Continued advances in analytical chemistry techniques lead to greater discovery and detection of very low levels of chemical substances in food. The spectrum and sheer magnitude of low level chemical constituents in the diet presents a challenge to assessing safety. The Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC) is a principle that refers to the establishment of a generic human exposure threshold value for groups of chemicals below which there would be a low probability of risk to human health.  The concept proposes that such a value can be identified for many chemicals, including those of unknown toxicity based upon their chemical structures.  The TTC approach is beneficial to consumers, industry, and regulators by prioritizing necessary testing and extensive safety evaluations to instances when exposure is above a relevant threshold value.  This session will review the TTC tool by providing the scientific basis and history of TTC, its applicability to chemical substances found in food and use of TTC by regulatory authorities.

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