Is artisanal salt healthier than commercial salt?
Guest blogger, Henry Ko, health services researcher with SingHealth, Singapore, provides a personal commentary on issues raised by Mark Bitterman's book on salt: “Salted: A manifesto on the world’s most essential mineral, with recipes”. As a healthcare researcher with both professional and recreational interests in food, nutrition, and cooking, I was drawn to a book…
Chocolate Made in South Africa for homesick Brits?
This blog is about the weirdness of global trade… and the lengths (literally) we go for chocolate. The wrapper on my Marks & Spencer (M&S) valentine chocolates read: “Made with our exclusive British Milk chocolate recipe, Made in South Africa”. Incredibly, it seemed that a firm in South Africa (SA) was targeting local people with…
How alien species cost Europe €12bn a year
A report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) sets out the staggering cost of alien species – animals and plants brought to Europe from other parts of the world. The cost, and the threat to health and the environment, is said to be greater than expected, costing at least €12bn (£10bn) a year. More than…
Horse in burgers and the long tradition of adulterating food.
We don’t know yet how the horse DNA recently found in cheap burgers supplied by several supermarkets in the UK got there, whether by accident or deliberately but debasing or adulterating food by using something cheaper to bulk it out it is an ancient tradition. The incentive is great. A trader or producer who does…
A new Food Tank for 2013
At the start of this new year (as at the start of many previous years), I am making the resolutions of improving my diet and getting fitter with the aim of ending 2013 healthier than my current state! From this personal level, I was interested to read about the launch of Food Tank: The Food…
7,500 Years of Cheese Making in Europe
M Djuric, Dairy Science Editor Compelling evidence of cheese-making has been uncovered in prehistoric pottery sieves found in the Kuyavia region in Poland by researchers from Great Britain, Poland and the United States. The study has just been published online in Nature journal on 12 December 2012. An abundance of milk fats was detected in these specialized…
Pandemic influenza: lessons learned from 2009-10
Pandemics appear to have occurred throughout history, the first being recognized in 1580. Reviewing previous pandemics can give an indication of what might be expected, however nothing is certain - it is impossible to predict the next pandemic virus or its impact, as demonstrated by the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic.
Meeting the MDG 4 and 5 targets: Scratching below the surface to save lives of mothers and babies
From guest blogger: Sue Jacob, Student Services Advisor for Royal College of MIdwives, UK. AS the festive season approaches, a celebration linked to a particular birth at Christmas, midwives throughout the world will support women during the births of their babies. Whilst many mothers and babies survive childbirth, approximately 350,000 mothers die each year. The…
Global Meat Production Continues to Rise – Pork and Poultry Meat Are the Most Popular
Pork is still the most popular meat globally, followed closely by poultry meat. Global production of pork in 2011 was 109 million tons, accounting for 37% of the total meat, while poultry meat production reached 101 million tons, according to a recent report from the Worldwatch Institute These data represent a 0.8% annual decrease in pork…
Nodding syndrome raises its head
In a previous blog, Mystery disease outbreak in Ethiopia solved, I mentioned in passing Nodding Syndrome (NS), a neglected condition that is epidemiologically associated with onchocerciasis and affects children 5-15 years old. The syndrome causes epileptic seizures where the afflicted suffer from involuntary head nodding, usually triggered by food or cold. They end up severely…