In the past fifty years or so we have seen a marked change in our relationship with food. Nowadays it's possible to sit down to an evening meal without even having to turn the oven on – many modern wives and mothers are just too busy to sit down and eat a meal, let alone have time to prepare it! Yet we've changed from being a society that 'eats to live' to one that 'lives to eat', as evidenced by the number of new restaurants and take-away joints springing up all over the place, the plethora of food shows, and the ever-increasing food sections at the supermarket. Convenience food manufacturers are doing a roaring trade, judging by the wide range of frozen, microwaveable and ready-made meals on the shelves – most of which are both nutritious and tasty, a far cry from the tasteless mush they were only ten years ago. Widespread freezer and microwave ownership, combined with a multitude of labour-saving gadgets, have brought far greater flexibility to our eating habits. In tomorrow's world, foods will be even more consumer-friendly. For example, a health-food drink may be marketed as containing libido-enhancing properties or as being able to improve concentration. A piece of fresh fruit may be modified to contain an anti-cancer drug. The idea of food being capable of preventing certain health problems is highly attractive, but – as with all manipulative techniques – there is always a downside, the full effect of which is yet to be realised. Watch this space!