[Food quality and "health nutrition"--a challenge for agriculture and food processing]

The importance of a well balanced diet for good health is generally accepted. The modern techniques of agricultural production and food manufacturing, however, are widely debated. Although it is clear that no yield is possible without any expense, the use of farming aids is often overdone as is shown at the example of nitrogen fertilisers which can increase the nitrate content of some foods and of drinking water. This is partially also valid for some techniques and applications of food processing although their general use is not refused by the population. In these discussions, namely in connection with food additives, pesticides an environmental toxicants, a loss of the golden mean in the judgment is to be seen with biased arguments on both sides. The consequences are confusions in the population and improper political decisions by the authorities. In order to avoid the real and threatening dangers decisions should be ranked according to the significance of the potential risks. The importance of considering the bioavailability of nutrients and toxicants requires a collaboration of specialists in the fields of agricultural production, food manufacturing, food science and nutrition as is shown in some examples.