Biotechnology-derived nutritious foods for developing countries: needs, opportunities, and barriers: discussion summary.

Improvements in diet diversification and quality can be facilitated by greater cooperation between the agricultural and the nutrition communities, according to an expert panel that met in early 2002. Encouraged to think innovatively, the panelists agreed that modern technology offers the potential to increase the amount and nutritional content of the food supply in developing countries, especially if the enhancements are made to the highest-yielding indigenous staple crops and if a total food-systems approach is taken. All types of interventions should be evaluated for their cost-effectiveness in preventing nutritional deficiencies in the developing world and for their sustainability.