Brenda Cutress: Eat and drink in moderation to maintain a healthy life

The safety of the food we eat is of paramount importance to us all. Consumers have the right to know what is in their food, how it is produced, whether or not it contains chemical residues and whether it is safe.

The Herald's "What's in our Food" series provided a great opportunity to give helpful facts about the safety of New Zealand food.

But public perception and confidence in our food was seriously undermined by headings such as "Eat Drink and be Worried" and "Good, Bad and Useless in the Diet". In addition, much of the information contained in the articles was misleading.

For example, one of the quotes in the "What's in Fruit and Vegetables" article stated: "the risks of pesticides are largely unknown. We don't have sufficient science to say that residues are safe".

It is impossible to say that anything is risk-free.

Eating can be unsafe. Some of the most serious risks are from choking or from contamination that occurs because of poor food handling after purchase.

No amount of regulation or care by the food industry can prevent these risks.

Pesticides, whether they are naturally occurring or man-made, are useful. Plants have been producing natural protection against pests, fungus and bacteria since evolution began, in the same way that the human body produces chemicals to fight disease.

Dr Bruce Ames, a renowned biochemist, has stated that 99.9 per cent (by weight) of the crop-protection products in the American diet are chemicals that plants produce to defend themselves naturally.

He estimates that Americans eat about 1.5g of natural crop protection products a person a day, about 10,000 times more than they eat of synthetic crop-protection products.

Very few of these naturally occurring chemicals are tested compared with man-made pesticides, the most highly tested and regulated of all man-made chemicals.

It was unfortunate that consumers' attention was not drawn to the fact that all food sold here is made to the strictest food standards in the world, from compositional and food-safety perspectives.

Food standards undergo rigorous scientific risk assessments to ensure their safety, and extensive consultation is carried out with Government officials, public-health professionals, consumers and the industry before they are enacted.

Many of the references to food additives misrepresented the situation. The opportunity was lost to let consumers know that additives have been used in food preparation for centuries to preserve, flavour, blend, thicken and colour foods.

Additives keep food safe, wholesome and appealing, and maintain qualities and characteristics that consumers require (taste, texture, consistency and colour).

Like pesticides, food additives are also strictly regulated. Regulators require scientific evidence that each additive is safe at its intended level of use before it can be added to foods.

One of the most significant health issues associated with food is nutritional imbalance; eating too little or too much of certain foods.

Singling out and analysing four processed foods from the thousands of food products on retail shelves lacks balance, because individual foods must be seen in the context of the total diet.

What matters is the nutritional content and balance of the diet as a whole. While some foods are more conducive to good health than others, all foods must be enjoyable, otherwise they will not be eaten, no matter how healthful they may be.

Foods that are high in sugar or fat need not be totally eliminated from the diet. Instead, they must be limited and eaten in the right proportion because they have important roles in the diet.

What a dull and unexciting life it would be if treats were denied us. We should concentrate on the benefits of eating a varied diet, and disseminating information about what constitutes a diet that will enhance a healthy lifestyle. The food industry has a major role to play in the debate.

That industry contributes almost half of this country's export earnings and is a major contributor to the domestic economy.

The consumer enjoys an extremely wide range of food products that are among the safest, tastiest and best quality in the world. These facts need to be celebrated, rather than needless concerns raised.

* Brenda Cutress is the executive director of the Food and Grocery Council.