Though our food may, objectively speaking, be much safer than in the past, incidence of food safety crises has increased in developed societies. Thus the dominant view in the West is paradoxically that food risks are much higher than in the past. Beyond the seeming irrationality of consumers, this entry uses recent literature to examine the anthropological and sociological foundations of contemporary food scares, as well as their evolution throughout history. It also seeks to highlight the main institutional and contextual factors – connected to social change – which tend to amplify experiences of food safety crises. Finally, it reviews the public policies that have been implemented in recent decades in order to restore consumer trust in the safety of their food.