Food Production News and Research

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Other types of E. coli shouldn't be ignored

While many of us are worried about E. coli 0157 in our food supply, a pre-harvest food safety expert at Kansas State University cautions that other types of E. coli shouldn't go ignored.

27 Feb 2008

Researchers examine animal antibiotic resistance, possible human link

It's bad enough when pathogenic bacteria work their way into the animal food supply.

20 Feb 2008

Expert says obesity is as big a threat to the planet as climate change

As the latest statistics estimate that worldwide one billion adults are overweight, and a third of those are obese, an expert has stated that the issue must be regarded with the same urgency as climate change.

19 Feb 2008

Massive beef recall in the U.S. of meat for school lunch programs

A slaughterhouse in the United States has been accused of mistreating cows and forced to recall 143 million pounds of beef, the biggest beef recall yet in U.S. history.

18 Feb 2008

Metabolic syndrome linked to climate

Researchers from the University of Chicago have discovered that many of the genetic variations that have enabled human populations to tolerate colder climates may also affect their susceptibility to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of related abnormalities such as obesity, elevated cholesterol levels, heart disease, and diabetes.

17 Feb 2008

Study confirms that low-calorie sweeteners are helpful in weight control

A recent review of the scientific literature concluded that low-calorie (or no-calorie) sweeteners may be of help in resolving the obesity problem.

11 Feb 2008

FDA says meat from cloned animals is safe but not everyone agrees

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has announced that meat from cloned animals is safe for human consumption.

16 Jan 2008

Biotechnology Industry Organization supports FDA's safety conclusions on animal cloning

Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Greenwood today issued the following statement in response to a risk assessment published today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the safety of milk and meat products from cloned animals and their offspring:

15 Jan 2008

FDA says meat and milk from animal clones safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals

After years of detailed study and analysis, the Food and Drug Administration has concluded that meat and milk from clones of cattle, swine, and goats, and the offspring of clones from any species traditionally consumed as food, are as safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals. There was insufficient information for the agency to reach a conclusion on the safety of food from clones of other animal species, such as sheep.

15 Jan 2008

Poultry workers at greater risk of carrying antibiotic-resistant E. coli

Poultry workers in the United States are 32 times more likely to carry E. coli bacteria resistant to the commonly used antibiotic, gentamicin, than others outside the poultry industry, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

18 Dec 2007

Human to human spread of bird flu suspected in China

Health authorities in China have announced that the father of a man who died from the H5N1 strain of bird flu last week also has the lethal virus.

9 Dec 2007

FDA launches e-mail alert system

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced a new e-mail service that alerts subscribers whenever information is updated on certain FDA Web pages.

3 Dec 2007

FDA boosts Food Emergency Response Network

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) today announced the award of three lab grants, designed to boost the food screening capabilities and spot radioactive material in food, resulting from deliberate or accidental contamination.

19 Nov 2007

Future European food supplies

Food has never been more of a global commodity than it is today. But there is an urgent need to understand the problems that face future European food supplies within this global market. And so scientists and policy makers gathered in Budapest last week to push for a more holistic approach to the study of what Europeans eat.

19 Nov 2007

Remote sensing technology used to predict future pandemics

With the help of 14 satellites currently in orbit and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Applied Sciences Program, scientists have been able to observe the Earth's environment to help predict and prevent infectious disease outbreaks around the world.

6 Nov 2007

Specialists in infectious disease and global health convene at Philadelphia meeting

Nearly 2,500 physicians and scientists from institutions around the world such as the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health will meet at the 56th American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene's Annual Meeting on Nov. 4-8, in Philadelphia to discuss the latest research on infectious diseases and bioterrorist and global health threats.

24 Oct 2007

Influence of poverty upon health in PLoS Medicine

Everything published by PLoS Medicine is Open Access: freely available for anyone to read, download, redistribute and otherwise use, as long as the authorship is properly attributed.

23 Oct 2007

Researchers take on E. coli 0157 and salmonella

Understanding the ecology of two dangerous foodborne pathogens and devising ways to combat them is a big job.

17 Oct 2007

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