How can we use our understanding of food and our genes to design a better,
healthier and more individual diet?

Studies have shown that individuals respond differently to nutrients and varying dietary intakes suggesting that blanket public dietary advice is not the most effective technique for improving public health. When the human genome sequence was launched in 2000, it introduced the possibility of personalised nutrition; where a diet is tailored for an individual according to their specific physical and genetic make-up. Food4Me is a new, EU (FP7) funded project investigating the potential of this personalised nutrition.

Coordinator Professor Mike Gibney of the Institute of Food and Health, University College Dublin (UCD), is leading a renowned group of experts in examining all aspects of personalised nutrition, including a large multi-centre human intervention study to ascertain the effectiveness of personalised nutrition, investigation of consumer needs and perceptions, design of business and value creation models for the development, production and distribution of personalised foods, and assessment of ethical and legal issues.

The data gathered in the project will feed into the development of services to deliver personalised advice on food choice. The project's holistic approach will deliver a significant step forward in the field of personalised nutrition.