far outweigh the potential risks from exposure to these very low levels of chemicals.”