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Communication between bacterial cells

To each other: by using signal substances they inform their neighbours as to whether or not it is worth switching certain genes on or off.

4 Apr 2007

New research agreement to boost rice production, avoid food shortages in Indonesia

Efforts by Indonesia to avoid food shortages by increasing its rice production have received an important boost with the signing of a new agreement to help the nation's millions of poor rice farmers with new technologies.

3 Apr 2007

Biobased alternative for critical component of many polymer products

Virginia Tech chemists are looking for biobased alternatives and environmentally friendly reaction pathways to replace a toxic intermediate that is a critical component of many polymer products.

3 Apr 2007

FDA releases final report on 2006 E.coli spinach outbreak

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and California's Department of Health Services (CDHS) have released a joint report on an extensive investigation into the causes of an E.coli O157:H7 outbreak last fall that was associated with contaminated Dole brand Baby Spinach and resulted in 205 confirmed illnesses and three deaths.

27 Mar 2007

Why people eat the foods they do

People purchase foods based on their income level, their belief in a food's health benefit and cost. However, ethnicity and gender also impact people's food choices, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

27 Mar 2007

Flu pandemic could cost U.S. $683 billion

Trust for America's Health (TFAH) released a new report today that finds a severe pandemic flu outbreak could result in the second worst recession in the U.S. since World War II. The U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) could drop over 5.5 percent, leading to an estimated $683 billion loss.

22 Mar 2007

Guide to minimize microbial food safety hazards of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today published a draft final guidance advising processors of fresh-cut produce how to minimize microbial food safety hazards common to the processing of most fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, which are often sold to consumers in a ready-to-eat form.

12 Mar 2007

Fishing communities in some developing countries highly affected by HIV/AIDS

Fishing communities in some developing countries have higher HIV prevalences, as well as AIDS-related illnesses and mortality rates, than other populations, primarily because of travel and a custom of trading sex for fish, according to a report released on Monday by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the SAPA/Cape Argus reports.

8 Mar 2007

Senate hearing to debate junk food in schools

Tomorrow the Senate Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on school nutrition issues, a move that the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) says signals new hope for strong, national action to get junk food out of schools.

5 Mar 2007

FDA approval for new cattle antibiotic will cause controversy

According to reports the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States is about to approve the use of another antibiotic in cattle.

4 Mar 2007

Bird flu in Kuwait

Health officials in Kuwait have confirmed 20 cases of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in the small oil-rich state.

27 Feb 2007

Diet rich in black soya beans could help control weight, lower fat and cholesterol levels

Yellow soya has already been hailed for its cholesterol lowering capabilities; this is one of the reasons why frozen food manufacturer Birds Eye has added the beans to its range. However, a team of Korean researchers has shown that black soya may be even more potent in rats, and also prevents weight gain.

26 Feb 2007

Entire genetic blueprints of more than 2,000 human and avian influenza viruses completed and made public

The Influenza Genome Sequencing Project, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), announced today that it has achieved a major milestone.

21 Feb 2007

Food scare number 4 this week - chicken breast meat

In yet another food scare in the United States a nationwide recall of 52,650 pounds of Oscar Mayer ready to eat chicken breast strips is suspected to be contaminated.

19 Feb 2007

Healthier wines

A new technique that uses ozone to preserve grapes could help prevent allergies and boost healthy compounds at the same time, reports Jennifer Rohn in Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the Society of Chemical Industry.

12 Feb 2007

British bird flu - who's to blame?

The Hungarian Agriculture Ministry has admitted that turkey meat from a plant near the site of a Hungarian bird flu outbreak was sold to various parts of Europe including Britain.

12 Feb 2007

Scientists baffled by strange illness killing colonies of honeybees

Scientists across the United States are baffled by a strange illness which appears to kill honeybees by the thousands.

12 Feb 2007

Mad cow disease appears again in Canadian cattle

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says there has been another case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Canadian cattle.

12 Feb 2007

Death toll at 65 as two more Indonesians die from bird flu

Indonesian health officials say a 20-year-old woman who tested positive for bird flu has died, making her the country's 64th human victim of the deadly H5N1 virus.

11 Feb 2007

South Africa starts major HIV/AIDS vaccine trial

The launch of the first large-scale study to evaluate a candidate HIV vaccine on the African continent was announced today by study collaborators in the United States and South Africa. The trial will involve up to 3,000 participants at five sites throughout South Africa and is expected to continue for four years.

11 Feb 2007