Agriculture News and Research

RSS

Eat more seafood to realize health benefits

The United States Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released today, name seafood among the handful of foods Americans should eat more of because of its heart and brain benefits.

1 Feb 2011

“Enjoy your food but eat less”: Latest Dietary guidelines

New federal dietary guidelines, released Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services lays down some new rules in healthy eating that include consuming less empty calories, less salt and at least half a plate full of fruits and vegetables a day.

1 Feb 2011

Media outlets examine challenges facing Pakistan six months after floods

Six months after monsoon flooding hit Pakistan, the U.N. reports that about 4 million people remain without temporary or permanent shelter, VOA News reports.

1 Feb 2011

OCPS unveils new school recipes at Chefs Move to Schools event

Orange County Public Schools, the tenth largest school district in the country, unveiled new school recipes that are "chef-inspired, kid-approved" in partnership with America's top chefs representing the leading culinary associations in the United States at the Chefs Move to Schools event in Orlando, Florida.

29 Jan 2011

European Commission to implement SUNRAY-project to tackle malnutrition in Africa

The European Commission has given the green light to an ambitious research project called SUNRAY: the acronym for 'Sustainable Nutrition Research for Africa in the Years to come'. The project will be implemented by a consortium of four African and five European institutions coordinated by the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp.

28 Jan 2011

USDA decision on genetically engineered alfalfa ends as a surrender to business for the biotech industry

Following are the comments of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) on USDA's announcement Thursday that the agency will completely remove current regulations that limit use of genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa, a key commodity in dairy farming, including organic dairy farming, making alfalfa the first perennial GE crop approved for widespread planting.

28 Jan 2011

New study: Workplace's key employees may experience high levels of job stress

A workplace's key employees may be at the greatest risk of experiencing high levels of work stress, according to a new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

25 Jan 2011

NEPAD, GAIN sign Memorandum of Understanding to reduce malnutrition in Africa

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and the New Partnership for Africa Development today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to significantly contribute to reducing malnutrition in Africa.

25 Jan 2011

CHIL receives $23.7 NIFA grant to prevent young child obesity

The Children's Healthy Living Program for Remote Underserved Minority Populations in the Pacific Region recently received $23.7 in funding from the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture.

24 Jan 2011

U.S., China announce public-private health care partnership

In conjunction with the state visit to the U.S. by Chinese President Hu Jintao, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and several other federal agencies on Wednesday announced a new public-private health care partnership between the U.S. and China, Modern Healthcare reports (Blesch, 1/19).

21 Jan 2011

Dr. Kathleen receives NSF grant to measure how climate change will impact risk of malaria, dengue fever

Thanks to a $250,000 National Science Foundation grant we may soon know how climate change will impact our risk of malaria and dengue fever. Dr. Kathleen Schreiber, professor of geography at Millersville University of Pennsylvania, received the grant from the NSF sponsored Vector-Borne Disease Project to measure how environmental temperature change influences the transmission and disease risk of the two diseases.

19 Jan 2011

Organic milk best: Study

The latest research published by Newcastle University, UK has shown that organic milk contains less unhealthy fat, as well as a range of important healthy nutrients. It contains fewer chemicals and poses less risk for children to develop allergies and eczema. Organic milk is also rich in omega 3 fatty acids that re good for the heart. However it costs more. At least 60 per cent of the diet of organic cows has to be organically grown grass and its traditional derivatives — silage and hay.

18 Jan 2011

Media look at what's ahead for South Sudan

"This week's independence referendum in southern Sudan marks an apparent victory for U.S. foreign policy in east Africa - one that has secured for Washington a deeper advisory role in what is expected to be the birth of a new, impoverished nation," according to a Wall Street Journal article looking at the issues facing the U.S. in south Sudan after voting concludes.

18 Jan 2011

Scientists create GM chicken that does not spread bird flu to other chickens

"Scientists have developed genetically modified [GM] chickens that don't transmit bird flu [H5N1] to other chickens," HealthDay News/Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

18 Jan 2011

Report recommends new approaches for fighting world hunger

A new report from the Worldwatch Institute, a research organization, recommends focusing on new approaches to address world hunger, Nature's blog "The Great Beyond" reports.

18 Jan 2011

Opinions: U.S. HIV funding; Global fund accountability; World food supply

President Barack Obama's Global Health Initiative is "pitting AIDS against other diseases by making investments in new areas of global health contingent on flat funding for efforts to fight the HIV epidemic," HIV/AIDS advocate and Yale College student Gregg Gonsalves writes in a Washington Post opinion piece.

18 Jan 2011

USDA revises corn, soybean crop estimates driving up prices

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Wednesday "reported that last year's corn and soybean crop was smaller than its earlier estimates," Minnesota Public Radio reports. "As a result, prices for corn, soybeans and wheat are rising quickly, sparking concern about higher food prices" (Steil, 1/13).

14 Jan 2011

American Heart Association urges public to reduce salt intake

The American Heart Association today issued a call to action for the public, health professionals, the food industry and the government to intensify efforts to reduce the amount of sodium Americans consume daily.

14 Jan 2011

Reuters examines food prices in Africa

Reuters examines food prices in Africa after the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization last week said its global Food Price Index hit a record high. "The United Nations may have sounded the alarm about soaring global food prices, but in Africa a string of bumper harvests and a changing diet means the political fallout may be more muted than to past price bumps," the news service reports.

12 Jan 2011

Teenagers who consume excess sugar may face risk of developing heart disease

Teenagers who consume a lot of added sugars in soft drinks and foods may have poor cholesterol profiles — which may possibly lead to heart disease in adulthood, according to first-of-its-kind research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

11 Jan 2011