Food Safety News and Research

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Health care reform should tackle food safety

Linda Rivera’s excruciating case of food poisoning (Severe Case Gives Context to Issue of Food Safety Washington Post 9/1/09) should shine some light on a crucial reality that is missing from most health care reform plans: you can’t fix America’s health care unless you provide Americans with a safe food supply.

10 Sep 2009

New website launched on food safety

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, the co-chairs of the Obama Administration’s Food Safety Working Group, unveiled a new consumer Web site today at www.foodsafety.gov. The site is designed to help consumers and families get all the latest information on food safety and food recalls in one convenient place.

10 Sep 2009

Americans support federal government for enacting new food safety measures

Among likely voters surveyed across the nation, about 9 in 10 support the federal government adopting additional food safety measures, and 64 percent believe that imported foods are often or sometimes unsafe, according to a new Pew-commissioned poll by the bipartisan team of Hart Research and Public Opinion Strategies.

9 Sep 2009

Foodborne illnesses could be tackled with FDA's Reportable Food Registry

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a new way to head off potential cases of foodborne illness - the Reportable Food Registry (RFR), where food industry officials must use to alert the FDA quickly, through an electronic portal when they find their products might sicken or kill people or animals. The requirement, a result of legislation, took effect with the launch of the portal.

9 Sep 2009

Thermo Fisher Scientific receives Ringier Technology Innovation Award

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO), the world leader in serving science, today announced that it has received a Ringier Technology Innovation Award for its role in helping Chinese laboratories quickly develop melamine detection capabilities following the discovery of melamine-tainted milk and infant formula in China. The award was presented by Ringier Trade Publishing, which publishes China's leading food industry magazine, Food Manufacturing Journal.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 9 Sep 2009

Study calls for compelling messages to induce washing of hands

"Many students say they routinely wash their hands," said Douglas Powell, an associate professor of food safety at Kansas State University. "But even in an outbreak situation, many students simply don't."

5 Sep 2009

Increased consumer preference of walnut due to its alpha-linolenic acid content

The 2009 walnut harvest, currently underway in the California Central Valley, is estimated to be 415,000 short tons according to USDA NASS California Field Office estimates, a number which will be confirmed in February 2010. Overall, the California walnut crop has increased by 74% since 2000, though the current estimate is 4.4% lighter than last year's record crop of 434,301 short tons.

5 Sep 2009

College students need a variety of messages to practice good hand hygiene

The path to poor hand sanitation is paved with good intentions, according to researchers from Kansas State and North Carolina State Universities.

5 Sep 2009

National Pasteurized Eggs opens new state-of-the-art egg pasteurizing plant

In tandem with the Food and Drug Administration's quest to dramatically reduce Salmonella-related food poisoning, National Pasteurized Eggs (NPE) www.SafeEggs.com, the country's largest shell egg pasteurizer, opened a new state-of-the-art plant that more than doubles its production and expands Americans' access to eggs free from dangerous egg-related Salmonella-enteritidis.

3 Sep 2009

Iowa voters are less confident in the safety of food sold in the U.S.

Ninety percent of voting Iowans believe the government should be given additional authority to ensure the food they eat does not make them sick, according to a new poll commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts and conducted by Hart Research and Public Opinion Strategies.

3 Sep 2009

Waters exhibits the SYNAPT G2 system at the 18th International Mass Spectrometry Conference in Europe

Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) today exhibited for the first time in Europe the Waters((R)) SYNAPT(TM) G2 a system offering scientists greater power, versatility and speed at the 18(th) International Mass Spectrometry Conference (IMSC). Rounding out its display of mass spectrometry (MS) and UltraPerformance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC((R)))/MS systems at IMSC will be Waters Xevo(TM) family of tandem quadrupole and time-of-flight mass spectrometers noted for their ease-of-use and versatility.

27 Aug 2009

Myths and facts about food safety explained

Recipes can be handed down from generation to generation and so can myths surrounding food safety -- sometimes with sickening consequences. September is National Food Safety Education Month and the Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE), in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is marking the occasion with an outreach to consumers aimed at debunking four common food safety myths.

27 Aug 2009

Consumer Reports covers issues pertaining to the efficacy and safety of prescription and non-prescription drugs

Consumer Reports and ConsumerReportsHealth.org cover issues pertaining to the efficacy and safety of prescription and non-prescription drugs (including natural medicines), mental health, diet and nutrition, food safety, and fitness.

26 Aug 2009

PuriCore reduces operating expenses by 14% in H1 2009 when compared with H1 2008

PuriCore (LSE: PURI), the life sciences company focused on developing and commercializing proprietary, green solutions that safely, effectively, and naturally kill infectious pathogens without causing harm to human health or the environment, today announces its interim results for the six months ending June 30, 2009. An H1 2009 Operating and Financial Report and detailed financial results are available here at PuriCore’s website.

25 Aug 2009

USDA donates funds for teaching food safety awareness to AIDS patients

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health have received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to educate AIDS patients on food safety.

25 Aug 2009

User-friendly programme developed to monitor trends in food alerts

The growth in world population along with the urbanisation of developing countries is placing undue demands on global food supplies. Key challenges include production, transportation and also maintaining food safety and security.

19 Aug 2009

Mandatory folic acid fortification may be unnecessary

Persistently present levels of unmetabolized folic acid found in the population indicate that introducing mandatory food fortification may result in an ‘overdosing’ effect. A study of blood donors, new mothers and babies, published in the open access journal BMC Public Health, has found that most already get enough folic acid from voluntarily fortified foods.

17 Aug 2009

J. Craig Venter Institute offers new Affymetrix array for faster identification of E. coli and shigella

Affymetrix, Inc. and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)-supported Pathogen Functional Genomics Resource Center (PFGRC) at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) today announced the launch of the Affymetrix FDA-ECSG custom microarray for identifying and discriminating between different strains of E. coli and Shigella.

6 Aug 2009

Even while considering major overhaul, Democrats expand government role in public health

"As if hedging their bets on health reform, Democrats are emphasizing smaller but still significant health-related investments this year, from food safety and community health centers to a greater emphasis on rooting out abuses in Medicare and Medicaid," Politico reports.

6 Aug 2009

China-Biotics applies for patents on new probiotic formulations

China-Biotics, Inc. today announced it has submitted applications for four patents to the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China.

31 Jul 2009