Fruit and vegetable biotechnology - consumer issues for the future

Chronic diseases that are potentially preventable through appropriate dietary choices (such as many cancers, coronary heart disease, diabetes) will continue to represent a major public health problem in the future, particularly given demographic changes in the population, for example, ageing and increased obesity. If action is not taken to change people’s dietary choices, the future of the health services will be compromised due to spiralling healthcare costs. Postgenomic technologies will provide a unique opportunity for future research to examine the relationships between diet and health and, in particular, to distinguish between genetic and dietary causes of disease. Increasing knowledge about how public health may be improved through more effective dietary choice, possibly tailored to particular genotypes, may not have a positive impact on quality of life if the public do not change their diet in line with increased knowledge. Nutrition in public health will also focus on optimal nutrition for patient groups, for example, diabetics. In the general area of fruit and vegetable biotechnology, the development of functional foods through biotechnology may improve public health in a very explicit way.