Although chemical residues do not have the same type of health consequences as microbiological pathogens, the regulation of hazardous chemicals in foods is an integral component of food safety programs worldwide. Analytical methods to monitor chemical residues are essential to help protect human health and support the compliance and enforcement of laws and regulations, but many current analytical approaches are too time-consuming, expensive, laborious, and waste resources that could be used more judiciously to improve food safety. Rapid and reliable approaches for the detection of multiple analytes at low and/or high concentrations in the field and/or laboratory are needed to reduce costs and/or increase benefits in the detection of hazardous chemicals in foods. The implementation of such approaches will (a) increase productivity and/or decrease costs of analysis, (b) provide more statistically valid and accurate results for risk assessment and other purposes, (c) overcome trade barriers associated with the analysis of chemical residues, (d) provide more information to understand the effects and mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance and endocrine disruption; (e) allow for better verification of organic food labeling, (f) improve possible industrial HACCP programs, and (g) reduce the potential for food that has been deliberately or accidentally adulterated by toxic chemicals to reach the consumer. This paper is meant to provide an overview of current analytical capabilities and the needs for improved analytical screening methods to detect chemical residues in foods, and describes how rapid and reliable monitoring approaches can benefit regulatory agencies, industry, and consumers alike.
