[Chemical residues and contaminants in food of animal origin in Brazil: history, legislation and actions of sanitary surveillance and other regulatory systems].

Food safety became a relevant subject due to the increasing search for a better way of life and consciousness of the consumers to stand on one's rights to acquire healthy products. The use of substances in animals destined for human consumption requires from pharmacokinetics to residue depletion studies, with the establishment of limitative values so that do not constitute a risk to health. Beyond the substances used deliberately, others coming from environment contamination or contamination of feeding stuffs consumed by these animals may reach human through the diet. The aims of this paper are to collect and discuss the main federal acts covering chemical residues and contaminants in food of animal origin in Brazil, besides those on measures to control veterinary medicinal products and additives for use in animal nutrition. The chronological presentation of the legal basis intends to facilitate the interpretation of the acts inside respective political and economics scenarios. The actions proposed from the different agents involved into the regulatory systems are discussed from the public health point of view.