[Food contamination and consumer protection]

For years consumers have been irritated by publications of the press about "poison in food". Therefore an attempt is made to give objective information about the contamination of food. Hazardous substances can occur in food as natural components or they can be added in the course of production. Furthermore they can be formed during processing and storage or they can be contaminants of the environment. The legislative efforts to establish a sufficient protection of the consumer in this respect are shown.