Food scandals occur in our country at more or less regular intervals. Sometimes it’s rotten meat that gets people excited, then too high concentrations of acrylamide spoil the enjoyment of chips and cookies. As a consumer, the uncertainty is great and not infrequently the question is asked, “What can you actually still eat without hesitation?”
Health risks from food
It is not always easy for consumers to assess possible health risks from food. Many feel threatened by possible harmful substances in food. A threat from undesirable substances in food is rather rare, but should be considered with the necessary attention. Personal behavior in purchasing and preparing food can go a long way toward minimizing personal risk.
Paradise conditions in the supermarket
People have never been so well supplied with food as in modern times. In the supermarket we find a wide range of goods. Ready-made meals that we only need to heat in the microwave for 5 minutes before eating, fresh strawberries in winter, sausages with a long shelf life, juicy pineapples from South America – all this is no longer a problem nowadays. The food industry has adapted to the consumption habits of consumers. Thanks to appropriate production methods, processing procedures and transport routes, there are hardly any limits to the goods that can be made available. As laypersons in food production, however, we are often unable to assess the risk involved in consuming certain foods. The uncertainty is accordingly great and many people stand helplessly in front of the shopping shelf. What should we look out for when shopping? Which substances or materials can be problematic and are therefore undesirable?
Undesirable – acrylamide and co.
Undesirable substances can enter our food from a wide variety of sources. For example, residues from pesticides or veterinary medicines can contaminate our food. Undesirable substances can be formed during the processing and preparation of food, such as acrylamide, which is formed when certain products are heated. Undesirable substances can also occur naturally in food. These include, for example, the solanine in potatoes and prussic acid-containing glycosides in almonds. Some substances can be a health concern for certain groups of people. For example, some people have an intolerance to certain food ingredients such as histamines, sulfur compounds and some preservatives. But what does this mean for us? Does this make the food unsafe or even a health concern?
Minimize your personal risk!
In order to provide you with answers to the questions posed, we want to give you detailed information on the undesirable substances in food in a series of articles. In doing so, we take a weekly look at specific classes of substances. We look at their sources, their health concerns depending on the concentration and the ingesting organism. You will get answers to questions about the legal situation and the current exposure situation. Practical tips on purchasing, storing and processing food should help you to be more aware of possible risks and to minimize your personal risk. As laypersons in food production, we are often unable to assess the risk involved in consuming certain foods. The uncertainty is accordingly great. In our series, we therefore looked at the various undesirable substances in food and got to the bottom of their harmful potential. Some revealing results can be derived from this.
The dose is crucial
Undesirable substances in food are not fundamentally to be classified as “pollutants” or harmful. It depends on the amount we take in of a substance. Depending on the organism, they only have a harmful effect on health above a certain amount. For most of these substances, therefore, there are maximum quantities or limit values that are set by the legislature and monitored by the authorities. These are set at levels that do not pose a recognizable risk even if the substance is taken daily over a lifetime.
Food monitoring proves good quality
Every year, in addition to the official food monitoring, a so-called food monitoring takes place, which serves the preventive health consumer protection. In this process, foodstuffs in a basket of goods that is representative of Germany are examined for levels of substances that are undesirable to health. This proves that the quality of our food is good, with few exceptions.
We cannot avoid our own responsibility
However, there is no such thing as one hundred percent certainty against food contamination. Even the most committed government control cannot avoid this. Even if a risk from undesirable substances in food is rather rare, this should still be considered with the necessary attention. Moreover, research into the effects of many substances is still in its infancy. Unfortunately, we cannot therefore ignore our responsibility as consumers. Personal behavior in purchasing and preparing food can make a major contribution to minimizing personal risk. This is discussed in detail in the individual articles.
Conclusion
It is not always easy for consumers to assess possible health risks from food. Many feel threatened by possible contaminants in food. Supposed food scandals even cloud the enjoyment of food. A good knowledge of the actual dangers and their avoidability, but also a high sense of responsibility when purchasing and preparing food, give you as a consumer the greatest security. Above the possible dangers of harmful or undesirable substances in food, we must also not forget that in the area of nutrition, the number one risk factor is the wrong eating behavior. From the point of view of science, a wrong diet, which is unbalanced and too rich in calories, represents the greatest health risk for us.
