3. Answers to questions posed by classical toxicology methods

3.1 A few historical facts

Toxicology is an ancient discipline, but its application to the food industry is more recent. However, this concern dates back more than a century, both in France and in the United States. In France, it was the law of August 1 ^er 1905 (which already aimed to protect public health by preventing and punishing food fraud) that gradually introduced regulations based on a scientific approach to risk assessment. In the USA, it was around the same time, in 1906, that the first consumer protection measures were introduced: the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act.

It was in 1955 that the first international discussions on risk assessment methodology in the food sector really took...