AN INTEGRATED IN-VIVO AND IN-VITRO STRATEGY TO IMPROVE FOOD SAFETY EVALUATION

Food safety evaluation and risk assessment is largely based on animal studies and is thereby limited by an overreliance on default assumptio ns that are used to address uncertainties resulting from the lack of h uman-relevant information. The recent development of new cellular, mol ecular and biochemical tools provides the opportunity to improve the s cientific basis for risk assessments. In this Viewpoint article, we wi sh to question current practices in food safety evaluation, and propos e a new approach that involves the strategic integration of in vivo an d in vitro data from animals and humans; such data could form the basi s for a more appropriate assessment of risk to humans, and consequentl y lead to the more effective use of experimental animals.