Food-associated intoxicants.

The association of toxic substances with human foods has long been recognized. While intrinsic compounds appear during storage as a result of spoilage by chemical processes or by contamination with micro-organisms. In the numerous stages of food production from source to table there are many opportunities for contamination. This article reviews the wide spectrum of food-associated toxicants, outlining the mechanisms by which these substances reach the food products. To illustrate the diversity of these mechanisms, some notable examples of mass contamination of food are quoted. The presence of toxic substances in human food is, and will continue to be, a challenge for toxicologists, and a source of concern for the public, for industry, and for the scientific community.