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HealthBarn USA showcases its integrated curricula among educators and farmers at FBEA conference

HealthBarn USA®, www.healthbarnusa.com, a proven leader in healthy-lifestyle education for children and families, presented at the national Farm-Based Education Association (FBEA), www.farmbasededucation.org, conference in Tarrytown, NY held November 12-14, 2009.

17 Nov 2009

World Food Summit focuses on aiding agriculture in developing countries to fight hunger

Delegates at the World Summit on Food Security, which kicked off Monday, "rallied around a new strategy to fight global hunger and help poor countries feed themselves," the Associated Press reports.

16 Nov 2009

China Medicine reports total revenues of $19.2M for the third quarter of 2009

China Medicine Corporation, a developer and a leading distributor of prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, traditional Chinese medicines (TCM), nutritional and dietary supplements, and medical devices and medical formulations, today announced its third quarter 2009 results.

16 Nov 2009

Yongye International revenues increases 60.9% year-over-year in third quarter 2009

Yongye International, Inc. a leading manufacturer, developer and distributor of Shengmingsu brand plant and animal nutrient products in the People's Republic of China (PRC), today reported its financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2009.

16 Nov 2009

FDA files for permanent injunction against seafood processor Haifa Smoked Fish

The U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has filed a complaint for permanent injunction against seafood processor Haifa Smoked Fish Inc. of Jamaica, N.Y., and two of its top officers for violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

16 Nov 2009

Source of arsenic contamination of drinking water in Bangladesh found by MIT researchers

Researchers in MIT's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering believe they have pinpointed a pathway by which arsenic may be contaminating the drinking water in Bangladesh, a phenomenon that has puzzled scientists, world health agencies and the Bangladeshi government for nearly 30 years. The research suggests that human alteration to the landscape, the construction of villages with ponds, and the adoption of irrigated agriculture are responsible for the current pattern of arsenic concentration underground.

16 Nov 2009

Potential success of U.N. World Food Summit questioned

Next week's World Food Summit in Rome "is not likely to make more than token headway in the fight against hunger, with leaders merely pledging to boost aid to poor countries but setting no targets or deadlines for action," Reuters/New York Times reports.

16 Nov 2009

Food summit draft declaration omits hunger eradication deadline, aid commitment

"A declaration to be made at next week's world food summit in Rome will not mention a target to eradicate hunger by 2025 nor a commitment to spend $44 billion a year in agricultural aid, according to a final draft," Reuters reports (Aloisi, 11/12).

13 Nov 2009

Exposure to deadly bacteria can result in stillbirths

A new study shows the risk for severe effects of exposure to Listeria monocytogenes among susceptible populations may occur at doses lower than suggested by previous studies.

13 Nov 2009

Obama nominates Senior USDA official to lead USAID

President Barack Obama Tuesday announced the nomination of Rajiv Shah - a medical doctor who is currently a senior official at the Department of Agriculture focusing on food security - to lead USAID, the Boston Globe reports (Smith, 11/11).

12 Nov 2009

Food prices 'stubbornly high' in developing countries, report says

Food prices in developing nations continue to be "stubbornly high ... despite a strong cereal harvest this year, and 31 countries need emergency aid," the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in its "Crop Prospects and Food Situation" report released Tuesday ahead of next week's Rome World Summit on Food Security, Agence France-Presse reports.

11 Nov 2009

Also in global health news: RUTF; global hunger; preventing natural disasters; El Salvador floods

"Rich nations should do more to help vulnerable countries prepare for natural disasters if they want their stretched humanitarian funds to go further during the economic downturn, a report said Tuesday," Reuters/New York Times reports

11 Nov 2009

First draft of the cassava genome complete

A team of academic, government and industry researchers has completed a first draft of the cassava (Manihot esculenta) genome. The project is an important first step in accelerating the pace of research on this subsistence crop and addressing some of the many limitations that face cassava farmers around the world.

11 Nov 2009

Children with autism have slower pupil responses to light change: Study

Autism affects 1 in 150 children today, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined. Despite its widespread effect, autism is not well understood and there are no objective medical tests to diagnose it. Recently, University of Missouri researchers have developed a pupil response test that is 92.5 percent accurate in separating children with autism from those with typical development. In the study, MU scientists found that children with autism have slower pupil responses to light change.

11 Nov 2009

Occupational contact dermatitis and asthma are most common work-related health issues, says new research

Occupational contact dermatitis and asthma are two of the most common work-related health issues facing workers worldwide, according to experts presenting the latest research at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Miami Beach, Fla.

11 Nov 2009

AGRA, NEPAD agree to partnership to expand food security in Africa

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has entered into an "historic" partnership with the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) "to work towards increasing food production and food security in Africa," PEACE FM Online reports (11/9).

10 Nov 2009

MU continues ice cream research; scientists study how to add nutrients to frozen desserts

A comfort food, a tasty treat, an indulgence - ice cream conjures feelings of happiness and satisfaction for millions. Ice cream researchers at the University of Missouri have discovered ways to make ice cream tastier and healthier and have contributed to ice cream development and manufacturing for more than a century.

10 Nov 2009

New FDA Food Code published

The Food and Drug Administration today announced the publication of the new FDA Food Code, a model code and reference document that provides a scientifically sound technical and legal basis for regulating the retail and food service segment of the food industry. The 2009 FDA Food Code is a key component of the President's overall public-health-focused food safety framework for maintaining a safe food supply.

10 Nov 2009

Experts gather to outline the latest creative applications of DNA barcoding

The scientific ability to quickly and accurately identify species through DNA "barcoding" is being embraced and applied by a growing legion of global authorities - from medical and agricultural researchers to police and customs authorities to palaeontologists and others.

7 Nov 2009

Reuters examines China's involvement in fighting Malaria in Africa

Chinese scientists have been working on enhancing "the rare sweet wormwood shrub, from which artemisinin - the best drug to fight malaria - is derived" in an effort to fight malaria "not on its own soil, where the deadly disease has been sharply pruned back, but in Africa, where it still kills one child every 30 seconds," Reuters reports.

7 Nov 2009