Food: The Good and the Bad

The rewards and benefits of food are huge; however, there are risks, some of which are greater than others. Good nutrition is essential to a healthy body, but too much of a good thing can be bad (e.g. salt).

Food safety is often taken for granted in Canada. The media, television, radio, newspaper and the Internet, have raised awareness of foodborne outbreaks, food recalls and contaminants in foods. Nevertheless, thousands of pounds/kilograms of safe food are eaten everyday. Our food supply remains one of the safest in the world.

Risks associated with food can generally be divided into three main categories:

• microbiological risks
• physical contaminants
• chemical contaminants and natural toxins.

Date modified: 2012-04-14