Abstract
Safety assessment of chemicals was previously based on qualitative determination of hazard. Principles and methods of safety evaluation have been developed through experience in international collaboration of experts, initially by introducing the notion of ADI (acceptable daily intake) while applying safety factors to compensate for uncertainties in safety evaluations. Recently, risk assessment based on quantitative data from animal experiments or from human observations with critical examination of experimental design and data processing has obtained more importance owing to progress in toxicological sciences and quality assurance systems of data management. In 1993, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) jointly proposed a new paradigm of risk analysis in food safety in the framework of Codex Alimentarius. Risk analysis is composed of risk assessment, risk communication, and risk management which should be integrated in the process of securing food safety at every step from “farm to fork”. More input of science into uncertainty analysis and integration of various study data, and also more involvement of every stakeholder in the risk analysis process is now requested.
