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Joint ICMRA and WHO statement explains how COVID-19 vaccines are regulated for safety, effectiveness

Healthcare professionals and public health authorities have a central role in discussing vaccination against COVID-19 with their patients.

13 Jun 2021

Colorado bill aims to give farmworkers easier access to medical care

A woman with pregnancy complications needed permission from her boss to visit a doctor. Community health volunteers were turned away from delivering food and covid information to worker housing. A farmworker had a serious allergic reaction but was afraid to seek treatment.

11 Jun 2021

Increase in salmonellosis in Europe: General hygiene rules help safely prepare raw poultry

In recent months, more than three hundred cases of salmonellosis have occurred in various European countries and Canada, which are linked to each other. In the UK the cases could be partly traced back to frozen breaded poultry meat.

1 Jun 2021

FDA seeks $6.5 billion for investments in core food safety, critical public health infrastructure

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is requesting a total budget of $6.5 billion as part of the President's fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget - a nearly 8% ($477 million) increase over the agency's FY 2021 funding level for investments in critical public health infrastructure, core food safety and medical product safety programs and other vital public health programs.

29 May 2021

Researchers develop mathematical model to prevent botulism

Food producers can use a mathematical model developed at the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, to ensure their products do not cause botulism. It is the most comprehensive model of its kind.

27 May 2021

Masks and physical distancing could reduce SARS-CoV-2 spread to 1% among essential food plant workers, says study

The food supply is an essential service. Yet, workers in this industry are at high risk of acquiring infection with the novel coronavirus in their workplace unless proper mitigation measures are put in place. A new study, released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server, shows that the risk of infection may be reduced to less than 1% with proper precautions.

21 May 2021

New pan-European survey explores the effect of COVID-19 restrictions on physical, mental health

A new pan-European survey funded by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee exploring the impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns and associated restrictions (in those countries where there has been no Lockdown), has found that nearly two thirds of adults (61%) expressed concern about their worsening mood; two times higher than those concerned about physical inactivity (24%).

20 May 2021

Study calls for educational communications to improve consumer understanding of food date labels

Misunderstanding food date labeling is common and educational communications are needed to improve consumer understanding, according to a new study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier.

7 May 2021

FDA outlines inspectional activities during COVID-19 pandemic

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a new report titled, "Resiliency Roadmap for FDA Inspectional Oversight," outlining the agency's inspectional activities during the COVID-19 pandemic and its detailed plan to move toward a more consistent state of operations, including the FDA's priorities related to this work going forward.

6 May 2021

Study investigates the level of knowledge of young people and adolescents on "zoonotic diseases"

The EU-funded BIO-CRIME project - with support from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) - conducted a scientific investigation on the topic of illegal small animal trade and the associated risk of pathogen transmission.

5 May 2021

A broader perspective can help limit food waste, promote healthy nutrition

Food waste and obesity are major problems in developed countries. They are both caused by an overabundance of food, but strategies to reduce one can inadvertently increase the other.

15 Apr 2021

FDA announces new action plan for reducing dietary exposures to toxic elements for children

Protecting one of our most vulnerable populations, babies and young children, is among the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's highest priorities.

8 Apr 2021

Research surveys hygiene practices in food supply chains during COVID-19 pandemic

Researchers survey hygiene procedures in food supply chains implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 Apr 2021

Temperature difference in the upper and lower respiratory tract influences SARS-CoV-2 replication

A team of researchers from the Institute for Infectious Diseases (IFIK) at the University of Bern and the Federal Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI) have assessed virus growth and activation of the cellular defense mechanisms in the respiratory tract.

1 Apr 2021

DNA spike-ins increase reliability of amplicon-based sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 genomes

In the interests of cost-effectiveness and rapidity, amplicon-based sequencing of the viral genome has been used to provide a sensitive means of genomic surveillance. A new preprint, which was released on the bioRxiv* server, shows how this can be tweaked to make it a reliable source of genomic data by reducing the known potential for contamination.

19 Mar 2021

Diagnostic test helps identify the virulent forms of swine bacterial pathogens

A team led by researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has developed a diagnostic test that can identify virulent forms of the swine bacterial pathogen Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus -- often referred to as "Strep zoo" -- which can cause severe illness and death in pigs, other animals and rarely people.

19 Mar 2021

Cognitive biases can help create and worsen foodborne disease outbreaks

In the midst of a pandemic that has claimed more than 2 million lives worldwide and disrupted nearly every facet of society since it appeared more than a year ago, understanding the factors that create and facilitate disease outbreaks is more important than ever.

10 Mar 2021

FDA plans to further reduce toxic elements in foods for babies and young children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration takes exposure to toxic elements, such as arsenic, mercury, cadmium and lead, in the food supply extremely seriously, especially when it comes to protecting the health and safety of the youngest and most vulnerable in the population.

5 Mar 2021

New European platform for a safe transition to more sustainable food system

It sounds sustainable: tableware made of melamine with bamboo and maize added as innovative raw materials

4 Mar 2021

Study shows potential benefits of green tea extracts in Down syndrome

A new study led by Belgian and Spanish researchers published in Scientific Reports adds evidence about the potential benefits of green tea extracts in Down syndrome.

3 Mar 2021