Nutritional Evaluation and Safety of Various Food Items

ABSTRACT - The food consumed daily is essential to life, but it also is a mixture of thousands of chemicals, say one of which, in sufficient quantities could be hazardous or fatal. Even essential nutrients such as zinc, copper, vitamins D and A are toxic in excess, but one can not live without them.

Citation:

Charles W. Weber (1986) ,"Nutritional Evaluation and Safety of Various Food Items", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 13, eds. Richard J. Lutz, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 672.

Advances in Consumer Research Volume 13, 1986      Page 672

NUTRITIONAL EVALUATION AND SAFETY OF VARIOUS FOOD ITEMS

Charles W. Weber, University of Arizona

ABSTRACT -

The food consumed daily is essential to life, but it also is a mixture of thousands of chemicals, say one of which, in sufficient quantities could be hazardous or fatal. Even essential nutrients such as zinc, copper, vitamins D and A are toxic in excess, but one can not live without them.

The public in demanding an absolutely safe food supply, free of harmful "chemicals" is mistaken and misdirected as all foods consist exclusively of chemicals. It is equally mistaken to demand a food supply that contains no harmful substances. The chief concern is the amount of material ingested.

Nutritional evaluation of food items are needed on a consistent yearly basis. As new food dishes are prepared, their nutritional evaluation is also needed. For example, the public changes its taste in foods by shifting from hamburgers to Mexican food dishes which are prepared differently from the hamburger.

For further information write to:

Dr. Charles W. Weber / Department of Nutrition and Food Science / University of Arizona / Tucson, Arizona 85721

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