What's in our food: Smart eating just a matter of following the rules

So is it safe to eat? Over the past five days, the Herald's food series has tried to find a path through a minefield of claims about the benefits and dangers of what's available to eat.

One theme has been simply that variety is good. "Have a rainbow every day," said dietitian Christine Cook.

Our bodies need a range of nutrients, and the greater variety of foods we eat, the more likely we are to cover all nutritional bases.

Another theme is that we are eating too much for the amount of exercise that most of us do. In particular, we eat far more fat, protein and sugar than our bodies are able to cope with.

We get too much fat and protein from meat and dairy products, and too much fat and sugar from sweet foods and drinks. We would do better to eat more fruit, vegetables and non-fatty carbohydrates such as those in wholegrain breads.

We are also eating increasing amounts of takeaway meals, which are often heavy on fat and light on vegetables. You can help your body by picking a vegetable-rich stir fry and steamed rice instead of deep-fried chicken or by asking for less salt or none at all on hot chips.

Takeaway shops are being encouraged to improve their deep frying methods to lower the fat content of their meals and to convert to healthier fats.

A third theme is food hygiene. This country has the highest rate of food poisoning in the developed world, partly because we do not take enough care to stop raw meat dripping on to fresh produce in the fridge or to wash our hands between handling different foods.

Many foods contain artificial colourings and other additives. Safe food campaigners and some researchers link certain additives to conditions ranging from headaches to hyperactivity. However, Government food agencies say few people react to additives - which must be disclosed, at least on most packaged foods - and they can avoid them.

We worry about minute quantities of pesticides and other artificial chemicals in food. But, as the Dietetic Association said: "The risk of food-borne disease and malnutrition is 1000 times greater than that caused by natural toxicants or environmental contamination, and 100,000 times greater than illness caused by pesticides or additives."

This does not mean there is no need to be careful about nasty chemicals. Pesticides are toxic. They are designed to kill bugs, weeds and fungus, and some of them can affect the natural development of unborn babies.

In the circumstances, safe food campaigner Alison White made sense when she said: "I would strongly counsel pregnant women and young children to have organic food."

But most of us are more robust. We may be more likely to die of bowel cancer if we get too little exercise, or of throat cancers if we eat too much hot Asian food, but we all have to die of something. We can minimise risks, but everything we do - even eating - involves some risk.

So no food is completely safe if we eat too much of it or prepare it unhygienically.