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Salmonella Tennessee in Basic Food Flavors' HVP: FDA taking steps to protect consumers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking steps to protect the public following the early identification of Salmonella Tennessee in one company's supply of hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP). This is a common ingredient used most frequently as a flavor enhancer in many processed foods, including soups, sauces, chilis, stews, hot dogs, gravies, seasoned snack foods, dips and dressings.

6 Mar 2010

PCRM: Nutrition professionals need to use Power Plate graphic as healthful alternative to USDA Food Pyramid

Fill your plate with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes each day to keep the doctor away, say doctors and dietitians with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. The nonprofit organization is running a full-page advertisement in March's Today's Dietitian urging nutrition professionals to use its new Power Plate graphic as a healthful alternative to the USDA Food Pyramid.

6 Mar 2010

Study, conference highlight risks associated with migrant workers' limited access to health services

Despite being at high-risk for HIV infection, migrant workers in Southern Africa have a challenging time accessing HIV prevention and treatment services, according to a new study by the International Office of Migration (IOM), PANA/Afrique en ligne reports.

6 Mar 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

The WHO's March Bulletin is a special themed issue focusing on communicable diseases in Southeast Asia. The publication addresses tuberculosis, cholera, neglected tropical diseases and family planning in the region (March 2010).

6 Mar 2010

FDA takes steps to protect consumers from potential Salmonella infection

5 Mar 2010

Research reveals maple syrup and maple water contain abscisic acid

Thanks to modern science, the closely guarded secrets of one of our nation's most distinctive emblems, maple syrup, are now being revealed. It has recently been reported that maple syrup contains polyphenols and shows ORAC values which compare to commonly eaten fruits and vegetables such as broccoli.

5 Mar 2010

Sesame Workshop and AmeriChoice to develop bilingual education outreach program

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, and AmeriChoice, the UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company that provides health benefits for state and public programs, are partnering to develop a bilingual education outreach program aimed at helping low-income families make food choices that are affordable, nutritional and set the foundation for lifelong healthy habits.

4 Mar 2010

Study indicates climate change plays a role in malaria transmission

Climate change is one reason malaria is on the rise in some parts of the world, new research finds, but other factors such as migration and land-use changes are likely also at play. The research, published in The Quarterly Review of Biology, aims to sort out contradictions that have emerged as scientists try to understand why malaria has been spreading into highland areas of East Africa, Indonesia, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

4 Mar 2010

Increasing antibiotic resistance among soil microbes

A team of scientists in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are reporting disturbing evidence that soil microbes have become progressively more resistant to antibiotics over the last 60 years. Surprisingly, this trend continues despite apparent more stringent rules on use of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture, and improved sewage treatment technology that broadly improves water quality in surrounding environments. Their report appears in ACS' bi-weekly journal Environmental Science and Technology.

4 Mar 2010

Foodborne illness raises U.S healthcare costs

Acute foodborne illnesses cost the United States an estimated $152 billion per year in healthcare, workplace and other economic losses, according to a report published today by the Produce Safety Project (PSP).

4 Mar 2010

Soluble fiber in oats, apples and nuts reduces inflammation; strengthens immune system

A new University of Illinois study touts the benefits of soluble fiber-found in oats, apples, and nuts, for starters-saying that it reduces the inflammation associated with obesity-related diseases and strengthens the immune system.

3 Mar 2010

Study reveals most consumers are unclear about dietary nutrients

When it comes to dietary nutrients, most consumers don't know the whole story. A recent study by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy revealed that the fact that milk delivers much more than calcium to the diet is new "news" to consumers.

2 Mar 2010

Eliminating sugary beverages and junk foods from schools may help slow childhood obesity

New policies that eliminate sugary beverages and junk foods from schools may help slow childhood obesity, according to a San Francisco State University study released today and published in the March issue of the journal Health Affairs.

2 Mar 2010

Joint Chiefs Chair visits Haiti to examine aid response

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mike Mullen, who is President Barack Obama's top military adviser, visited Haiti over the weekend to examine relief and rebuilding efforts and meet with local leaders, Agence France-Presse reports. It was his first visit to the country after the earthquake, according to AFP.

2 Mar 2010

Consumption of animal products contaminated with mycotoxins affects human health

EUREKA project E! 3025 MONALISA has developed a new, completely natural alternative to using antibiotics in animal feed. Formerly used as growth promoters and to prevent the damaging effects of the fungal toxins which are often present in feed, antibiotics have been prohibited for use in animal feed in the EU since 2006 - creating a need for a new, effective antimycotoxic agent.

1 Mar 2010

Overturning EPA's endangerment finding: American Public Health Association, leading health organizations oppose

The American Public Health Association yesterday joined a dozen leading health organizations in urging the U.S. Senate to oppose a resolution introduced by Sen. Lisa Murkowski to overturn or block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's finding for six greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

27 Feb 2010

FDA may set patient safety regulations for health IT

The Huffington Post Investigative Fund: "In the past two years, the agency has received reports of six patient deaths and several dozen injuries linked to malfunctions in the systems, Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in testimony prepared for a government hearing on Thursday. ... The FDA has been studying the issue for several years. Its latest concerns are surfacing as the government ramps up an ambitious plan to spend as much as $27 billion in stimulus money helping doctors and hospitals across the country purchase electronic medical records systems that rely on digital software rather than paper medical charts."

25 Feb 2010

Nominations accepted for 2010 George Washington Carver Award

The third annual George Washington Carver Award will recognize significant contributions by an individual to the field of industrial biotechnology, including applications in biological engineering, environmental science, biorefining and biobased products. The Biotechnology Industry Organization today announced that it is accepting nominations for the 2010 George Washington Carver Award, which will be presented at the 2010 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing, June 27-30, 2009 in Washington, D.C.

24 Feb 2010

Impact of global warming on food prices would likely to drive many into poverty

The impact of global warming on food prices and hunger could be large over the next 20 years, according to a new Stanford University study. Researchers say that higher temperatures could significantly reduce yields of wheat, rice and maize - dietary staples for tens of millions of poor people who subsist on less than $1 a day.

21 Feb 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

The Infectious Diseases Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog examines U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby's recent address to the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) where he reemphasized the Obama administration's commitment to "'maintaining, extending and increasing' the U.S. response to global AIDS." Goosby reflected on the lessons drawn from PEPFAR to date and presented components of the 5-year PEPFAR strategy, the blog notes.

20 Feb 2010