Food Contaminant

Food Contaminant

Food contamination refers to the presence in food of harmful chemicals and microorganisms which can cause consumer illness. This article addresses the chemical contamination of foods, as opposed to microbiological contamination, which can be found under foodborne illness. A separate issue is genetically modified food, or the presence in foods of ingredients from genetically modified organisms, also referred to as a form of food contamination.

The impact of chemical contaminants on consumer health and well-being is often apparent only after many years of processing prolonged exposure at low levels (e.g., cancer). Chemical contaminants present in foods are often unaffected by thermal processing (unlike most microbiological agents). Chemical contaminants can be classified according to the source of contamination and the mechanism by which they enter the food product.