Flu that spread from wild birds to mink
A study published in the medical journal Eurosurveillance is raising global alarm as it suggests that the recent outbreak of avian flu on a Spanish mink farm stemmed from wild birds.
Seaweed – potential risks and new uses
The world is facing a significant food security crisis, with 2 billion people suffering from moderate or severe food insecurity. To address this issue, novel foods such as seaweeds are being explored as a potential solution to increase food yields and prevent global food shortages.
Heavy metals found in dark chocolate
According to research by the American consumer magazine Consumer Reports, dark chocolates may contain dangerous amounts of heavy metals.
Spices can be a serious source of lead intake in children
According to a research, contaminated spices were determined to be the second largest cause of lead poisoning in children in 2021 in Nebraska’s most populous county.
Poisonings in Australia due to consumption of poppy seed tea
37 people became sick across Australia after consuming home-brewed poppy seed tea. Many of them have been presented to hospital emergency departments. There have been cases requiring intensive care and a cardiac arrest involved.
Most meat from cattle grazing in flood pains too high in dioxins
Most meat from cattle living on Dutch river flood plains is too high in dioxins, making it unfit for consumption, Dutch food safety watchdog NVWA has found.
Risks of phthalates and their migration from food packaging materials
Phthalates are commonly used in plastic packaging as plasticizers and have been associated with several human health outcomes such as lower semen quality, neurodevelopmental effects, childhood asthma, Type 2 diabetes, as well as breast and uterine cancer. New studies evaluated phthalate leaching from food packaging, and their mixture risks.
Pheophorbides in seaweed products
Marine algae are widely used in food and feed. A number of risks have been identified in relation of their consumption, including pheophorbides.
Unknown viruses in melting permafrost
A team of Russian, German and French researchers have extracted and studied viruses from Siberian permafrost. Based on the study, scientists have re-animated 13 new pathogens, which they have dubbed "zombie viruses".
New processes to preserve and reduce the allergenicity of seafood
Some non-thermal processing methods can reduce the allergenicity of seafood. Electron beam irradiation (EBI) could be a new way of preserving seafood.