Feature Channels: Food and Water Safety

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An international team of researchers says climate change, the loss of biosphere integrity, land-system change, and altered biogeochemical cycles like phosphorus and nitrogen runoff have all passed beyond levels that put humanity in a “safe operating space.” Civilization has crossed four of nine so-called planetary boundaries as the result of human activity, according to a report published today in Science by the 18-member research team.

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Production of wheat, one of the world's most important food crops, will decline as temperatures increase, a finding made possible by pooling computer models worldwide, in a study led by a UF/IFAS researcher.

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Andrea Dietrich, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, and her colleague Gary A. Burlingame of the Philadelphia Water Department, are calling for a critical review and rethinking of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) secondary standards for maintaining consumers’ confidence in tap water as well as in its sensory quality.

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A little label is causing a big stir among the U.S., Canada and Mexico, but research from Kansas State University finds the majority of consumers don't even know it exists.

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The start of a new year offers the opportunity to reflect and consider what you can do to make your life happier and healthier. Resolve to be food safe in 2015 and reduce your risk of food poisoning with tips from Home Food Safety, a public awareness campaign from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and ConAgra Foods.

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UT Southwestern Medical Center microbiologists have identified key bacteria in the gut whose resources are hijacked to spread harmful foodborne E. coli infections and other intestinal illnesses.

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While Floridians believe they do a fairly good job of keeping themselves safe from foodborne illnesses, they aren’t always clear about which foods, preparation techniques or cooking methods pose the biggest risks.

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Ensuring a safe food and water supply is the responsibility of consumers, health professionals, government and industry alike, according to an updated position paper from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The position paper recommends that registered dietitian nutritionists be active participants in creating a “global food safety culture.”

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Whether you cook all your food for the week on Sunday or have extra food left at the end of a meal—for many families, leftovers are key to solving the problem of "what's for dinner." Meals like pastas, soups, chili, and other home-cooked meals can easily be reheated for lunch at the office the next day or packed in a heat-insulated thermos for kids' lunches.

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Dr. Suresh D. Pillai said electron beam technology could be much safer and more cost effective to sanitize ebola virus contaminated equipment and wastewater.

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An electronic "tongue" could one day sample food and drinks as a quality check before they hit store shelves. Or it could someday monitor water for pollutants or test blood for signs of disease.

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A new documentary, “Raising Shrimp,” has been named an official selection of the Blue Ocean Film Festival, where it will screen on Nov. 6. It explores aquaculture and its impacts, particularly environmental concerns of shrimp farming and what consumers should know about this most popular seafood.

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A University of Florida professor has developed a quick, cheap and easy way to filter from water one of the world’s most common pollutants: arsenic.

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Patches of soaked soil act as hot spots for microbes removing nitrogen from groundwater and returning it to the atmosphere.The discovery provides insight into forest health and water quality, say researchers from Virginia Tech and Cornell.

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Southern California water agencies have turned to new pricing structures, expanded rebate programs and implemented other means to encourage their customers to reduce consumption. Some of those policies have greatly reduced per capita consumption, while others have produced mixed results.

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A University of Florida food scientist has removed 80 percent of allergens from whole peanuts, moving him a step closer to eliminating 99.9 percent of peanut allergens.

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There's an old saying: "Don't drink the water." But a UF/IFAS scientist warns Americans not to drink water from plastic bottles if it's been sitting in a warm environment for a long time. Lena Ma led a research team in China that examined 16 bottled water brands at 158 degrees for four weeks.

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A three-continent research consortium is evaluating a novel environmental crowdsourcing technique for assessing water quality in India. The technique relies on 53-cent test kits and the nation’s ubiquitous mobile phone service.

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A pharmacologist warns that if you are raising chickens in your backyard, don't consume their eggs if the animals have been taking medication.

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A study has pinpointed the likely source of most natural gas contamination in drinking-water wells associated with hydraulic fracturing, and it’s not the source many people may have feared.

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Andrea Dietrich and Amanda Sain of Virginia Tech’s Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering estimated that 50 percent of the population taste threshold for manganese II in water, the simplest ionic manganese oxide, to be more than 1000 times the current EPA allowable level. Their findings appear in the Journal of the American Water Works Association, and they are now looking into possible secondary pollution issues with the release of manganese in air through its use in humidifiers.

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To offer solutions to pressing food fraud issues, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC) today submitted written and oral comments to the Presidential Task Force on Combatting Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing and Seafood Fraud (NOAA-NMFS-0214-0090).

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A study on multiple countries finds that food safety education is lacking. Improving education about food-handling practices may decrease foodborne illness, thus improving food security.

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The Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC) just released a new report in the peer-reviewed journal, Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, that evaluates and compares the traceability regulations of 21 Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) countries. One of its main findings is that European Union countries ranked highest when it comes to global food traceability regulations and requirements.

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The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC) today issued a guidance document on the best practices in food traceability. This document provides a comprehensive framework for six food industry sectors—bakery, dairy, meat and poultry, processed foods, produce and seafood—and summarizes the similarities and differences among them in regards to traceability. Given the complexity of the global food system, guidance on improving traceability practices across the entire food industry is a challenge.

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When it comes to back-to-school safety, you cover the basics vigilantly, such as teaching kids to avoid strangers, buckling them in the car and providing appropriate safety gear when they play sports. But have you considered taking as much care when it comes to packing lunch boxes? An improperly packed school lunch can lead to spoiled food and a missed meal at best or food-borne illness at worst.

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As the Food and Drug Administration mulls over whether to rein in the use of common antibacterial compounds that are causing growing concern among environmental health experts, scientists are reporting today that many pregnant women and their fetuses are being exposed to these substances. They will present their work at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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For the millions of adults and children in the U.S. who have to shun nuts to avoid an allergic reaction, help could be on the way. Scientists are now developing a way to process cashews — and potentially other nuts — that could make them safer for people who are allergic to them. They’re presenting their work at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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A new ultra-sensitive, low-cost and portable system for detecting mercury in environmental water has been developed by University of Adelaide researchers.

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Scientists from the Weizmann Institute and the U.S. created a tool to analyze the environmental costs of agriculture, with the goal of determining which types of animal-based food one should eat, environmentally speaking. In the most comprehensive study of its kind, they came up with answers both expected and surprising.

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A paper co-written by an Indiana University researcher describes how households can reduce water use substantially by simple actions such as installing more efficient appliances and changing day-to-day habits.

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Iowa State University researchers are targeting leafy greens in an effort to protect older adults from foodborne illnesses. Leafy greens are a common source of contamination and older adults are often most susceptible to severe illness or death.

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From the grocery aisle to the TV dial, health and safety claims about foods and their ingredients are dominating conversation, often scaring consumers away from many products and ingredients. The new Cornell University study, “Ingredient-based food fears and avoidance: antecedents and antidotes” published in the journal Food Quality and Preference, investigated food fears – why people have them and what can be done to correct misconceptions.

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Scientists have identified a potential Achilles’ heel for Salmonella – the bacteria’s reliance on a single food source to remain fit in the inflamed intestine.

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“A dropped item is immediately contaminated and can’t really be sanitized,” said Jorge Parada, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA, medical director of the Infection Prevention and Control Program at Loyola University Health System. “When it comes to folklore, the ‘five-second rule’ should be replaced with ‘When in doubt, throw it out.’ ”

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New and improved manufacturing technologies, as well as a greater focus on the individual steps of the production process, are helping to enhance spice safety in the U.S. and throughout the world, according to a June 22 panel discussion at the 2014 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo® in New Orleans.

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A Kansas State University food safety specialist says there are distinct symptoms for food poisoning and reporting it to your doctor is an important step in improving food safety.

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Kansas State University diagnosticians are helping the cattle industry save millions of dollars each year by developing earlier and accurate detection of E. coli.

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A Ph.D. student from Missouri University of Science and Technology is screening Missouri drinking water for common and emerging water contaminants and seeking new technologies to improve drinking water quality.

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Texas Tech food expert Mindy Brashears discusses current food supply issues, prices.

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K-State Olathe food safety specialist advises on how to give your holiday guests some tasty food, without food poisoning.