Feature Channels: Food and Water Safety

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In low doses, hydrogen sulfide, a substance implicated in several mass extinctions, could greatly enhance plant growth, leading to a sharp increase in global food supplies and plentiful stock for biofuel production, new University of Washington research shows.

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It’s important to practice good food safety when you’re dealing with eggs. Following are some good egg safety tips to keep in mind the next time you’re buying, storing or cooking eggs.

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UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report that a pathogen annually blamed for an estimated 90 million cases of food-borne illness defeats a host’s immune response by using a fat-snipping enzyme to cut off cellular communication.

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After virtually eliminating arsenic as a useful tool for homicide, science now faces challenges in doing the same for natural sources of this fabled old “inheritance powder” that contaminates water supplies and food, threatening more than 35 million people worldwide.

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Families can be key players in a revolution needed to feed the world, and could save money by helping to cut food losses now occurring from field to fork to trash bin, an expert said here today. He described that often-invisible waste in food — 4 out of every 10 pounds produced in the United States alone — and the challenges of feeding a global population of 9 billion in a keynote talk at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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Mention great challenges in feeding a soaring world population, and thoughts turn to providing a bare subsistence diet for poverty-stricken people in developing countries. But an expert speaking here today at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, described a parallel and often-overlooked challenge.

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Spring is now upon us, welcoming flowers, warmer weather and of course spring cleaning. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics along with ConAgra Foods encourages Americans to give their kitchens a thorough cleaning with tips from the Home Food Safety program’s www.HomeFoodSafety.org.

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Rendering some of the world’s toxic soils far less unfriendly, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research and Cornell researchers are learning to grow stress-tolerant crops on formerly non-farmable land.

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Two professors at The Johns Hopkins University are available to discuss the horse meat incident. They say a culinary taboo is a distraction from the real issue: inadequate food inspection regulations.

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Faced with an increasingly hungry world and limited supplies of water for food production, how do we ensure water security for future generations? That's the central question being addressed at a AAAS symposium on Sunday, Feb. 17.

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PureMadi, a nonprofit University of Virginia organization, has invented a simple ceramic water purification tablet. Called MadiDrop, the tablet – developed and extensively tested at U.Va. – is impregnated with silver or copper nanoparticles. It can repeatedly disinfect water for up to six months simply by resting in a vessel where water is poured.

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A new study analyzing outbreaks of foodborne illness has found contaminated salad greens make the most people sick, but contaminated poultry have resulted in the most deaths. In light of this study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Home Food Safety program—a collaboration between the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and ConAgra Foods—encourages Americans, rather than avoid certain foods, to practice safe food handling at home instead.

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University of Florida research study adds new twist to previous studies of the nation's water supplies; finds that when infrastructure is included in the mix (reservoirs, dams, etc.), water vulnerability is less of a threat than previously believed.

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With the newest strain of norovirus sweeping the nation, Kansas State University food safety expert Doug Powell can talk about ways to prevent getting sick.

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Female mice exposed to Bisphenol A through their mother's diet during gestation and lactation were found to be hyperactive, exhibit spontaneous activity and had leaner body mass than those not exposed to the chemical, researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health have discovered.

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Farmworkers are at potential risk from food and waterborne illnesses because of the condition of cooking and eating facilities available to them, according to a new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

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Restaurant dishes and silverware may be an overlooked place where people can catch stomach viruses. While the current industry guidelines for cleaning dishware used in public settings are effective at neutralizing bacteria, researchers at The Ohio State University found that they appear to fall short of eliminating norovirus - the leading cause of epidemic gastroenteritis and the major cause of foodborne illness worldwide, responsible for at least 50% of all gastroenteritis outbreaks in the United States.

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Randy Worobo, a food safety expert and a professor of Food Science in Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, offers some tips for preparing, enjoying and preserving your Thanksgiving staples.

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Recent reports about arsenic in rice have sparked a great deal of panic among U.S. consumers. However, the average American who eats a variety of whole grains doesn’t need to stress about arsenic, according to Loyola University Health System registered dietitian Brooke Schantz, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN.

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Preparing a Thanksgiving turkey can prove tricky for even the most experienced cooks. How big of a bird to select, how to thaw it in time and how to avoid undercooking, overcooking or -- even worse -- food poisoning, are among the challenges faced by holiday chefs.

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To make sure that the food you bring home is as safe and delicious as it was at the store, it’s important to know the best way to pack and transport your groceries.

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Tailgating is a fun American tradition where food is prepared and enjoyed near the back of a car or truck, often in the parking lot of a sporting, music or other large event. However, food-borne illness is no fun. Careful planning and onsite precautions can help ensure your food is safe to eat.

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Food safety expert says better risk communication needed at all levels when it's known foods pose dangers to public health.

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Amy Pruden, an associate professor in Virginia Tech’s Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been awarded $250,000 by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to lead a project to determine the effects of pipe material, water flow, and chemistry on the building plumbing microbiome. The research will determine if the “right” microbes are being selected in the built environment.

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Robert Gravani is a professor of food science whose research includes production agriculture, food processing and consumer protection. He comments on the FDA’s report that inspectors found unclean conditions at an Indiana farm linked to salmonella-tainted cantaloupe.

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John Duxbury, a professor of soil science and international agriculture at Cornell University, has studied arsenic contamination of soils. He has developed water management strategies to reduce arsenic toxicity related to arsenic content of rice grain.

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Brian Rahm is a researcher at the New York State Water Resources Institute at Cornell University whose expertise includes the potential effects of hydraulic fracturing on surface and ground water. He comments on the recent release of EPA data from drinking water tests near hydraulic fracturing sites in Pavillion, Wyo.

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Margaret Smith, Cornell University professor of plant breeding and genetics, comments on the local and national implications of California Proposition 37 – an initiative on the ballot this November to require food producers to label all products that contain genetically engineered ingredients.

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Uncovering the sources of fresh food contamination could become faster and easier thanks to analysis done at Sandia National Laboratories’ National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center (NISAC).

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The drinking water at one-third of migrant farmworker camps in eastern North Carolina failed to meet state quality standards, according to a new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

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In the wake of Hurricane Isaac, which left millions without power, a new study highlights that many older adults are not equipped to keep food safe during an extended power outage.

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Diarrheal disease is the second-leading cause of death in children under five years old – killing as many as 1.5 million children worldwide every year. These startling statistics from the World Health Organization (2009) point to the reason why a group of undergraduate students from Arizona State University is working to develop a low-cost biosensor – a simple device that would detect contaminated drinking water.

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Top wheat experts are reporting a breakthrough in their ability to track strains of a deadly, rapidly mutating wheat pathogen called stem rust that threatens wheat fields from East Africa to South Asia.

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People in ancient Rome 2,000 years ago had better access to clean water and sanitation that keeps disease-causing human excrement out of contact with people than many residents of the 21st century, a scientist said here today. Women in developing countries could play a major role in remedying the situation, if given the chance, she said at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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Older adults are more likely than younger adults to experience severe complications and death as a result of foodborne infections, yet many healthcare providers and older-adult caregivers don’t have the knowledge and training to educate adults over age 60 about recommended food safety practices, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International and Tennessee State University.

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The World Health Organization estimates that 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to a safe and adequate water supply. To help address this public health crisis, a team of students, faculty and fellows associated with Saint Joseph’s University’s Institute of Catholic Bioethics developed an inexpensive and sustainable slow-sand water filter for use by less-developed nations.

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A commercial vaccine for cattle can effectively reduce levels of E. coli O157:H7 by more than 50 percent, a Kansas State University study has found. The vaccine is also effective using two doses instead of the recommended three doses, which can help cut costs for the beef industry.

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New article reviews dozens of studies on animal models of childhood obesity, suggesting that these models contribute knowledge impossible to attain from human research.