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International agriculture conference highlights need to connect health, agriculture

Participants at the recent three-day International Conference on Leveraging Agriculture for Improving Nutrition and Health in New Delhi, India, highlighted the broken links between health and agriculture, IRIN reports (2/14).

15 Feb 2011

New research shows link between two pesticides and Parkinson's disease

New research shows a link between use of two pesticides, rotenone and paraquat, and Parkinson's disease. People who used either pesticide developed Parkinson's disease approximately 2.5 times more often than non-users.

14 Feb 2011

Rising number of livestock diseases threatens public health, food security in developing countries, report says

"A growing number of livestock, such as cows and pigs, are fuelling new animal epidemics worldwide and posing more severe problems in developing countries as it threatens their food security, according to a report [.pdf] released on Friday" during an international conference in New Delhi, India, on Leveraging Agriculture for Improving Nutrition & Health, Reuters reports (Lyn, 2/11).

14 Feb 2011

Food prices increased significantly in 2010, WFP data shows

Data from the World Food Program - available ahead of the release of its annual report - shows the cost of feeding people around the world "increased markedly in 2010 as rising grain prices pushed up the cost of staple foods," the Wall Street Journal reports.

11 Feb 2011

Americans willing to pay more, but up to a limit, for safer food

Government regulators could more realistically assess the value of improving food safety if they considered the fact that consumers typically want to avoid getting sick - even if it means they have to pay a little extra for safer food, researchers say.

10 Feb 2011

Advocates say corporate tax havens rob developing countries of revenue as World Social Forum begins

Advocates at the World Social Forum in Dakar, Senegal, "launched a campaign Tuesday to end financial secrecy in tax havens by multinationals they say deprive developing countries of enormous sums of money," Agence France-Presse reports (Boutreaux, 2/8).

10 Feb 2011

BBSRC, EMBL-EBI applaud funding allocation for European Life-science Infrastructure for Biological Information

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) welcome news that funding has been earmarked from the UK's Large Facilities Capital Fund for ELIXIR - the European Life-science Infrastructure for Biological Information - as announced today (09 February 2011).

9 Feb 2011

FAO issues alerts on flood damage in Southern Africa, drought in China

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Monday issued an alert warning that "floods and heavy rains have significantly damaged whole areas of agricultural land across southern Africa and that the livelihood and food security of farmers and their families are at risk," the Associated Press reports (2/7).

9 Feb 2011

France, FAO call for greater regulation to avert food riots

France, the current chair of the G20, and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) "warned on Friday about the risk of a new global food crisis and ensuing riots, calling for greater regulation to curb speculation on commodities markets," Reuters reports.

8 Feb 2011

NFL, NDC, Gen YOUth Foundation collaborate to tackle childhood obesity

Some of our nation's principal thought leaders in child health, physical activity and education will converge today in North Texas, site of Super Bowl XLV, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines an unprecedented private-public partnership committed to child health and wellness.

5 Feb 2011

MetaMorphix announces sale under Chapter 11

MetaMorphix, Inc., an animal biotechnology company, announced its intention to sell all, or substantially all, of its assets as part of its reorganization under a sale in Chapter 11 pursuant to section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code. The Company also announced that American MedTech Advisors has been retained to assist in the sale of the Company.

5 Feb 2011

Recent releases in Global Health

"Africa should be one of the leading regions in shaping global food security policies and feeding the future instead of others shaping it for Africa. Developing practical, integrative and more small-scale solutions for agricultural inputs and outputs, farming, and for managing both land and water resources, will help Africa provide for future generations on the Continent and elsewhere," Robin Renee Sanders, the U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, writes in a Huffington Post blog post.

5 Feb 2011

Loyola dietitians available to comment on incorporating 2010 Dietary Guidelines

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans were released today by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services.

4 Feb 2011

GSA commends '2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans'

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) - the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging - commends the federal government's recent release of the "2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans" and particularly applauds its inclusion of specific advice for older adults.

4 Feb 2011

At Global Chiefs of Mission Conference, Sec. Clinton, Shah discuss QDDR

As part of a week-long meeting with U.S. diplomats from around the world taking place in Washington, D.C., this week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday gathered with 300 U.S. diplomats from around the world to discuss "strategies to energize diplomacy and streamline development," the New York Times reports.

4 Feb 2011

FAO Food Price Index reaches new high in January

World food prices reached a new record high in January, continuing a trend for the seventh consecutive month, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday, the Guardian reports (Kollewe, 2/3).

4 Feb 2011

American Society of Nephrology supports US Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) supports the recommendations, which include advising Americans to reduce their daily salt intake. The recommendations encourage nearly half of Americans to drastically reduce their salt intake.

3 Feb 2011

Bill Gates' annual letter calls for focus on eradicating polio, governments to sustain foreign aid

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, "urged developed nations to help him wipe out polio 'once and for all' at an event to release his third annual letter [.pdf] Monday," Agence France-Presse reports.

2 Feb 2011

FAO monthly food price index expected to remain high

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) monthly food price index for January is expected to be at a similar level to the record highs measured in December's index, Abdolreza Abbassian, an economist with the agency, said on Monday, Reuters reports. "FAO's expectation is that the January index would be very close or slightly below December," Abbassian said ahead of the release of FAO's monthly food index, which is due to be published on February 3.

2 Feb 2011

Bill Gates argues the case for polio eradication and expanded childhood immunization

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, argues the case for polio eradication and expanded childhood immunization in his third annual letter released today. The letter, a personal account of his priorities, also calls on governments to invest in foreign aid, even in the face of a tough economic climate.

1 Feb 2011