VPT 421: Veterinary Toxicology (2+0)

SAFETY OF FEED ADDITIVES

• In general, food additives have proved to be safe and without chronic toxicity.
• Many were introduced when toxicity testing was relatively unsophisticated, and some of these have been subsequently shown to be toxic.
• Thousands of food additives are in use worldwide and many have been introduced with inadequate testing.
• The question of synergistic interactions between these compounds used as additives has not been explored adequately.
• Not all toxicants in food are synthetic. There are many examples of naturally occurring toxicants in the human diet, including carcinogenic and mutagenic agents.