Cancer, diet, and public policy

The response of Government to the relationship between diet and chronic disease is a legitimate public health policy issue, yet the proper role of Government is a subject of continuing debate. Regulatory mechanisms designed to address questions of food additives or contaminants in food are ill-suited to address questions of diet/disease relationships because of the different standards and types of evidence involved. In this paper we examine, through the use of several examples, the question of whether current evidence on the relationship of diet to cancer is sufficient to make changes in public health policy. Finally, we discuss potential Governmental approaches, both short- and long-term, to implementing policy in the area of diet and cancer.