Science as the basis for public health decisions in nutrition and food safety in Asia.

INTRODUCTION Worldwide, great advances have been made in public health protection over the last decades. Perhaps this is most cogently illustrated by the improvements in life expectancy that have been achieved in countries throughout the world. Globally , the average life expectancy at birth from 1950 to 1955 was 46.1 years.［1］ Forty years later, this statistic increased to 64.3 years. Although this global average masks important differences between less and more developed countries, for all countries at all stages of development, substantial increases in life expectancy at birth have been realised. In Asia, the average life expectancy increased from 56.3 years to 64.5 years in the two decades between 1975 and 1995. While there remains much to be done to further improve public health and well-being of the people, the achievements are undeniable.……