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Animal medication studies may lead way in discovering new drugs to relieve human suffering

It's been known for decades that animals such as chimpanzees seek out medicinal herbs to treat their diseases. But in recent years, the list of animal pharmacists has grown much longer, and it now appears that the practice of animal self-medication is a lot more widespread than previously thought, according to a University of Michigan ecologist and his colleagues.

18 Apr 2013

Banning trans fat may prevent some of the world’s biggest killer diseases

Banning the use of trans fats in the preparation of foodstuffs is one of the most effective ways to prevent some of the world’s biggest killer diseases, but many governments are not taking such action because they do not think these bans work, according to a University of Sydney study published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization today.

4 Apr 2013

Phenylbutazone in horsemeat detected by Thermo Fisher Scientific test

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, recently mobilized its Food Safety Response Center (FSRC) to develop a method to test for the presence of the veterinary drug phenylbutazone in horsemeat. Phenylbutazone, also known as “bute,” is a potent painkiller banned in any horsemeat intended for human consumption.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 4 Apr 2013

International conference examines critical link between urbanization and food security

Food Security in a Rapidly Urbanizing World, the first international conference examining the critical link between urbanization and food security, will be held at the University of Pennsylvania from Wednesday, March 13, through Friday, March 15, 2013.

14 Mar 2013

Haiti fighting cholera by recycling human waste into fertilizer

The Guardian describes a program being run by Soil (Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods) in Haiti, in which human waste is being collected and recycled "into fertile soil, simultaneously helping to fight cholera and deforestation, and revive food production."

13 Mar 2013

New study reveals major contributors to China's pollution problem

It's no secret that China is faced with some of the world's worst pollution. Until now, however, information on the magnitude, scope and impacts of a major contributor to that pollution - human-caused nitrogen emissions - was lacking.

27 Feb 2013

Molecular genetics expert wins Wolf Prize for his contribution to humanity

Joachim Messing, among the world's top experts in molecular genetics, became famous for developing a genetic engineering technique used in laboratories to create plants that have produced disease-resistant crops considered vital to feeding the world's population.

30 Jan 2013

People from low socio-economic positions in Britain eat more salt than the well off

People from low socio-economic positions in Britain eat more salt than the well off, irrespective of where they live, states a paper led by Warwick Medical School published on Tuesday in the BMJ Open journal .

9 Jan 2013

Will private sector investment in food aid promote dependency?

Olivier De Schutter, the U.N. special rapporteur on the right to food, writes in a Guardian opinion piece, "In order to support investment in agriculture, governments have ... come to rely on private sector investment and development aid -- and increasingly a partnership of the two," and he notes "the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, proposed by U.S. President Barack Obama and the U.S. Agency for International Development and launched in May 2012, will draw more than $3 billion of private sector investment into food security plans in Africa."

14 Dec 2012

Experts discuss feeding world's growing population at London roundtable

IRIN summarizes a discussion among "agriculturalists, scientists, businessmen, lobbyists, and policymakers convened in London's Chatham House this week to debate how to feed the planet's growing population without degrading the earth's resources -- if such a thing is even possible."

14 Dec 2012

iTube device can detect allergens in food samples

Are you allergic to peanuts and worried there might be some in that cookie? Now you can find out using a rather unlikely source: your cell phone.

13 Dec 2012

Roundup: Conn. health care programs face $70M cut; Miss. abortion clinic again asks judge to block law that could force it to close

Connecticut's social services safety net and its public colleges and universities took the brunt Wednesday of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's first effort to whittle down a $363 million state budget deficit.

30 Nov 2012

Financial Times examines demographic, economic, policy changes affecting global food security

The Financial Times examines "a complex cocktail of demographic, economic, and policy changes that can be blamed for increased pressure on the food supply."

27 Nov 2012

Joint U.N. assessment finds better harvests in DPR Korea but warns undernutrition persists among 2.8M vulnerable people

"There has been an increase in staple food production in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) for the second year running, but undernutrition persists for nearly three million people, according to a new United Nations assessment released" Monday, the U.N. News Centre reports.

15 Nov 2012

Pig genes resemble human genes when associated with diabetes, obesity

Insights into the genetic code of pigs that reveal how the species evolved could improve the health of animals in future.

15 Nov 2012

U-M to study disparities in access to healthy food across Michigan

Researchers at the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment are leading a five-year, $4 million study of disparities in access to healthy food across the state.

8 Nov 2012

Malaysia hopes to solve nutrition transition problem

With health problems like obesity and diabetes on the rise due to changing diets in emerging economies, Malaysia is forging new linkages between domestic and international scientists and institutions in hopes of mitigating the problem.

3 Nov 2012

U.K. aid system exploits sub-Saharan Africa, disregards impact on poor

Noting a recent U.N. study showed that, despite progress on tackling child mortality globally, sub-Saharan Africa "is trailing far behind," David Dominic, a consultant for non-governmental organizations, writes in this Huffington Post U.K. opinion piece, "The more we look, the more it seems that the U.K. aid system, with regards to sub-Saharan Africa, is carefully designed to control and exploit the region, with scant regard for the impacts upon the poor. That is, aid seems to be used as a tool of modern imperialism."

25 Oct 2012

Insight into calcium pumps in cells

When animals and plants are exposed to influences such as bacterial attack, odour and cold, calcium ions flow into the cells. The calcium provides the cells with a signal about what is going on outside, but as high concentrations of calcium are toxic to the cells, it must be quickly pumped out again.

22 Oct 2012

Governments should focus 'scant resources' on food security before biofuels

"The latest calculations show that U.S. ethanol policies have increased the food bills of poor food-importing countries by more than $9 billion (£5.6 billion) since 2006," Olivier De Schutter, U.N. special rapporteur on the right to food, writes in the Guardian's "Poverty Matters" blog.

19 Oct 2012