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FDA warns consumers not to drink raw milk from Tucker Adkins Dairy

The FDA is working with officials in North Carolina and South Carolina to investigate an outbreak of campylobacteriosis in three people who consumed raw milk from Tucker Adkins Dairy in York, S.C. The three confirmed cases and another five probable cases are from three different households and each case reports that prior to becoming ill they consumed raw milk that was obtained from Tucker Adkins Dairy on June 14, 2011.

18 Jul 2011

WAPF urges FDA to focus on large industrialized food suppliers

The Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF), a consumer nutrition organization, is urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to focus its resources on the large, industrialized food suppliers who pose the highest risk of injury to American consumers.

16 Jul 2011

New research: In-shell pistachio consumption reduces calorie intake

Two studies published in the current on-line issue of the journal Appetite indicate that consuming in-shell pistachios is a weight-wise approach to healthy snacking, offering unique mindful eating benefits to help curb consumption and decrease calorie intake.

16 Jul 2011

Longer looks: Penalties for doctors who keep patients waiting

When she makes a doctor's appointment, Cherie Kerr makes it clear that she better not be kept waiting long. She said she usually tries to schedule the first appointment of the day, or the first one after lunch. But if the doctor is going to be late, she insists the staff give her a call -- lest the office be billed for her time in the waiting room.

15 Jul 2011

New approach for producing human-derived gelatin

Scientists are reporting development of a new approach for producing large quantities of human-derived gelatin that could become a substitute for some of the 300,000 tons of animal-based gelatin produced annually for gelatin-type desserts, marshmallows, candy and innumerable other products.

14 Jul 2011

U.N. FAO, WFP, Oxfam launch joint appeal for Horn of Africa drought aid

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Program and Oxfam issued a joint appeal on Friday asking the international community to provide the "political, moral and financial means" necessary to fight the severe drought affecting more than 10 million people in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Uganda, the Associated Press reports.

12 Jul 2011

USAID, NSF launch science research grant program to support development goals

USAID and the National Science Foundation on Thursday launched the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research initiative to "provide grants to developing world partners of NSF U.S. grantees," with the goal of supporting "applied research - science in support of development - in areas of global concern such as climate change, biodiversity, water issues, agriculture, seismic hazards and deforestation," SciDev.Net reports.

12 Jul 2011

Poisonous shrub extract may act as natural painkiller

An extract of the poisonous shrub Jatropha curcas acts as a strong painkiller and may have a mode of action different from conventional analgesics, such as morphine and other pharmaceuticals.

12 Jul 2011

Tips for preventing foodborne illness at home or while eating out

Dr. Melvin Pascall, an associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology at The Ohio State University, has spent the past 15 years working to improve food safety in areas ranging from packaging to food service cleaning practices.

11 Jul 2011

Guinea including nutrition component for first time in agricultural plan

For the first time, Guinea is including a nutrition component in its agricultural investment strategy, a move that experts "say … stems from an increasing recognition that agriculture must be harnessed to improve nutrition and health," IRIN reports.

8 Jul 2011

Human body may not completely absorb fat in pistachios

A new study now appearing in the peer-reviewed British Journal of Nutrition, finds that fat in pistachios may not be completely absorbed by the body.

7 Jul 2011

Global food production needs to double by 2050 to achieve food security, survey shows

Global food production will have to increase 70 to 100 percent by 2050 to feed the world's predicted nine billion people, and that increase is only possible if more sustainable farming methods are used, according to the U.N.'s annual World Economic and Social Survey released on Tuesday, VOA News reports.

7 Jul 2011

Virus-tested sweetpotato foundation seeds proven to increase yields

Sweetpotato is gaining popularity in the United States, where health-conscious consumers have created increased demand for the tasty, versatile food. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, per capita consumption of the crop increased over 24% from 1998-2008 and the value of the U.S. sweetpotato crop in 2009 exceeded $400 million.

2 Jul 2011

Aquatain surface layer helps control malaria mosquitoes in rice-agro ecosystems

A thin, liquid layer applied on the surface of inundated rice paddies effectively kills malaria mosquito larvae without having an impact on other aquatic life. Rice yield remains the same and water was saved because of the anti-evaporative properties of the layer.

2 Jul 2011

Rinderpest - fatal animal disease eradicated

Rinderpest, German for cattle plague, has finally met its match and does not exist anymore. It is the first animal disease to be eradicated and only the second disease ever, after smallpox in 1980. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization declared Tuesday that the world was rid of Rinderpest.

30 Jun 2011

New FAO Director General says he wants to help food importing developing countries address high food prices

In a news conference on Monday, Jose Graziano da Silva, the newly elected head of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said he wants to do more to help poor countries deal with volatile food prices, Reuters reports.

29 Jun 2011

Children and adolescents who eat candy less likely to be overweight or obese

Children and adolescents who eat candy tend to weigh less than their non-consuming counterparts, according to a new study published in Food & Nutrition Research, a peer-reviewed journal.

29 Jun 2011

Obese people already drink diet soda, so soda tax won't help

To many, a tax on soda is a no-brainer in advancing the nation's war on obesity. Advocates point to a number of studies in recent years that conclude that sugary drinks have a lot to do with why Americans are getting fatter.

29 Jun 2011

G20 agriculture summit communique suggests action is missing

"The G20 agriculture ministers seem to agree: they're all for food security, as long as it doesn't cost anything," according to a post on the Center for Global Development's "Rethinking U.S. Foreign Assistance Blog."

29 Jun 2011

Former Brazilian food security minister elected to head FAO

"Brazil's one-time food security minister, Jose Graziano da Silva, was elected Sunday director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization, the U.N. agency tasked with reducing world hunger at a time of near-record high food prices," the Associated Press reports.

28 Jun 2011