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Bits of plastic in Lean Cuisine meals bring recall

The recall notice was issued Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and affects about 10,260 pounds of frozen spaghetti and meatballs. Food maker Nestle, in its statement, says the affected packages were produced in October. The health risk associated with this recall is low, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service explained. If the product is consumed, there is only a remote probability of adverse health consequences.

15 Mar 2011

Emergency responders, insurers, communicators must factor overconfidence into disaster preparations

Past random good fortune can lull a person into a sense of security when it comes to buying flood insurance or deciding whether to evacuate from a hurricane, according to new research. Studies of both professional risk experts and the general public showed people who had experienced a “near-miss” event related to flooding or a potential hurricane, instead of taking extra precautions when faced with possible future disasters, actually behave less protectively.

15 Mar 2011

U.S., S. Korea in talks over how to respond to food aid request by N. Korea

The U.S. continues to evaluate whether to resume food aid to North Korea amid reports of food shortages in the country, Agence France-Presse reports.

15 Mar 2011

Budget cuts could damage Obama administration's plans to beef up State Department, USAID

Due to Congress' proposals to cut spending for the State Department, the Obama administration is increasingly looking toward new funding mechanisms, referred to as blended funds, that pull from Defense Department budgets for activities in Iraq and Afghanistan, CQ reports.

15 Mar 2011

Radiation exposure explained

Amidst threat of major nuclear accident in Japan, people are in a state of panic worldwide said Jerrold Bushberg, a medical physicist at UC Davis. Bushberg said Americans do not have a good knowledge of the science of radiation and tend to over-exaggerate the risks.

14 Mar 2011

New book on toxins

Toxins are a burning issue. A straightforward guide to a closer understanding of toxins in our daily lives is published by Wiley. The Dose Makes the Poison: A Plain-Language Guide to Toxicology, 3rd Edition cuts through the fear generated by the media, which leads to a distortion in many people's conceptions of toxins and chemicals.

14 Mar 2011

Home genetic tests need medical supervision: Expert panel

According to an advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, genetic tests sold directly to consumers that might help to predict health risks may need to be supplied through doctors. An official, Alberto Gutierrez, director of the FDA office that regulates diagnostic screening tools reported that the Molecular and Clinical Genetics Advisory Panel concluded two days of hearings on the increasingly popular tests and had come to this resolution.

14 Mar 2011

Red Cross responds to the worst earthquake in Japan's history

The Red Cross is responding to a powerful 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan overnight. The earthquake, the worst in Japan's history, has triggered a tsunami warning across 20 countries along the Pacific coast.

11 Mar 2011

Study: Dog-walking can help increase physical activity in adults

Man's best friend may provide more than just faithful companionship: A new study led by a Michigan State University researcher shows people who owned and walked their dogs were 34 percent more likely to meet federal benchmarks on physical activity.

11 Mar 2011

GSK announces new NovaMin-containing dental formulation for sensitive teeth

This year, for the first time, millions of Americans will be protecting their sensitive teeth with NovaMin in everyday dental products. Co-inventor Gary Hack, DDS, couldn't be happier.

11 Mar 2011

Opinions: Cuts to U.S. foreign aid; sustainable agriculture to feed the world; gender gap in agriculture

The U.S.' "influence and strength depend far more on convincing and enabling the peoples of the world to look to us as a partner for prosperity and security," Truman National Security Project Fellow Michael Lieberman writes in a Huffington Post opinion piece reflecting on House Republican's continuing resolution proposal to reduce foreign aid spending.

10 Mar 2011

Future Medicine launches Neuropsychiatry

Future Medicine Ltd has today announced the launch of Neuropsychiatry – a new bimonthly title addressing all the latest trends in the field, from R&D through to clinical application and management, presenting research, findings, analysis and commentaries from experts around the world. Neuropsychiatry is published by Future Medicine Ltd (UK, London) renowned for its collection of journals providing healthcare practitioners and research professionals with a unique source of objective, cutting-edge information on exciting trends emerging in light of advances in medicine, healthcare and clinical practice.

10 Mar 2011

USDA certifies O.N.E. Organic Coconut Water as 100% organic

O.N.E., One Natural Experience, a leading producer of all-natural healthy Coconut Water beverages, announced today that it is the first and only mainstay premium coconut water brand to be certified 100% organic for its 11.2 oz. and 1 liter pure Coconut Water offerings.

10 Mar 2011

Ecological farming methods can boost food production in developing countries, U.N. report says

If developing nations shift to using ecological agriculture methods, which rely more on organic and sustainable practices rather than the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, they "can double food production within a decade," according to a study by Olivier De Schutter, the U.N. special rapporteur on the right to food, released on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

10 Mar 2011

Tobacco display ban in England

Starting from 2015 all public displays of tobacco are to be banned in England said the Department of Health. This has made shopkeepers and cigarette manufacturers more than unhappy. However Health Secretary Andrew Lansley refuses to yield. It is suggested that this move will make less youngsters take up the habit.

9 Mar 2011

U.S. providing $30m for situation in Libya as U.N. appeals for $160m for humanitarian needs

The U.S. will provide an additional $15 million to relief groups helping people who are stuck or fleeing the unrest in Libya, State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said on Monday, Sapa-Agence France-Presse/Times LIVE reports.

9 Mar 2011

New report outlines positive impact of ending poverty

According to a new report released by the Health Promotion Clearinghouse, ending poverty is not only possible, it is necessary. "The report outlines the positive impact that ending poverty would have for everybody," says Caroline Ploem, Executive Director of the Health Promotion Clearinghouse.

9 Mar 2011

FAO report says reducing gender gap in agriculture could help increase food supplies worldwide

Increasing women's access to land, technology and other agricultural resources could significantly reduce the number of hungry people worldwide, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said on Monday in a report, the Associated Press/FoxNews.com reports.

8 Mar 2011

New concerns over prescription narcotics use

Over fifty Australian general practitioners have come under the scanner as part of a national crackdown on inappropriate prescribing of narcotics. The three-month campaign is being carried out by the Medicare following high levels of prescriptions for drugs such as OxyContin and OxyNorm. One GP has been found to be writing over 90 per cent of their prescriptions for narcotics. There are further concerns that the painkillers are being resold on the black market.

7 Mar 2011

Plant distillation waste can increase yield, essential oil content in peppermint, spearmint

When essential oils are extracted from plants through the process of steam distillation, wastewater is produced and subsequently released into rivers and streams. Finding new uses for these unused by-products could benefit essential oil crop growers and processors as well as the environment.

7 Mar 2011