Blu-ray technology detects microorganisms, toxins

A novel adaptation of Blu-ray technology is enabling researchers at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (PUV), Spain, to discover if a sample contains Salmonella or other toxic substances. This simple and cheap analytical system can be applied to clinical diagnosis and environmental ...
Read more Pathogens Detected Using Blu-ray Technology

Azti-Tecnalia Desarrolla Una Metodología Para Autentificar La Especie De Atún En Conserva En 24 Horas

Azti-Tecnalia, centro tecnológico especializado en investigación marina y alimentaria, ha desarrollado un nuevo método para autentificar el atún en conserva que permite detectar en tan solo 24 horas si el producto se trata de bonito del norte, yellowfin o patudo. Hasta ahora, las metodologías g...
Read more Azti-Tecnalia Desarrolla Una Metodología Para Autentificar La Especie De Atún En Conserva En 24 Horas

Natural Product Found In Grapefruit Can Prevent Kidney Cysts From Forming

Naringenin, which is also present in other citrus fruits, has been found to successfully block the formation of kidney cysts, an effect that occurs in polycystic kidney disease, by regulating the PKD2 protein responsible for the condition. With few treatments currently available, symptoms...
Read more Grapefruit Can Block The Formation Of Kidney Cysts

Debunking Water Myths: Weight Loss, Calorie Burn and More

Drinking a lot of water is often advised to those who are trying to lose weight, but a nutrition expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham says it is not the magic bullet to weight loss.
“There is very little evidence that drinking water promotes weight loss; it is one of those s...
Read more Bottled Water Myths Debunked

Success Of New Bug-Fighting Approach May Vary From Field To Field

A new technique to fight crop insect pests may affect different insect populations differently, researchers report. They analyzed RNA interference (RNAi), a method that uses genetic material to “silence” specific genes – in this case genes known to give insect pests an advantage. T...
Read more Some Crop Insect Pests Resistant To Crop Rotation

AZTI-Tecnalia develops a methodology for authenticating canned tuna species within 24 hours

AZTI-Tecnalia, the R&D centre based on marine and food research, has developed a new method to authenticate canned tuna, which allows you to check if a product is albacore tuna, yellowfin or bigeye tuna, and others tuna species within 24 hours. So far, the genetic methods for establishing...
Read more Canned Tuna Species Authenticated Within 24 Hours

Feigen-Mandelbrot Recalled

AUSTRIA – Heiderbeck Käse Vom Feinsten GmbH is recalling Feigen-Mandelbrot (Fig and almond bread) because the product may be contaminated with plastic debris.
The recalled products are:
PAIARROP Feigen-Mandelbrot (fig and almond bread) packaged in 200 g with expiry date: 02/07/2014 and ...
Read more Heiderbeck Käse Vom Feinsten GmbH Recalls Feigen-Mandelbrot

Bucking Conventional Wisdom, Researchers Find Black Sea Bass Tougher Than Expected

Black sea bass are bottom-dwelling fish, and are often caught at depths of greater than 60 feet. When the fish are brought to the surface, the rapid change in pressure causes the fish’s swim bladder to expand. This forces other organs out of the way and can result in visible “barotrauma” – such...
Read more Black Sea Bass Survives Barotrauma

Tracking eating habits to promote healthier diets

Poor food choices, such as overconsumption of carbonated soft drinks, are an important factor driving the global obesity epidemic and have been linked directly to diabetes and heart disease. While public health agencies are working to help people to make healthier choices, monitoring the...
Read more Researchers Use Checkout Grocery Data To Combat Unhealthy Food Choices

Environment MEPs Clamp Down On Wasteful Plastic Carrier Bags

In 2010 every EU citizen used an estimated 198 plastic carrier bags, some 90% of which were lightweight; these are less frequently re-used than thicker bags and more prone to littering. In a business-as-usual scenario, consumption of plastic bags is expected to increase further. Estimates also...
Read more EU To Reduce The Consumption Of Carrier Plastic Bags By 80% By 2019

Meat Appeal High On Lamb Producer List

“Scientists aim at getting a balance between the sensory and the yield nutritional value of the meat,” Dr Jacob says. Credit: Stijn Nieuwendijk

Consumers’ want for visually appealing meat, and the genetic science behind producing such a trait has been explored in a recent summary paper ...
Read more New Study Focuses On Lamb Meat Quality

Fruit and Veggies Costs Too High for Schools

David Just, a behavioral economist and co-director of the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition, says that while the new Harvard School of Public Health study shows an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption at school, food waste and costs are too high.
Just recently...
Read more Fruit And Vegetables Too Expensive For School?

Don't Choose a Diet Based on What's Trending

Research published in the journal Cell Metabolism has made a lot of headlines with findings that show adults age 50-65 who ate more protein were more likely to die from cancer. That headline quickly spread across social media.
“I think the study is valuable because it does show we need...
Read more Don’t Rely On Headlines When Choosing A Diet

Feigen-Mandelbrot Recalled

GERMANY – Fa. Heiderbeck Käse Vom Feinsten GmbH is recalling Feigen-Mandelbrot (Fig and almond bread) because the product may be contaminated with plastic debris.
The recalled products are:
PAIARROP Feigen-Mandelbrot (fig and almond bread) packaged in 200 g with expiry date: 02/07/2014 and ...
Read more Fa. Heiderbeck Käse Vom Feinsten GmbH Recalls Feigen-Mandelbrot

Aerosols Tend To Weaken Hurricanes And Cyclones

Aerosols in the atmosphere produced from human activities do indeed directly affect a hurricane or tropical cyclone, but not in a way many scientists had previously believed – in fact, they tend to weaken such storms, according to a new study that includes a team of Texas A&M University r...
Read more Aerosols May Cause Opposite Effects To Hurricanes Than Greenhouse Gases

Morrisons Seafood Cocktail and Prawn Mayo Sandwich Fillers Recalled

UNITED KINGDOM – Morrisons is recalling its Seafood Cocktail and Prawn Mayo sandwich fillers, because some of the packs may contain undercooked prawns. Morrisons has recalled the listed products and will be displaying product recall notices in stores. These notices explain to customers why...
Read more Morrisons Recalls Seafood Cocktail and Prawn Mayo Sandwich Fillers

Concession Stands Can Benefit From Offering Healthy Foods

In the fall of 2008, the booster club in Muscatine, Iowa took a chance. Researchers from the University of Iowa asked whether the club would add healthy foods – from apples to string cheese – to its concessions menu. And, by the way, would it also consider putting healthier ingredients in big s...
Read more Healthy Food In School Booster Clubs Paid Off

Diagnosing Diseases In Real Time With Smartphone?

Smartphones are capable of giving us directions when we’re lost, sending photos and videos to our friends in mere seconds, and even helping us find the best burger joint in a three-mile radius. But University of Houston researchers are using smartphones for another very important...
Read more Diagnosing Diseases In Real Time With Smartphone?

Salmon Louse Delay Salmon

Salmon recaptured in the study with salmon louse on the gill coverings and head. The study shows that attacks of salmon louse on migrating smolt can increase mortality and change the age demographic of the spawning population. Individuals that are infected with salmon louse return at an older...
Read more Salmon Louse Delay Salmon

EASAC Recommends Urgent Action To Avoid Damage To Food Security And The Environment

Latest EASAC report on ‘Risks to Plant Health’ recommends urgent coordinated action to avoid damage to food security and the environment
Potentially devastating plant pests and diseases are highlighted in a new report from EASAC, the European Academies’ Science Advisory...
Read more EASAC Recommends Urgent Action To Avoid Damage To Food Security And The Environment

Healthy Diet Linked To Lower Risk Of Preterm Delivery

In the study, which was conducted by researchers from the University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, the participants completed a scientifically evaluated questionnaire about what they had been eating and drinking since becoming...
Read more Healthy Diet Linked To Lower Risk Of Preterm Delivery

Where Nothing Grows Anymore

The region known as ‘Crete Senesi’ between Florence and Grosseto. The small hills are typically characterized by erosion (photo: Beate Michalzik/FSU).

Vast fields of sunflowers, sprawling pine trees and slim cypresses, as well as vineyards as far as the eye can see – these are typical memor...
Read more Where Nothing Grows Anymore

Farmed Salmon Pose Threats To Wild Gene Pools

Farmed salmon show full reproductive potential to invade wild gene pools and should be sterilised – according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).
Findings reveal that, while farmed salmon are genetically different to their wild counterparts, they are just as...
Read more Farmed Salmon Pose Threats To Wild Gene Pools

Agroforestry Can Ensure Food Security And Mitigate The Effects Of Climate Change In Africa

Agroforestry can help to achieve climate change mitigation and adaptation while at the same time providing livelihoods for poor smallholder farmers in Africa.
Scientists at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) say agroforestry – which is an integrated land use management technique that...
Read more Agroforestry Can Ensure Food Security And Mitigate The Effects Of Climate Change In Africa

In Grasslands Remade By Humans, Animals May Protect Biodiversity

A comparative study of grasslands on six continents suggests there may be a way to counteract the human-made overdose of fertilizer that threatens to permanently alter the biodiversity of the world’s native prairies.
The solution is one that nature devised: let grazing animals crop the...
Read more In Grasslands Remade By Humans, Animals May Protect Biodiversity

The Five-Second Food Rule Exists, Researchers Prove

Food picked up just a few seconds after being dropped is less likely to contain bacteria than if it is left for longer periods of time, according to the findings of research carried out at Aston University’s School of Life and Health Sciences.
The findings suggest there may be some scientific b...
Read more The Five-Second Food Rule Exists, Researchers Prove

Healthy Dietary Choices In Midlife May Prevent Dementia

Healthy dietary choices in midlife may prevent dementia in later years, according a doctoral thesis published at the University of Eastern Finland. The results showed that those who ate the healthiest diet at the average age of 50 had an almost 90 per cent lower risk of dementia in a 14-year...
Read more Healthy Dietary Choices In Midlife May Prevent Dementia

Sucralose Is A Biologically Active Compound

The artificial sweetener sucralose is a biologically active compound according to an extensive review published by Taylor & Francis in the recent issue of Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B: Critical Reviews.  “Sucralose, A Synthetic Organochlorine Sweetener: Overview Of...
Read more Sucralose Is A Biologically Active Compound

Nature Could Clean Up Itself After Oil Spills

Norwegian researchers in Trondheim have achieved surprising results by exploiting nature’s own ability to clean up after oil spills.
We all know that marine bacteria can assist in cleaning up after oil spills. What is surprising is that given the right kind of encouragement, they can be...
Read more Nature Could Clean Up Itself After Oil Spills

Service Is Key To Winery Sales

To buy, or not to buy? That is the question for the more than 5 million annual visitors to New York’s wineries. Cornell University researchers found that customer service is the most important factor in boosting tasting room sales, but sensory descriptions of what flavors consumers might d...
Read more Service Is Key To Winery Sales

Understanding Consumer Responses To Health Claims

Health claims and symbols on food products could improve public health. At least, that is according to consumer researchers. But how they can best do that as effectively as possible is still a mystery. The EU-funded project CLYMBOL hopes to have the answer by the time it is completed in 2...
Read more Understanding Consumer Responses To Health Claims

Fisheries Affected More By Over Demanding Market Than Climate Change

Fisheries that rely on short life species, such as shrimp or sardine, have been more affected by climate change, because this phenomenon affects chlorophyll production, which is vital for phytoplankton, the main food for both species.
Disclosed by the research “Socioeconomic Impact of the gl...
Read more Fisheries Affected More By Over Demanding Market Than Climate Change

International Partnership To Promote Sustainable Fishing And Tourism Launched

A €300,000 international partnership to promote sustainable fishing and tourism in the UK and parts of Europe is being led by the University of Greenwich.
Known as TourFish, or Tourism for inshore fishing, food and sustainability, the partnership brings together two existing European projects f...
Read more International Partnership To Promote Sustainable Fishing And Tourism Launched

Traffic-Related Air Pollution Associated With Changes In Right Ventricular Structure And Function

Exposure to high levels of traffic-related air pollution is associated with changes in the right ventricle of the heart that may contribute to the known connection between air pollution exposure and heart disease, according to a new study.
“Although the link between traffic-related air...
Read more Traffic-Related Air Pollution Associated With Changes In Right Ventricular Structure And Function

Research Into Sustainability Within Supply Chains

Researchers from the University of Huddersfield are working with leading companies to help them ensure that supply chains remain intact in a world beset by risks that range from extremes of climate to economic upheaval and political unrest.
Professor Dani states that companies need to be...
Read more Research Into Sustainability Within Supply Chains

New Discovery Improves Checking Toxicity Of Mussels

A new discovery made at the University of Oslo, Norway, can make it far easier to check whether mussels are poisonous.


Poisonous mussels contain the extremely dangerous and paralyzing neurotoxin saxitoxin. This neurotoxin is the cause of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). The first symptoms...
Read more New Discovery Improves Checking Toxicity Of Mussels

Hidden Variation Of Bacteria In The Gut Unravelled

Our intestines harbour an astronomical number of bacteria, around 100 times the number of cells in our body, known as the gut microbiota. These bacteria belong to thousands of species that co-exist, interact with each other and are key to our health. While it is clear that species imbalances...
Read more Hidden Variation Of Bacteria In The Gut Unravelled

RASFF Food Alerts, Week 10

Here is the summary of food alerts issued by Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) last week
On 04/03/2014, Salmonella infantis (presence /25g) was discovered in chilled chicken breast fillet from Italy. The product was distributed to Denmark. RASFF reference No.: 2014.0290.
On...
Read more RASFF Food Alerts, Week 10

Microdosing Fertilizer Improves Productivity For Less Money

Crop yields in the fragile semi-arid areas of Zimbabwe have been declining over time due to a decline in soil fertility resulting from mono-cropping, lack of fertilizer, and other factors. In collaboration with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT),...
Read more Microdosing Fertilizer Improves Productivity For Less Money

Good Hospital Food Safety Measures Minimize Risk To Food Handlers, Staff And Patients

A new study found more than 80 percent of raw chicken used in hospitals in food for patients and staff was contaminated with a form of antibiotic resistant bacteria called extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing E. coli. While sufficient preparation eliminated the presence of ...
Read more Good Hospital Food Safety Measures Minimize Risk To Food Handlers, Staff And Patients

Salmonella Unlikely to Cause Food Poisoning When Eating Unbaked Cake

Making a cake, licking a spoon, eating raw dough or consuming some of the uncooked mixture, have you ever thought of food poisoning caused by bacteria in raw eggs?
It might be a bit of a relief as Salmonella is unlikely to cause the food poisoning when enjoying eating, licking your unbaked...
Read more Salmonella Unlikely to Cause Food Poisoning When Eating Unbaked Cake

50 Years Of Studying Diet, Lifestyle Related To Cardiovascular Diseases In One Spot

At the 50th anniversary of the Seven Countries Study (SCS) a website with all kind of information about this study is launched. The Seven Countries Study explored in detail the associations of diet, lifestyle, other risk factors and cardiovascular diseases between and within populations. The...
Read more 50 Years Of Studying Diet, Lifestyle Related To Cardiovascular Diseases In One Spot

Salt Awareness Week Launched

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is encouraging people to discover the benefits of reducing salt in their diet during National Salt Awareness Week.
The theme for this year’s awareness week (10-16 March) is “Switch the Salt” and highlights how eating less salt can lower blood pressure, a condi...
Read more Salt Awareness Week Launched

Laguna Nourriture Flottante En Sticks Recalled

FRANCE – Laguna Nourriture Flottante En Sticks (Laguna Food Sticks) have been recalled because elevated levels of cobalt have been detected in the product. Therefore the product may pose a health risk.  Cobalt is a trace element that forms part of the structure of vitamin B12, one of the B ...
Read more Laguna Nourriture Flottante En Sticks Recalled

Human Activity Influences Beach Bacterial Diversity

High beach bacterial diversity may contribute to less water contamination


Human activity influences ocean beach bacterial communities, and bacterial diversity may indicate greater ecological health and resiliency to sewage contamination, according to results published in the open access...
Read more Human Activity Influences Beach Bacterial Diversity

EFSA Updates Its Analysis Of Arsenic Occurrence In Food

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has updated its analysis of the occurrence of arsenic in food in Europe. The analysis includes around 3,000 data samples on inorganic arsenic, which is more toxic than organic compounds. The Authority’s data specialists have also refined their e...
Read more EFSA Updates Its Analysis Of Arsenic Occurrence In Food

Spring Allergies On The Rise?

Several factors determine the severity of allergy season


The spring 2014 allergy season could be the worst yet, or at least that is what you might hear. Every year is coined as being the worst for allergy sufferers, but are spring allergies really on the rise?
“A number of factors, such as we...
Read more Spring Allergies On The Rise?

New Insights Into Ancient Pacific Settlers' Diet

Researchers from New Zealand’s University of Otago studying 3000-year-old skeletons from the oldest known cemetery in the Pacific Islands are casting new light on the diet and lives of the enigmatic Lapita people, the likely ancestors of Polynesians.
Their results—obtained from analysing ...
Read more New Insights Into Ancient Pacific Settlers' Diet

UK and China Agree New Low Carbon Innovation Programme

A new £20 million three-year programme that will support research to develop new low carbon manufacturing processes and technologies, low carbon cities and offshore renewables in the UK and China was agreed on Wednesday 5th  March 2014.
Representatives from the National Natural Science Fo...
Read more UK and China Agree New Low Carbon Innovation Programme

Eating Red And Processed Meat Linked To Gut Cancer

Recent perspective paper in Meat Science cautions about uncertainties in scientific evidence


Recent reports warn about a link between eating red and processed meat and the risk of developing cancer in the gut. These reports have resulted in new nutritional recommendations that advise people to...
Read more Eating Red And Processed Meat Linked To Gut Cancer

New Poll Examines Consumer Confusion Over Grocery Labels

Ever stood in the aisle of a grocery store completely overwhelmed by the claims jumping out from the labels? You may not be alone. Health advocacy groups have long decried America’s nutrition labeling system as misleading, confusing and, ultimately, inaccurate, and the FDA recently...
Read more New Poll Examines Consumer Confusion Over Grocery Labels

Diet Rich In Animal Proteins May Be As Bad For You As Smoking

That chicken wing you’re eating could be as deadly as a cigarette.


In a new study that tracked a large sample of adults for nearly two decades, researchers have found that eating a diet rich in animal proteins during middle age makes you four times more likely to die of cancer than...
Read more Diet Rich In Animal Proteins May Be As Bad For You As Smoking

Turn Old Milk Jugs Into 3D Printer Filament

Making your own stuff with a 3D printer is vastly cheaper than what you’d pay for manufactured goods, even factoring in the cost of buying the plastic filament.
Yet, you can drive the cost down even more by making your own filament from old milk jugs. And, while you are patting yourself on the ...
Read more Turn Old Milk Jugs Into 3D Printer Filament

Hop Leaves Could Fight Dental Diseases

Beer drinkers know that hops are what gives the drink its bitterness and aroma. Recently, scientists reported that the part of hops that isn’t used for making beer contains healthful antioxidants and could be used to battle cavities and gum disease. In a new study in ACS’ Journal ...
Read more Hop Leaves Could Fight Dental Diseases

Stricter Controls Of Wastewater Reuse On Crops Needed To Meet WHO Guidelines

Wastewater used to irrigate agricultural crops in countries where water is scarce may contribute to significant public health risks such as diarrheal disease in children from rotavirus. A new study of these risks found that wastewater used to irrigate vegetable plots in Asian countries poses...
Read more Stricter Controls Of Wastewater Reuse On Crops Needed To Meet WHO Guidelines

New Technique Allows Frequent Water Quality Monitoring For Suite of Pollutants

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique that uses existing technology to allow researchers and natural resource managers to collect significantly more information on water quality to better inform policy decisions.
“Right now, incomplete or infrequent w...
Read more New Technique Allows Frequent Water Quality Monitoring For Suite of Pollutants

Banana Plant Fights Off Roundworms

The banana variety Yangambi km5 produces toxic substances that kill the nematode Radopholus similis, a roundworm that infects the root tissue of banana plants – to the frustration of farmers worldwide. The finding by an international team of researchers that includes professors Rony Swennen a...
Read more Banana Plant Fights Off Roundworms

Beet Juice, A Solution For Icy Roads

Beet juice is currently used as a supplement by public works to reduce ice accumulation on roads. Many towns are running low on road salt, while other towns are concerned about the harmful effects of salt accumulating in soil and waterways.
Salt lowers the freezing/melting temperature of ice....
Read more Beet Juice, A Solution For Icy Roads

Regardless Of Where You Live Allergy Prevalence Is the Same

In the largest, most comprehensive, nationwide study to examine the prevalence of allergies from early childhood to old age, scientists from the National Institutes of Health report that allergy prevalence is the same across different regions of the United States, except in children 5 years...
Read more Regardless Of Where You Live Allergy Prevalence Is the Same

Global Food Security Expert To Become Chief Scientific Adviser To FSA

Professor Guy Poppy, one of the UK’s leading experts on food systems and food security, has been appointed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as its Chief Scientific Adviser.
Professor Poppy will take up his part-time role with the FSA in August this year. He will continue with his research in g...
Read more Global Food Security Expert To Become Chief Scientific Adviser To FSA

Remote Sensing Moisture Model Could Aid Farmers

Global farmers could get better decision-making help as refinements are made to North Alabama soil moisture modeling research being done by an atmospheric science doctoral student at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).
The models indicate how much added moisture would be needed in a...
Read more Remote Sensing Moisture Model Could Aid Farmers

Bath Products Pollute The Great Lakes

Following the introduction of legislation to ban the sale of products containing plastic microbeads in New York State, Motoko Mukai, a veterinarian and toxicologist at Cornell University comments on the negative impact the tiny plastic pellets, found in many bath products, have on the Great...
Read more Bath Products Pollute The Great Lakes

Lange Lümmel Frischgereifte Rohwurst Recalled

GERMANY – Reimann Wurstliebhaber GmbH is recalling  Lange Lümmel Frischgereifte Rohwurst (freshly ripened raw sausages), loose sale (service counter) because some of the batches may be contaminated with Salmonella.
Salmonella, the name of a group of bacteria, is one of the most common c...
Read more Lange Lümmel Frischgereifte Rohwurst Recalled

New Gas-Phase Compounds Form Organic Particle Ingredients

Scientists made an important step in order to better understand the relationships between vegetation and climate. So-called extremely low-volatility organic compounds, which are produced by plants, could be detected for the first time during field and laboratory experiments in Finland and...
Read more New Gas-Phase Compounds Form Organic Particle Ingredients

Fancy Hot Peppers? Now Even Spicier

The new genome, detailed in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could pave the way for even more mouth-numbingly hot peppers.
“The findings will provide foundation for further developing molecular makers and [incite] research on related pepper agronomy traits, ...
Read more Fancy Hot Peppers? Now Even Spicier

Pulses Of Light Could Make Leafy Vegetables More Nutritious

Exposing leafy vegetables grown during spaceflight to a few bright pulses of light daily could increase the amount of eye-protecting nutrients produced by the plants, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder.
One of the concerns for astronauts during future...
Read more Pulses Of Light Could Make Leafy Vegetables More Nutritious

Canned Fruit And Vegetables Better Than Fresh?

A new study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine addresses the common call to action from public health experts to improve access to and consumption of fruits and vegetables. Findings from the Michigan State University (MSU) study show that canned foods deliver on nutrition,...
Read more Canned Fruit And Vegetables Better Than Fresh?

High Consumption Of Fish Oil May Benefit Cardiovascular Health

Eating fish in amounts comparable to those of people living in Japan seems to impart a protective factor that wards off heart disease, according to an international study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and led by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public...
Read more High Consumption Of Fish Oil May Benefit Cardiovascular Health

Mood Impacts How Much Food You Eat

Looking to loose weight? Think a happy thought before you eat. A new study has found that mood and food do more than just rhyme – your mood impacts what kind and how much food you eat.
“People use food to either maintain a good mood or regain a good mood, and if you’re already in a good mood, y...
Read more Mood Impacts How Much Food You Eat

Plants Convert Energy At Lightning Speed

A new way of measuring how much light a plant can tolerate could be useful in growing crops resilient to a changing climate, according to scientists from Queen Mary University of London.
“This is the first time we have been able to quantify a plant’s ability to protect itself...
Read more Plants Convert Energy At Lightning Speed

Increasing Homogeneity Of World Food Supplies Warns Of Serious Implications For Farming And Nutrition

New study: Worldwide spread of a standard globalized diet is putting more food on the dinner table, but at the expense of diverse local crops; global uniformity heightens the risk of food crises due to climate change


A comprehensive new study of global food supplies confirms and thoroughly...
Read more Increasing Homogeneity Of World Food Supplies Warns Of Serious Implications For Farming And Nutrition

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption Increased By New School Meal Standards

Concern from lawmakers and the public regarding possible food waste unfounded, according to new data published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine


With nearly 32 million American students receiving government-subsidized meals every day, getting children the nutrition they need is a...
Read more Fruit And Vegetable Consumption Increased By New School Meal Standards

Plants Are Able To Make Complex Decisions

Plants are also able to make complex decisions. At least this is what scientists have concluded from their investigations on Barberry (Berberis vulgaris), which is able to abort its own seeds to prevent parasite infestation. Approximately 2000 berries were collected during this study from...
Read more Plants Are Able To Make Complex Decisions

Innovative Food Safety Management System Developed By Students

Sandeep Sharma, who is currently completing a Master’s degree in Advanced Computer Science with Industry at the University of Leicester, has successfully completed a graduate internship with the European Safety Bureau (ESB), helping to develop an online food management system.
The ESB is an i...
Read more Innovative Food Safety Management System Developed By Students

As One Food Allergy Resolves, Another May Develop

Some children who outgrow one type of food allergy may then develop another type of allergy, more severe and more persistent, to the same food. A new study by pediatric allergy experts suggests that health care providers and caregivers carefully monitor children with food allergies to...
Read more As One Food Allergy Resolves, Another May Develop

Entomologists Update Definitions To Tackle Resistance To Pesticides

Resistance to pesticides has now been recorded in nearly a thousand pest species, including more than 500 insects, 218 weeds, and 190 fungi that attack plants. The recorded cases of resistance in insects, mites and other arthropods, which include resistance to multiple pesticides per species,...
Read more Entomologists Update Definitions To Tackle Resistance To Pesticides

European Flood Risk Could Double By 2050

Losses from extreme floods in Europe could more than double by 2050, because of climate change and socioeconomic development. Understanding the risk posed by large-scale floods is of growing importance and will be key for managing climate adaptation.
Current flood losses in Europe are likely...
Read more European Flood Risk Could Double By 2050

FSA Shuts Down Illegal Meat Plant In The Northern Ireland

Food Standards Agency (FSA) in cooperation with The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Stormont’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) has shut down a suspected illegal animal slaughter house and meat cutting plant in the Newry and Mourne area in the Northern...
Read more FSA Shuts Down Illegal Meat Plant In The Northern Ireland

How Much Human Food Has Contributed To The Diets Of Yosemite Bears

Management strategies implemented since 1999 have successfully limited the availability of human food to black bears in Yosemite, but problems remain


Black bears in Yosemite National Park and elsewhere are notorious for seeking out human food, even breaking into cars and cabins for it. A new...
Read more How Much Human Food Has Contributed To The Diets Of Yosemite Bears

Consumption Of Fatty Fish Can Boost Good Cholesterol Levels

Increasing the intake of fatty fish increases the number of large HDL particles, according to a recent study completed at the University of Eastern Finland. People who increased their intake of fish to a minimum of 3-4 weekly meals had more large HDL particles in their blood than people who...
Read more Consumption Of Fatty Fish Can Boost Good Cholesterol Levels

Los Ecosistemas Forestales Españoles Podrían Emitir En El Futuro Más Dióxido De Carbono Del Que Absorben

Existe un riesgo elevado de que parte de los ecosistemas forestales españoles se conviertan en emisores netos de carbono durante la segunda mitad del siglo XXI, según un informe que revisa los resultados obtenidos de aplicar el modelo de simulación forestal GOTILWA+, una herramienta capaz de si...
Read more Los Ecosistemas Forestales Españoles Podrían Emitir En El Futuro Más Dióxido De Carbono Del Que Absorben

Food Allergy Nearly Doubles Among Black Children

Children’s food allergies are gradually increasing, but they may be as much as doubling among black children. According to a study published today in the March issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and I...
Read more Food Allergy Nearly Doubles Among Black Children

Global Warming Felt To Deepest Reaches Of Ocean

Study shows climate change has put a freshwater lid on the Antarctic ocean, trapping warm water in ocean depths


In the mid-1970s, the first available satellite images of Antarctica during the polar winter revealed a huge ice-free region within the ice pack of the Weddell Sea. This ice-free...
Read more Global Warming Felt To Deepest Reaches Of Ocean

Less Snowpack Will Harm Ecosystem

A new Boston University study shows that the consequences of milder winters – a smaller snowpack leaving the ground to freeze harder and longer – can have a negative impact on trees and water quality of nearby aquatic ecosystems far into the warmer growing season.
In a paper in the jou...
Read more Less Snowpack Will Harm Ecosystem

Peat Soils As Gigantic Batteries

Researchers from ETH Zurich and the University of Tubingen describe a process that suppresses the formation of methane in soils that are rich in humic substances. For this process to work, the soils need to switch between having no oxygen and having oxygen.
Wetlands, including peatlands, have...
Read more Peat Soils As Gigantic Batteries

Researchers As Icebreakers

Conflicts concerning water, food and natural resources are due to sectorial misconception, poor governance and stakeholders with their own interest in sole focus.


Senior researcher Per Stålnacke from Bioforsk conducts research on integrated water resources management in Europe and Asia. He ...
Read more Researchers As Icebreakers

Food Production In The Northeastern U.S. May Need To Change If Climate Does

If significant climate change occurs in the United States it may be necessary to change where certain foods are produced in order to meet consumer demand. In a paper published online this week in the journal Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, researchers at the Friedman School of ...
Read more Food Production In The Northeastern U.S. May Need To Change If Climate Does

'Dinner Tonight! Program Promotes Family Nutrition, Togetherness

The percentage of the family food budget spent on away-from-home food has steadily increased since the 1970s and so has the amount of calories families consume, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service family and consumer sciences expert in Dallas.
“When dining out, there is a tendency t...
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Aoste chez Auchan Apérisec Nature Withdrawn

FRANCE – Apérisec Nature pure pork dry sausage has been withdrawn because the product contains walnuts, which is not mentioned on the label. This makes the product a possible health risk for anyone who is allergic or has an intolerance to nuts.
The withdrawn product is Aoste chez Auchan ...
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Antarctic Circumpolar Current Carries 20 Percent More Water Than Previous Estimates

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current transports water around Antarctica and into the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, transferring heat and energy around the globe. Quantifying how much water it carries is an important step in understanding climate change and validating the accuracy of...
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Scientists To Map Genes Controlling Heat And Drought Tolerance In Cowpeas

Cowpeas, known as black-eyed peas in the U.S., are an important and versatile food legume grown in more than 80 countries. Texas A&M University scientists are working to map the genes controlling drought and heat tolerance in recent varieties.
New and improved varieties of cowpeas have...
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RASFF Food Alerts, Week 9

Here is the summary of food alerts issued by Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) last week
On 27/02/2014, norovirus (GII) was discovered in frozen clams (Venus gallina) from Vietnam. The product was distributed to Italy. RASFF reference No.: 2014.0283.
On 24/02/2014, glass fragments...
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Coffee Recycling Keeps Community Grounded

More than eight tons a month, that’s how much organic material in the form of spent coffee grounds the Austin-based Ground to Ground program diverts from area landfills and makes available to people in the community as compost.
Since its inception last year, the not-for-profit, volunteer-based ...
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New Calorie Counts Proposed By FDA Will Draw Attention to Health Problem

New nutrition labels proposed by the Food and Drug Administration will make it easy for consumers to spot just how many calories are in a candy bar or a bag of chips. The changes require the calories per serving be prominently displayed in bold font. Ruth Litchfield, an associate professor and...
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Alternative Methods To Control Zebra Chip Disease In Potatoes

Zebra chip disease in potatoes is currently being managed by controlling the potato psyllid with insecticides. But one Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist is trying to manage the disease symptoms with alternative methods and chemistries.
The disease is caused by a bacterium,...
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Quality Of The Living Environment Linked To Diabetes And Obesity

Living in a socioeconomically deprived region is a risk factor for being affected by diabetes mellitus and obesity. This holds true regardless of the individual social status of the inhabitants. This is the conclusion reached by scientists from the Institute of Health Economics and Health Care...
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Cow Fertility – Not So Black And White

Holstein cattle – the black-and-white dairy cows you might see in a child’s picture book – have been bred in northern Europe for hundreds of years. Over the last few decades, better management and selective breeding of the most productive cows have led to steady increase in milk p...
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New FDA Nutrition Labels Will Help Consumers Choose More Wisely

Now when Americans pull a product from the supermarket shelf, they will have a clear idea of how much sugar that product really contains.


American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown made the following comments today on the Food and Drug Administration’s proposed rules for food nutrition l...
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Nordic Food Partners Recalls Risotto Rice

DENMARK – Nordic Food Partners A/S (address: Vesterbrogade 149 1620 Copenhagen V) is recalling Princip risotto rice (Princip risotto ris) because some of the batches may be contaminated with larvaes.
The recalled product is Princip risotto rice (Princip risotto ris) packed in Bags of 500...
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Moilas Recalls Frozen Oat Rolls

FINLAND – Moilas Ltd is recalling frozen Oat Rolls (Kauratyyny Oat Rolls) because some of the batches may be contaminated with deoxynivalenol, mycotoxins.
Mycotoxins are toxins produced by some species of mold (myco means fungal). These mycotoxins are some of the most toxic substances in...
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