Dark Chocolate Ingredients Could Help Prevent Obesity

Improved thinking. Decreased appetite. Lowered blood pressure. The potential health benefits of dark chocolate keep piling up, and scientists are now homing in on what ingredients in chocolate might help prevent obesity, as well as type-2 diabetes. They found that one particular type of...
Read more Dark Chocolate Ingredients Could Help Prevent Obesity

Flower Festivals Forced Forward A Month Due To Climate Change

Organisers of flower festivals are being forced to adapt to increasingly early first blooming dates in spring, according to a study by a Coventry University academic which is shortly due to be published in the journal Climate Research.
Professor Tim Sparks, an environmental science expert,...
Read more Flower Festivals Forced Forward A Month Due To Climate Change

Two Or More Cups Of Coffee Each Day Reduces The Risk Of Cirrhosis Death

New research reveals that consuming two or more cups of coffee each day reduces the risk of death from liver cirrhosis by 66%, specifically cirrhosis caused by non-viral hepatitis. Findings in Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver ...
Read more Two Or More Cups Of Coffee Each Day Reduces The Risk Of Cirrhosis Death

A New Risk for Energy Drink Users

Newfound evidence indicates another risk factor for young adults consuming energy drinks.  A research team representing six American universities found that the frequency of energy drink use is associated with increased odds of illicit prescription stimulant medication use.  Their research is p...
Read more A New Risk for Energy Drink Users

Eat Seven Or More Portions Of Fruit And Vegetables A Day

Eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day reduces your risk of death at any point in time by 42% compared to eating less than one portion, reports a new UCL study.


Researchers used the Health Survey for England to study the eating habits of 65,226 people representative of the...
Read more Eat Seven Or More Portions Of Fruit And Vegetables A Day

Mapped Tweets Revealed Beer Preferences

Researchers who mapped tweets revealed how “beer space” on Twitter reflects real-world preferences of brews and beer brands in the United States. For example, tweet preferences for Bud Light were found in the Eastern half of the US, while preferences for Coors Light originate in...
Read more Mapped Tweets Revealed Beer Preferences

Beetles Help Transporting New Yeast Species Around The Globe

Researchers from the National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC) at the Institute of Food Research (IFR) have identified a new globe-trotting yeast species that lives on tree-associated beetles. This new species demonstrates the importance of preserving biodiversity, as yeasts like this may...
Read more Beetles Help Transporting New Yeast Species Around The Globe

Amazing Oriental Recalls Nissin Cup Noodle Instant Seafood

THE NETHERLANDS – Amazing Oriental is recalling Nissin Cup Noodle Instant Seafood because during routine quality control the product was found with a slightly different flavor.
The recalled product is Nissin Cup Noodle Instant Seafood packaged in 75 grams pots with lot number 141287 and...
Read more Amazing Oriental Recalls Nissin Cup Noodle Instant Seafood

Bergpracht Recalls Farmhouse Cheeses And Soft Cheeses With Blue Mold

AUSTRIA – Bergpracht is recalling “Organic farmhouse cheese”, “Our home farmhouse cheese”, “Bergpracht soft cheese with blue mold” and “Bergpracht Demeter Bio – soft cheese with blue mold” (“Bioland Bio-Hofkäse”, “Unsere He...
Read more Bergpracht Recalls Farmhouse Cheeses And Soft Cheeses With Blue Mold

Edeka Recalls Applesauce GUT & GÜNSTIG

GERMANY – Edeka Zentrale AG & Co. KG is recalling Apfelmus GUT & GÜNSTIG (Applesauce GOOD & INEXPENSIVE) because some of the batches may be contaminated with pieces of glass. Therefore the product may pose a health risk.
The recalled product is Apfelmus GUT & GÜNSTIG (...
Read more Edeka Recalls Applesauce GUT & GÜNSTIG

Urine Interacting With Chlorine In Swimming Pools Poses Health Risks

A new study shows how uric acid in urine generates potentially hazardous “volatile disinfection byproducts” in swimming pools by interacting with chlorine, and researchers are advising swimmers to observe “improved hygiene habits.”
Chlorination is used primarily to...
Read more Urine Interacting With Chlorine In Swimming Pools Poses Health Risks

Stress Can Cause Frequent Allergy Symptoms

Stress doesn’t cause allergies, but easing your mind might mean less allergy flare-ups this spring. According to a study published in the April issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, allergy ...
Read more Stress Can Cause Frequent Allergy Symptoms

Customers Prefer Restaurants That Offer Nutrition Facts And Healthful Foods

Customers are more likely to frequent restaurants that provide both healthful foods and nutrition information, according to researchers at Penn State and the University of Tennessee.
“The Affordable Care Act has mandated that chain restaurants — those with more than 20 restaurants...
Read more Customers Prefer Restaurants That Offer Nutrition Facts And Healthful Foods

Fast Food Ads Don’t Send The Right Message

Fast food giants attempts at depicting healthier kids’ meals frequently goes unnoticed by children ages 3 to 7 years old according to a new study by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center. In research published on March 31, 2014 in JAMA Pediatrics, Dartmouth researchers found that on...
Read more Fast Food Ads Don’t Send The Right Message

Is Chickpea A Food Of The Future?

Bumping along the dirt roads of rural southeastern Turkey in a battered Jeep, Sergey Nuzhdin and his team of collaborators got an occasional glimpse of the plumes of smoke rising across the border in war-torn Syria.
Their focus however, was not on the political crisis engulfing Turkey’s...
Read more Is Chickpea A Food Of The Future?

Herencia Genética Afecta Niveles De Colesterol En Población Mestiza

Expertos del Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica (Inmegen) llevan a cabo un estudio sobre los factores genéticos asociados a niveles bajos de colesterol “bueno” (HDL). Estos niveles bajos son altamente prevalentes en la población mexicana y con frecuencia pasan desapercibidos por quienes lo...
Read more Herencia Genética Afecta Niveles De Colesterol En Población Mestiza

How Microbes Steal Our Food?

It’s long been known that microbes are to blame for food going off and becoming rotten but in the late 1970′s, Dan Janzen of the University of Pennsylvania, and a winner of ecology’s version of the Nobel Prize, suggested that making something rotten may be to the advantage of...
Read more How Microbes Steal Our Food?

Fruit Fly To Help Guide Researchers On Nutrition Measurement

Credit: Scott Bauer, U.S. Department of Agriculture

At first glance, measuring what the common fruit fly eats might seem like a trivial matter, but it is absolutely critical when it comes to conducting studies of aging, health, metabolism and disease. How researchers measure consumption can...
Read more Fruit Fly To Help Guide Researchers On Nutrition Measurement

HabEat Project Aims To Understand Eating Behaviours In Early Life

As part of the European project HabEat (2010-2014), coordinated by INRA and involving 10 scientific partners, researchers have made a step forward in the understanding of how eating behaviours and preferences form in early life. On March 31st and April 1st in Dijon (France), a symposium...
Read more HabEat Project Aims To Understand Eating Behaviours In Early Life

Northern and Southern Hemisphere Climates Follow the Beat of Different Drummers

Field work in the Indian Ocean. The corals off the Broome coast, Western Australia, store information about past climate (Copyright: Eric Matson, Australian Institute of Marine Science)

Over the last 1000 years, temperature differences between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres were...
Read more Northern and Southern Hemisphere Climates Follow the Beat of Different Drummers

Reducing Dairy And Meat Consumption Required To Meet Climate Targets

Greenhouse gas emissions from food production may threaten the UN climate target of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, according to research at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.  On Monday 31 March the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) presented their report on ...
Read more Reducing Dairy And Meat Consumption Required To Meet Climate Targets

Organic Food Not Efficient In Reducing Likelihood Of Developing Cancer

Women who always or mostly eat organic foods have the same likelihood of developing cancer as women who eat conventionally produced foods, according to an Oxford University study.
Kathryn Bradbury and colleagues in Oxford’s Cancer Epidemiology Unit found no evidence that regularly eating...
Read more Organic Food Not Efficient In Reducing Likelihood Of Developing Cancer

New Listeria Species Discovered

Cornell researchers have discovered five new species of a group of bacteria called Listeria – including one named for Cornell – that provide new insights that could lead to better ways to detect soil bacteria in food.
To date, of the 10 previously known species of Listeria, only two are pat...
Read more New Listeria Species Discovered

Obesity Prevention Programs Can Reduce Blood Pressure In Children

One of the serious health consequences of obesity is elevated blood pressure (BP), a particular problem in children because research has found that high BP in children usually follows them into adulthood, carrying with it a wide range of possible negative consequences.
Even modest elevations...
Read more Obesity Prevention Programs Can Reduce Blood Pressure In Children

Celiac Disease Linked To Increased Risk Of Coronary Artery Disease

People with celiac disease may have a near two-fold increased risk of coronary artery disease compared with the general population, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 63rd Annual Scientific Session.
The study is the first to look at the...
Read more Celiac Disease Linked To Increased Risk Of Coronary Artery Disease

Diet Drinks Risky For Older Women

It appears healthy postmenopausal women who drink two or more diet drinks a day may be more likely to have a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular problems, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 63rd Annual Scientific Session.
In fact,...
Read more Diet Drinks Risky For Older Women

Eat Fresh Fruits And Vegetables

Women who ate a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables as young adults were much less likely to have plaque build-up in their arteries 20 years later compared with those who consumed lower amounts of these foods, according to research to be presented at the American College of...
Read more Eat Fresh Fruits And Vegetables

Ammonia Pollution Poses Larger Health Costs Than Previously Estimated

The map shows increase in annual mean surface concentration of particulate matter resulting from ammonia emissions associated with food export. Populated states in the Northeast and Great Lakes region, where particulate matter formation is promoted by upwind ammonia sources, carry most of the...
Read more Ammonia Pollution Poses Larger Health Costs Than Previously Estimated

EU-Funded Project Aims To Reduce Dependence On Pesticides

Integrated pest management gains momentum due to European regulations on pesticides reduction. But the challenges are to integrate all alternative methods and to get farmers involved.
Reducing the level of pesticide use in agriculture is a priority in Europe. A 2009 EU Directive states that t...
Read more EU-Funded Project Aims To Reduce Dependence On Pesticides

EFSA Assesses The Risk Of Salmonella And Norovirus In Leafy Greens

Rainfall, use of contaminated water for irrigation or contaminated equipment are among the factors that cause contamination of leafy greens with Salmonella and Norovirus. These are some of the findings of EFSA’s latest opinion on risk factors that contribute to the contamination of leafy greens a...
Read more EFSA Assesses The Risk Of Salmonella And Norovirus In Leafy Greens

Food Insecurity A Growing Challenge In Northern Canada

A new expert panel report on food security in Northern Canada, has found that food insecurity among northern Aboriginal peoples requires urgent attention in order to mitigate impacts on health and well-being. Aboriginal Food Security in Northern Canada: An Assessment of the State of Knowledge,...
Read more Food Insecurity A Growing Challenge In Northern Canada

Does Heavy Saturated Fat Intake Cause Cardiovascular Disease?

Many Americans are led to believe that high blood cholesterol as a result of heavy saturated fat intake causes cardiovascular disease. As such, Statin drugs are often prescribed to curb CVD risk by lowering cholesterol. This conventional knowledge is boldly challenged, however, by a new paper...
Read more Does Heavy Saturated Fat Intake Cause Cardiovascular Disease?

RASFF Food Alerts, Week 13

Here is the summary of food alerts issued by Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) last week
On 25/03/2014, botulinum toxin was detected in vegetable soup from Italy. The product was distributed to Italy. RASFF reference No.: 2014.0394.
On 25/03/2014, undeclared sulphite (237 mg/kg...
Read more RASFF Food Alerts, Week 13

Undeclared Sulphur Dioxide in McColgan's Sausage Rolls

IRELAND – Sulphites were not declared on the label of all batches of the McColgan’s Sausage Rolls. This may make them unsafe for consumers who are allergic to or intolerant of sulphur dioxide or sulphites.
The withdrawn products are:
McColgan’s 4 Jumbo Sausage Rolls...
Read more McColgan's Sausage Rolls Withdrawn

Undeclared Sulphur Dioxide in Castle Grove 4 Jumbo Sausage Rolls Sold in Lidl

IRELAND – Sulphites were not declared on the label of all batches of the Lidl Castle Grove 4 Jumbo Sausage Rolls. This may make them unsafe for consumers who are allergic to or intolerant of sulphur dioxide or sulphites. These products were sold in Lidl stores.
The withdrawn product is...
Read more Lidl Castle Grove 4 Jumbo Sausage Rolls Sold Withdrawn

Undeclared Sulphur Dioxide in Dunnes Stores Jumbo and Cocktail Sausage Rolls

IRELAND – Sulphites were not declared on the label of all batches of the Dunnes Stores Jumbo and Cocktail Sausage Rolls. This may make them unsafe for consumers who are allergic to or intolerant of sulphur dioxide or sulphites. These products were sold by Dunnes Stores.
The withdrawn...
Read more Dunnes Stores Jumbo and Cocktail Sausage Rolls Withdrawn

Carrefour Petits Pois et Carottes à l'Etuvée Extra-Fins Recalled

FRANCE – Carrefour is recalling Petits Pois et Carottes à l’Etuvée Extra-Fins (Carrefour Peas and Carrots with Braised Extra Fine). The retailer has not specified a reason for the recall.
The recalled products are:
Peas and Carrots with Braised Extra Fins (Petits Pois Carottes à l...
Read more Carrefour Petits Pois et Carottes à l'Etuvée Extra-Fins Recalled

A more potent greenhouse gas than CO2, methane emissions will leap as Earth warms

While carbon dioxide is typically painted as the bad boy of greenhouse gases, methane is roughly 30 times more potent as a heat-trapping gas. New research in the journal Nature indicates that for each degree that the Earth’s temperature rises, the amount of methane entering the a...
Read more Methane Will Increase Several Times As Earth's Temperature Rises

Kettle Sweet Potato Chips withdrawn

UNITED KINGDOM – Kettle Foods Ltd has withdrawn some packs of its Oven Baked Sweet Potato Chips Sweet Chilli because they contain wheat (gluten). Wheat is labelled in the ingredients list, however the product labelling also states ‘no gluten-containing ingredients’. This makes...
Read more Kettle Foods Withdraws Sweet Potato Chips

What Is a Functional Food?

The U.S. is the largest consumer of functional foods, it was a 44 billion dollar market in 2012 and it’s increasing with at least 60 percent of people consuming functional foods, occasionally. IFT spokesperson Cathy Adams Hutt, PhD, RD CFS explains in the following video what a functional food ...
Read more Understanding A Functional Food

Natural plant compounds may assist chemotherapy

Researchers at Plant & Food Research have identified plant compounds present in carrots and parsley that may one day support more effective delivery of chemotherapy treatments.
Scientists at Plant & Food Research, working together with researchers at The University of Auckland and the...
Read more Carrots May Support More Effective Delivery Of Chemotherapy

Salmonella data now at your fingertips

Forty years of data on a major cause of food poisoning now is available to the public, the food industry, and researchers in a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data, collected by state and federal health officials, provides a wealth of information on...
Read more Atlas of Salmonella Released By CDC

Georgian chocolate-making rooms open to public after 300 years

The Georgian royal chocolate-making rooms at Hampton Court Palace have been rediscovered and are open to the public for the first time in almost 300 years – and visitors will be able to sample a hot chocolate recipe from centuries past.
The historical hot chocolate on sale draws on the...
Read more Georgian Royal Chocolate-Making Rooms Open To Public

Combating obesity with new Okinawan rice

In recent years, Okinawa has recorded the dubious distinction of having the highest obesity rate in Japan. Preventing obesity-related diseases is an urgent issue.  Professor Hidetoshi Saze of the OIST Plant Epigenetics Unit is leading a new research project to develop a new strain of rice that ...
Read more Okinawan Rice, A New Weapon Against Obesity

Food Science Student Team from Rutgers Wins IFT Student Association Heart-Healthy Product Development Competition

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and CanolaInfo recently announced the winner of the IFT Student Association Heart-Healthy Product Development Competition at the Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT) Wellness 14 held in Chicago, Ill. The winning student team from the food science p...
Read more Heartmony Wins Heart-Healthy Product Development Competition

Study Finds Secret to Cutting Sugary Drink Use by Teens

A new study shows that teenagers can be persuaded to cut back on sugary soft drinks – especially with a little help from their friends.
A 30-day challenge encouraging teens to reduce sugar-sweetened drink use lowered their overall consumption substantially and increased by two-thirds the p...
Read more What Is A Secret to Cutting Sugary Drink Use by Teens?

New Capsicum Annuum Pepper Contains High Concentrations Of Beneficial Capsinoids

Pesearchers have released a new Capsicum annuum pepper germplasm that contains high concentrations of capsinoids. The release was announced in the January 2014 issue of HortScience by researchers Robert L. Jarret from the USDA/Agricultural Research Service in Griffin, Georgia, in collaboration...
Read more New Capsicum Annuum Pepper Contains High Concentrations Of Beneficial Capsinoids

Phloem production in Huanglongbing-affected citrus trees

Citrus Huanglongbing (citrus greening disease) is highly destructive and fast-spreading, contributing to a reduction in crop yields in Florida and threatening the future of the citrus industry worldwide. Once infected, trees never fully recover and there currently is no cure, although proper...
Read more Researchers Recommend Management Practices To Address Citrus Greening Disease

Beer marinade could reduce levels of potentially harmful substances in grilled meats

Bhe smells of summer — the sweet fragrance of newly opened flowers, the scent of freshly cut grass and the aroma of meats cooking on the backyard grill — will soon be upon us. Now, researchers are reporting that the very same beer that many people enjoy at backyard barbeques could, when used as...
Read more Beer May Reduce The Formation Of Harmful Substances In Barbecued Meats

Cereal flake size influences calorie intake

People eat more breakfast cereal, by weight, when flake size is reduced, according to Penn State researchers, who showed that when flakes are reduced by crushing, people pour a smaller volume of cereal into their bowls, but still take a greater amount by weight and calories.
“People have...
Read more The Smaller Cereal Flakes The More You Eat

Sugary drinks weigh heavily on teenage obesity

New research shows sugary drinks are the worst offenders in the fight against youth obesity and recommends that B.C. schools fully implement healthy eating guidelines to reduce their consumption.
Unlike the U.S., Canada does not have a national breakfast or school lunch program that is...
Read more Sugary Drinks Are The Worst Offenders In The Fight Against Youth Obesity

4 Croque Monsieur Toasté Halal Recalled

FRANCE – Oriental Viandes 4 Croque Monsieur Toasté Halal (Oriental Meat 4 Croque Monsieur Toasted Halal) have been recalled the product conyains celery. The allergen has not been mentioned on the list of ingredients. This makes the product a possible health risk for anyone who is allergic ...
Read more Oriental Viandes 4 Croque Monsieur Toasté Halal Recalled

Marshfield Food Safety Shows Increased Accuracy in Salmonella Strain Typing with PathoGenetix RESOLUTION System

An independent evaluation of PathoGenetix, Inc.’s rapid bacterial strain typing technology by contract testing lab Marshfield Food Safety found greater ease-of-use and increased accuracy in Salmonella strain typing with the RESOLUTION Microbial Genotyping System compared to current i...
Read more PathoGenetix RESOLUTION System Helps Increasing Accuracy In Salmonella Strain Typing

International Wheat Yield Partnership Launched

A new international partnership seeks to increase wheat yields by 50 percent by 2034. This will address demand for wheat – one of the world’s most important crops – that is growing much faster than production.
The new International Wheat Yield Partnership (IWYP) brings together research funde...
Read more International Wheat Yield Partnership Launched

Winning Ways Fine Foods Recalls Chocovered Raisins

UNITED KINGDOM  – Winning Ways Fine Foods Ltd is withdrawing three batch codes of its Fabulous Freefrom Factory Dairy Free ‘Chocovered’ Raisins because one batch of the product (code: L200614) has been found to contain milk. The other two batches are being withdrawn as a ...
Read more Fabulous Freefrom Factory Dairy Free Chocovered Raisins Withdrawn

Researchers Tackle How to Interpret the Safety of Dietary Supplements and Natural Health Products at Toxicology Conference

The nutritional supplement industry—makers of vitamins, minerals, and other supplements—is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. In 2012, it produced more than $30 billion in revenue, but despite dietary supplements’ widespread use, there is a lack of premarket approval in some co...
Read more Safety of Dietary Supplements and Natural Health Products Tackled By Researchers

Pesticides make the life of earthworms miserable

Pesticides are sprayed on crops to help them grow, but the effect on earthworms living in the soil under the plants is devastating, new research reveals: The worms only grow to half their normal weight and they do not reproduce as well as worms in fields that are not sprayed.
Pesticides have a...
Read more Pesticides Have Devastating Effect On Earthworms

Stink Bug Traps May Increase Tomato Damage

The invasive brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) is an important pest of fruits and vegetables. To counter them, some home gardeners use pheromone-baited traps that are designed to attract, trap, and kill them. However, new research from entomologists at the University of Maryland...
Read more Stink Bug Traps Not Safe For Tomato Crops?

Salamanders shrinking due to climate change

Wild salamanders living in some of North America’s best salamander habitat are getting smaller as their surroundings get warmer and drier, forcing them to burn more energy in a changing climate.
That’s the key finding of a new study co-authored by a Clemson University biologist and published in...
Read more Climate Change Makes Salamanders Smaller

Peaches inhibit breast cancer metastasis in mice

Lab tests at Texas A&M AgriLife Research have shown that treatments with peach extract inhibit breast cancer metastasis in mice.


AgriLife Research scientists say that the mixture of phenolic compounds present in the peach extract are responsible for the inhibition of metastasis, according...
Read more Peaches May Help Combat Breast Cancer?

A Revolutionary Portable Lab For Rapid And Low-Cost Diagnosis

European researchers have developed a ground-breaking diagnostic system based on smart cards and skin patches combined with a portable reader. Test results can directly be sent to a remote computer, a tablet or a smartphone through a wireless connection. This small lab can already identify...
Read more A Revolutionary Portable Lab For Rapid And Low-Cost Diagnosis

Understanding plant-soil interaction could lead to new ways to combat weeds

Using high-powered DNA-based tools, a recent study at the University of Illinois identified soil microbes that negatively affect ragweed and provided a new understanding of the complex relationships going on beneath the soil surface between plants and microorganisms.
“Plant scientists have b...
Read more DNA-based Tools To Help Combat Weeds

Oil seed can slash Co2 emissions in farming by 13%

According to the initial results of EU-funded research the use of rapeseed cake in the production of livestock feed can cut methane and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 13%. This is the preliminary finding of a study carried out by the LIFE-SEED CAPITAL project, co-funded by the European...
Read more Oil Seed Can Reduce Methane And Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Eco-friendly pig and poultry production

Slowing the rate of climate change and improving energy use efficiency, whilst also feeding the growing global population, are key targets for the livestock sector, policy-makers and scientists alike.
Through a better understanding of the interactions between animal genetics, gut...
Read more EU Project To Help Developing Eco-friendly Poultry and Pigs Production

Nestlé opens food safety research centre in Beijing

Nestlé has opened a food safety research centre in Beijing. The Nestle Food Safety Institute will work “closely” with Chinese authorities to help provide a “scientific foundation” for policy and standards, Nestlé said.
Support will include early management of food s...
Read more Nestlé Opens Food Safety Institute In China

Un Consorcio Vasco Desarrollará Una Metodología Para Aprovechar El 70% De Los Restos Vegetales, Cárnicos Y Lácteos

El proyecto europeo GISWASTE tiene como objetivo establecer una metodología y una herramienta que priorice las opciones de valorización de subproductos orgánicos: restos vegetales, cárnicos y lácteos, principalmente. Se comprobará la validez del método con dos modelos reales de estudio: una pla...
Read more Un Consorcio Vasco Desarrollará Una Metodología Para Aprovechar El 70% De Los Restos Vegetales, Cárnicos Y Lácteos

Studying crops, from outer space

This is an illustration of the process of measuring photosynthesis from space, courtesy of the Keck Institute for Space Studies. Credit: Keck Institute for Space Studies

Plants convert energy from sunlight into chemical energy during a process called photosynthesis. This energy is passed on...
Read more Observing Crops Using Satellite Technology

A Basque consortium will develop a method to recycle up to 70% of vegetable, meat and dairy waste

GISWASTE European project aims to establish a methodology and a tool that prioritizes recovery options of organic products: vegetables, meat and milk residues, mainly. The validity of the method with two real study models will be tested with a biogas plant and feed another.
Every day in Europe...
Read more Researchers To Develop A Method To Recycle Up To 70% Of Vegetable, Meat And Dairy Waste

Bioenergy from sustainable forestry does not meet EU emission reduction criteria

The levels of forest residue bioenergy, considered to be sustainable from a forestry perspective, may provide considerable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in European countries. Still, these reductions fall short of a 60 % threshold planned by the EU. This mismatch may have important...
Read more EU Emission Reduction Criteria Not Met By Bioenergy From Sustainable Forestry

Safe Development of Nanotechnology for Food and Food Packaging Investigated at Toxicology Conference

Toxicologists are presenting information on the uses of nanotechnology in food and food packaging and the current efforts to assure the safe development of the technology at the Society of Toxicology (SOT) 53rd Annual Meeting and ToxExpo in Phoenix, Ariz.
A number of food-related products in...
Read more Nanoparticles To Help Increase Food Shelf Life And Preserve Food Quality

Recovering valuable substances from wastewater

 
Using magnets the superparamagnetic particles in the water can be removed along with their phosphorus load. © Knut Dobberke / Fraunhofer ISC

Phosphorus can be found in fertilizers, drinks and detergents. It accumulates in waterways and pollutes them. For this reason the German ...
Read more Researchers Recover Pollutants From Wastewater

Lots of carbon dioxide equivalents from aquatic environments

Large amounts of carbon dioxide equivalents taken up by plants on land are returned to the atmosphere from aquatic environments. This is the conclusions from a study carried out by two students at Linköping University, Sweden.
As students at the Master program Science for Sustainable ...
Read more Carbon Dioxide Equivalents Are Returned From Aquatic Environments

Research Finds Soda Tax Does Little to Decrease Obesity

Extra sales taxes on soda may not do anything to improve people’s health, according to new research from health economist Jason Fletcher of the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
“Some older studies suggest taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages will reduc...
Read more Soft Drink Tax Is Not A Way To Combat Obesity

Kellys Sausage Roll Products Recalled

IRELAND – Various Kellys Sausage Roll products, sold in Aldi, have been recalled because the products contain sulphites and sulphur dioxide. Sulphites were not declared on the label of all batches of the sausage rolls listed above. This may make them unsafe for consumers who are allergic...
Read more Kellys Sausage Roll Products Recalled

UF/IFAS Finds Way to Reduce E. coli in Cows, Improving Food Safety

A new biological treatment could help dairy cattle stave off uterine diseases and eventually may help improve food safety for humans, a University of Florida study shows.
Kwang Cheol Jeong, an assistant professor in animal sciences and UF’s Emerging Pathogens Institute, examined cattle uterine ...
Read more Researchers Find Way To Reduce E. coli in Cattle

Teagasc Research Automatic Milking Systems

In an automatic milking system a robot undertakes the manual work traditionally associated with milking a herd of cows. The system is set up to guide individual cows to come to a milking stall on a voluntarily basis on up to three occasions per day. A study is currently being conducted at...
Read more Irish Researchers Study Automatic Milking Systems

High-tech answer to fat analysis in meat industry

For decades, the meat industry has made good use of laboratory analysis. Now the focus is shifting to rapid analytical methods on the production floor and meat producers are perhaps spoilt for choice in terms of rapid analytical options. But which is the right solution for that all important...
Read more EU Project To Help Meat Processors With Automatic In-Line Fat Analysis

Pathogens in Cheese – Researchers Follow the Traces of Deadly Bacteria

Listeria is a rod-shaped bacterium highly prevalent in the environment and generally not a threat to human health.  One species however, Listeria monocytogenes, can cause listeriosis, a very dangerous disease. This pathogen can be present in raw milk and soft cheeses, smoked fish, raw meat and ...
Read more Researchers Follow the Traces of Listeria Monocytogenes

Cold short-cut to CO2 storage

Core participants in the “Cold CO2 Capture” project discuss their results. From the left; chief scientist Petter Nekså, research scientist Kristin Jordal and David Berstad, MSc, all of SINTEF Energy Research. Photo: SINTEF/Thor Nielsen

All over the world, scientists are on the hunt for solu...
Read more Cold Technology Could Reduce Energy Consumption And Cost Of CO2 Capture

When air quality governs traffic management

Poor air quality costs Europe more than €700 million per year, in health expenditures and loss of economic performance, according to official EU sources. To tackle such major issue, the EU-funded MACC-II research project, due to be fully operational in 2014, aims at delivering accurate air qua...
Read more EU Funds A Research Project To Help Managing Traffic

A Little Planning Helps Your Heart - and Your Budget

Convinced that eating a healthy diet will take a big bite out of your budget? Put the brakes on your next fast food trip, because food that comes through a window may be low in cost but high in fat and calories. And your health will pay the price!
“Many unhealthy foods are high in c...
Read more Plan Your Grocery Shopping For Your Health

RASFF Food Alerts, Week 12

Here is the summary of food alerts issued by Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) last week
On 19/03/2014, too high count of Escherichia coli (1700 MPN/100g) was identified in organic mussels (Mytilus edulis) from Ireland. The product was distributed to France. RASFF reference No.:...
Read more RASFF Food Alerts, Week 12

Deep Ocean Current May Slow Due to Climate Change

Far beneath the surface of the ocean, deep currents act as conveyer belts, channeling heat, carbon, oxygen and nutrients around the globe.


A new study by the University of Pennsylvania’s Irina Marinov and Raffaele Bernardello and colleagues from McGill University has found that recent climate c...
Read more Deep Ocean Current May Slow Due to Climate Change

FSIS Educates Kids Food Safety

A core mission of The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is educating the public on proper food handling practices. The agency ensures that meat, poultry, and processed egg products are safe and wholesome. Recently, FSIS has implemented education food safety programmes for children....
Read more FSIS Educates Kids Food Safety

DSAS Recalls Dés de Saumon Atlantique Fumé

FRANCE – DSAS is recalling Auchan Dice Atlantic Smoked Salmon (Auchan Dés de Saumon Atlantique Fumé) because some of the batches may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Listeria is the name of a bacteria found in soil and water and some animals, including poultry and cattle. It can be pr...
Read more Auchan Dés de Saumon Atlantique Fumé Recalled

Illegal waste shipments: Environment Committee backs plan to step up checks

An Environment Agency worker inspecting a shipping container filled with refuse in Felixtowe, Suffolk, returned to Britain from Brazil. Businessmen who helped illegally ship 1,500 tonnes of household waste to Brazil are due to be sentenced at the Old Bailey.

Draft EU rules that would require...
Read more Draft EU Rules To Clamp Down On Illegal Waste Shipments

A diet to make you fat or fit? The role of 'sumo stew' in shaping a sumo wrestler

A recent study published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Sport and Social Science, ‘Bodies steeped in stew: sport, tradition and the bodies of the sumo wrestler’ by R. Kenji Tierney (Anthropology Department, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY, USA), explores the meanings of ...
Read more A Diet To Make You Fit Or Fat?

Web Tool Successfully Measures Farms’ Water Footprint

A new University of Florida web-based tool worked well during its trial run to measure water consumption at farms in four Southern states, according to a study published this month.
The system measures the so-called “water footprint” of a farm. In the broader sense, water footprints account for...
Read more New Tool Developed For Measurement Of Water Footprint

Not Just What You Eat

Over 35 percent of American adults and 17 percent of American children are considered obese, according to the latest survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Associated with diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even certain types of cancer, obesity places a major...
Read more Not Just What You Eat

E3-production – sustainable manufacturing

Scarce and expensive raw materials, rising energy prices, climate protection and demographic shifts leave industrial production with a lot to contend with in the coming years. In the “E3-production” lighthouse project, Fraunhofer researchers are laying the groundwork needed to achieve sus...
Read more E3-Production Project To Achieve Sustainable Production

Ancient food webs show modern structure after mass extinction

Visualizations of the Messel lake and forest food webs: (left) lake food web, (right) forest food web. Spheres represent species and lines represent feeding links. Links that loop indicate cannibalism. The vertical axis corresponds to trophic level, with plants at the bottom level. Colors of...
Read more Researchers Analysed Ancient Feeding Relationships

When your water is contaminated

Every year 300.000 Europeans are falling ill because of contaminated drinking water. A new high-speed test is being developed to identify the contamination of drinking water much faster than today and thus reduce the number of victims considerably.
Statistically, drinking water in Europe is...
Read more High-Speed Test To Identify The Contamination Of Drinking Water

Climate Change Could Increase Thunderstorm Severity

This spring may be more like a lion than a lamb.
John Harrington Jr. is a synoptic climatologist and professor of geography at Kansas State University who studies weather events, how often they occur and the conditions when they occurred. He says climate change may be increasing the severity...
Read more Climate Change May Increase The Severity Of Storms

Research reveals true value of cover crops to farmers, environment

Planting cover crops in rotation between cash crops — widely agreed to be ecologically beneficial — is even more valuable than previously thought, according to a team of agronomists, entomologists, agroecologists, horticulturists and biogeochemists from Penn State’s College...
Read more What Is True Value Of Protected Crops To Environment And Growers?

'Breaking bad': Insect pests in the making

Of thousands of known species of Drosophila fruit flies, just one is known as a crop pest, depositing eggs inside ripening fruit so its maggots can feed and grow. New research from the University of California, Davis, shows the similarities and crucial differences between this pest and its...
Read more One Of Fruit Flies Identified As A Pest

Harsh Weather Conditions Increase Cost of Food

Many of your favorite products at the grocery store are going to cost more, according to Glynn Tonsor, associate professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University.
“When consumers walk in the grocery store, they are going to have to continue to juggle what they put in those b...
Read more Bad Weather Influences Food Cost

The Precise Reason for the Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate: Mystery Solved

The health benefits of eating dark chocolate have been extolled for centuries, but the exact reason has remained a mystery –– until now. Researchers reported here today that certain bacteria in the stomach gobble the chocolate and ferment it into anti-inflammatory compounds that are good for th...
Read more Dark Chocolate And Bacteria, A Perfect Match For Your Heart?

Most Parents Don’t Favor Bans on Nuts in Schools, Including Those with Allergic Kids

Parents of nut-allergic kids more likely than other parents to want a lunchtime without restrictions, according to U-M’s National Poll on Children’s Health
Most parents of kids with and without nut allergies don’t support schoolwide bans on nut-containing products, according to a new Unive...
Read more Parents Of Nut-Allergic Kids Don’t Support School Bans On Nut Products

Fried foods may interact with genes to influence body weight

People with a genetic predisposition to obesity are at a higher risk of obesity and related chronic diseases from eating fried foods than those with a lower genetic risk, according to a new study from researchers from Harvard School of Public Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard M...
Read more Obesity From Fried Foods Consumption May Depend On Genetic Predisposition

Study examines pesticide poisoning of Africa's wildlife

Poisons are silent, effective and cheap, making the especially dangerous in Africa where they are used for both pest control and illegal poaching. However, as a new study in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences reveals, they also kill un-intended wildlife.
Africa has a long history of...
Read more Pesticide A Silent Killer Of Un-Intended Wildlife in Africa