Food Safety News and Research

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Consumer perceptions of the safety, health, and environmental impact of various scales and geographic origin of food supply chains

A recent survey shows that American consumers are skeptical about the safety of the global food system and many believe that local foods are safer and better for their health than foods from afar.

29 Sep 2007

Public awareness of nanotech stuck at low level

National survey findings released indicate that Americans' awareness of nanotechnology remains low.

26 Sep 2007

Calls for ban on food additives in Britain

The Food Standards Agency (FSA), which is the UK's food watchdog has promised the public that it will clarify it's advice on food additives.

24 Sep 2007

Food safety act calls for inspections on produce farms

Legislation introduced by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) would establish a national program to assure the safety of fresh produce.

20 Sep 2007

Microwaves used to predict fat content in meat products

Microwaves used for zapping instant meals can also be used to determine the fat and salt content of supermarket food, according to research carried out at two Manchester universities.

From The University of Manchester 20 Sep 2007

Study finds gap between consumer knowledge, food safety practices

Though consumers are now more aware of the appropriate steps to take to prevent illness when preparing and handling food, many are not putting that knowledge into practice, according to a new study conducted by researchers at RTI International for the Partnership for Food Safety Education, commonly known as Fight BAC!

13 Sep 2007

Irish study to look at how bacteria, Yersinia enterocolitica, enters the food chain

Monitoring of pig carcasses and pig meat in slaughterhouses, butchers' premises and retail outlets will be undertaken in Ireland over the next two years in an attempt to determine how a human disease causing bacteria, Yersinia enterocolitica, enters the food chain, scientists announced today (Tuesday 4 September 2007) at the Society for General Microbiology's 161st Meeting at the University of Edinburgh, UK, which runs from 3-6 September 2007.

4 Sep 2007

Hepatitis E virus in Europe

Hepatitis E virus infections can be fatal in pregnant women, but until recently doctors thought the disease was confined to China, India and developing countries.

4 Sep 2007

Leafy greens and E. coli

The rise in year-round consumption of fresh leafy greens such as lettuce and baby spinach is increasing the difficulty of keeping produce free from contamination by food poisoning bacteria, according to US scientists speaking at the Society for General Microbiology's 161st Meeting at the University of Edinburgh, UK, which runs from 3-6 September 2007.

3 Sep 2007

Another U.S. food scare for ground beef and E.coli

Consumers in the United States have been issued yet another warning about contaminated food.

3 Sep 2007

How does Listeria monocytogenes survive with nothing to live on?

Try going for a couple of weeks without food and see what shape you're in, or if you're around at all by then. Let some dangerous bacteria do the same thing and there's a chance they may do more than survive; they can grow stronger and remain as virulent as ever.

29 Aug 2007

Natural antimicrobial agents for food safety

Two items high on the list of public concerns are the need for greater food safety and a growing demand for natural or organic food products.

22 Aug 2007

Acrylamide not linked to breast cancer in US women

Foods that contain acrylamide are unlikely to cause breast cancer in women, according to preliminary results of a new study involving 100,000 U.S. women.

22 Aug 2007

E.coli scare in UK now affects nine people

The E.coli outbreak in Paisley, Scotland has now affected nine people; one woman has died and three more remain in a serious condition while the other five are said to be recovering.

20 Aug 2007

FDA takes action against Iowa Dairy

A Complaint and Consent Decree of Permanent Injunction were filed Wednesday, August 8 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, Western Division, against Ysselstein Dairy Inc., Rock Valley, Iowa, and its owner and president, Sjerp W. Ysselstein, after illegal drug residues were found in the dairy's cows.

11 Aug 2007

Foodborne illness and fresh produce

Once was the day that beef was considered a primary source of foodborne illness.

2 Aug 2007

Fiets that fit individuals' health profiles

It could be decades before science can accurately measure the body's systems to determine which foods, in what quantities and combinations, will best combat against disease and illness, experts say.

2 Aug 2007

Consumer food trends

Rose petals and orange blossoms are turning up in yogurt and the newest drinks touting antioxidants double as high-octane cocktail mixers.

2 Aug 2007

Baby boomers are starting to feel the aches, pains and weight gain of aging

Because they, like others, want to feel younger for longer, food companies and food researchers are striving to meet their needs. Increased amounts of nutritional supplements and antioxidants, including calcium, vitamin D and zinc, can slow the rate of age-related disease and increase the number of healthy years, according Jeffrey Blumberg, a nutrition scientist at Tufts University and speaker here at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting & Food Expo.

1 Aug 2007

Safer fresh produce

Approximately one year after a foodborne illness outbreak caused by bacteria on fresh spinach sickened hundreds across the country, fresh produce growers and processors will meet once again with U.S. regulatory agencies to determine how best to reduce the chances of such an outbreak happening again.

1 Aug 2007