FROM synthetic dyes to toxins leaching from food packages, food toxicology has become a major public health concern. Food recalls are rising sharply, not primarily because of harmful microorganisms, but often due to toxins in food that exceed regulated or permitted levels. This reality leaves many consumers asking the question, “Which foods should we eat?”

Recent food safety events have also exacerbated the magnitude of the problem, as the Florida Department of Health discovered excess levels of arsenic in 28 popular brands of candies and other treats, whilst European authorities recalled several brands of baby formula contaminated with toxins. Closer to home, national concerns continue to persist over the consumption and sale of unripe ackee, a long-standing food safety challenge requiring urgent attention.

A direct hit on public health

Food toxicology extends far beyond the laboratory, as recurring incidents of food intoxication continue to add to the global burden of foodborne illness. Each year, contaminated food causes approximately 600 million people to fall ill and leads to 420,000 deaths, with children accounting for 125,000 of these fatalities. Unsafe food also undermines productivity and places immense strain on healthcare systems. For example, the World Bank estimates that foodborne illnesses cost low and middle income countries more than $95 billion annually in lost productivity. Meanwhile, the misuse of veterinary drugs in animal husbandry and chemicals in agriculture complicates the treatment of emerging diseases. As a result, both chronic and acute illnesses are increasingly linked to toxins in food. When all is said, one thing remains very clear: Food toxicology is no longer a peripheral issue, it influences public health as much as it influences other sciences.

The dangers

Food toxicants span a wide and often invisible spectrum, from pesticide residues to food additives, veterinary drugs, heavy metals, biotoxins and mycotoxins, whether naturally occurring, plant-based, or marine. Their impacts also vary widely, and unlike microbes, chemical toxicants in food can act swiftly, triggering rapid onset of illnesses ranging from gastrointestinal symptoms to organ failure and, in some cases, death. Many food toxicants are also chronic and carcinogenic in nature. This means that prolonged exposure above safe limits can lead to cancers, organ damage, and other physiological disorders. Toxicology concerns extend further to heavy metals in food, plastics that disrupt hormones, and high-profile events such as the powdered milk formula recall in Europe, which was linked to infant deaths and illnesses. Indeed, food safety concerns today are not driven primarily by microbes but increasingly by chemical contaminants in food.

Playing catch-up

Protecting public health requires more than routine microbiological testing or organoleptic inspection of food. Capacity building, modern laws, robust regulations, and infrastructural investment are urgently needed to monitor food safety across the entire value chain. International frameworks such as Codex Alimentarius and the World Health Organization already provide the basis for strengthening global food safety systems. Playing catch-up by mopping up outbreaks or recalling implicated foods cannot remain the default response, especially as globalization expands food trade across borders. Governments, academia, consumers, and industry must work together to design interventions tailored to national concerns and capable of confronting the growing burden of foodborne illness. Only through such collaboration can the puzzle, “Which foods should we eat?” be solved, ensuring that food is not just abundant, but truly safe.

Dr Karlene Atkinson

Dr Karlene Atkinson is a public health specialist and vice-dean (acting) of the Joint Colleges of Medicine, Oral Health and Veterinary Sciences, University of Technology Jamaica.