Safety Management of Food Additives and Contaminants

식품 첨가물과 오염물질의 안전성 관리

Dietary life of Korean population was greatly improved by the increased food production, enlarged food processing and betterment of food distribution system during the last three decades. On the other hand, food pollution issues have arisen from the increased use of chemicals and advancements in analytical techniques and toxicological information. The health risk of hazardous substances in Korean diet was estimated to be in the decreasing order of heavy metals>pesticide residues>food additives>mycotoxins>radionuclides>PCBs whereas consumers do not recognize it in the same order. It is needed to evaluate the food safety more accurately based on scientific evidences and to adopt reasonable regulatory measures in Korea for the benefits of people's health and national interest.