By: Michelle Ronholm   Date: 12/28/09

People have a lot on their minds when it comes to food and health. We want our food to make us healthy, we want it to taste good and we want it to be safe. There are a variety of factors that impact all of these wants. Looking toward 2010, there are three big areas that could have a big impact on the world of food:

Food safety -- Chances are there will continue to be focus on the safety of our food supply and the food production process, including greater attention being paid to chemical risks associated with our food. Acylamide, BPA and furan are just a few of the chemicals we may be hearing more about next year.

Kids and Health -- Concerns about the prevalence of childhood obesity will drive a lot of the debate about how we can build healthy eating patterns for our kids. There could be a lot of discussion around issues like advertising and the health impact of particular food ingredients (such as sugar, sodium, allergens or artificial ingredients) on children.

Dietary Guidance -- The 2010 Dietary Guidelines are set for release next year, and a major outreach campaign is being planned for launch in 2011 to help people understand and follow the guidelines. With a society that is predominantly overweight and obese, yet undernourished, there could be a lot of activity around efforts to create healthy dietary patterns, including the use of menu and product labels, strategies for managing nutrient intakes and a movement toward weight acceptance that also is gaining ground.

All of this will keep those of us writing for Food Insight pretty busy. What's going to keep you busy in 2010?