The modern British diet contains less red meat and is lower in iron than that consumed 30 years ago. This is in spite of the fact that fortification of foods, particularly breakfast cereals, with iron has become more widespread. Although there is no clear relationship between dietary iron intake and iron status, isotope studies have identified multiple dietary factors that influence iron absorption, such as ascorbic acid, animal tissue, phytates and polyphenols. There is no evidence to suggest that current dietary changes will have a major impact on iron status in the general population; however, effects on the incidence of iron overload in individuals with HFE mutations and iron deficiency in children and premenopausal women remain to be determined.