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World must overcome psychological, organizational, political barriers to heed early famine warnings

Psychological, organizational and budgetary factors contributed to why governments did not respond sooner to early famine warnings in the Horn of Africa, Hugo Slim, a visiting fellow at the Institute of Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict at the University of Oxford, says in this Guardian opinion piece.

19 Jan 2012

U.S. ambassador to U.N. food agencies, Ertharin Cousin, appointed to head WFP

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva on Tuesday announced the appointment of Ertharin Cousin, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N.'s Rome-based food agencies, to head the U.N. World Food Programme, the Associated Press/CBS News reports.

19 Jan 2012

Smoking to be banned at University of California campuses

The University of California is banning cigarettes and all other tobacco products from its campuses over the next two years. This drastic step is designed to both protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke and prevent young people from developing the bad habit. Students and staff alike will be prohibited from smoking anywhere on a UC campus - including outdoor spaces, parking lots and private residences. There won't be any designated smoking areas.

16 Jan 2012

Kangaroo on cigarette packs outrages Australian authorities

According to Attorney-General Nicola Roxon the government is helpless to prevent the use of Australia’s most prized icon – the kangaroo on the packets of cigarettes in France. An image of a kangaroo and the phrase “An Australian Favorite” are on packets of Winfield being sold in France.

15 Jan 2012

Orange juice fungicide contamination scare

The United States has temporarily halted shipments of imported orange juice from all countries and said it would destroy or ban products containing even low levels of a banned fungicide.

12 Jan 2012

Food security remains high-level priority in 2012

In this post in the Department of State's "DipNote" blog, Jonathan Shrier, acting special representative for global food security, reflects on food security issues and accomplishments in 2011, writing, These efforts leave us well situated in 2012 to lead the L'Aquila Food Security Initiative (AFSI) group, which aims to strengthen mutual accountability among participating governments in meeting food security commitments.

12 Jan 2012

Researchers produce multifunctional films from whey protein

Convenience foods are growing in popularity, and the food they contain is usually protected by films based on petrochemicals. Now researchers have not only developed a biomaterial from whey protein, they have also come up with a commercially viable method of producing multifunctional films on an industrial scale.

10 Jan 2012

Blacklisted British doctor sues journal

A British doctor who lost his medical license in the U.K. in 2010 and who was accused in a journal last year of publishing bogus research filed a defamation suit this week in state District Court in Travis County.

9 Jan 2012

Contaminated cantaloupes carrying listeria

According to federal health officials last week, at least 13 people are dead amid 72 sickened in 18 states in an outbreak of listeria food poisoning tied to contaminated cantaloupes.

8 Jan 2012

Moving FAO forward with sights on hunger eradication

Jose Graziano da Silva, director-general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, writes in a Huffington Post opinion piece, My top priority for 2012 will be to make a renewed push towards achieving the first millennium development goal of halving the proportion of people living in hunger and extreme poverty by 2015, but also to look beyond it, to the final, total eradication of hunger from this planet.

7 Jan 2012

Magellan launches two fitness products

Magellan GPS announced today the launch of its first two products in its new fitness line: Switch and Switch Up. Designed to meet the needs of runners, cyclists, and multisport athletes, the new Switch Series is a powerful, adaptable, and customizable family of crossover GPS watches that will integrate seamlessly with third party sites.

7 Jan 2012

New FAO head says agency will increase support to countries experiencing prolonged food crises

The new head of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Director-General José Graziano da Silva, began work on January 1, "pledging on Tuesday to increase the agency's support to poor countries experiencing prolonged food crises," the U.N. News Centre reports.

5 Jan 2012

Britain mulling on cigarette plain packaging to discourage smoking

Britain wishes to follow Australia’s footsteps in banning all eye-catching designs and branding from cigarette packs to stop young people being lured into smoking. Australia meanwhile is poised to become the first nation to introduce so-called “plain” packaging on tobacco products by the end of 2012. The packs will show graphic health warnings about smoking but banish attractive colors and logos. The proposed law was cleared by parliament in November and is being closely watched by governments considering similar moves in Europe, Canada and New Zealand.

1 Jan 2012

Marine debris from the Japanese tsunami could reach US this winter

Debris from the tsunami that devastated Japan in March could reach the United States as early as this winter, according to predictions by NOAA scientists. However, they warn there is still a large amount of uncertainty over exactly what is still floating, where it's located, where it will go, and when it will arrive.

29 Dec 2011

U.S. population growth slows

According to a new U.S. Census Bureau report, the population of the United States is growing at its slowest rate in more than 70 years. The country's population increased by an estimated 2.8 million to 311.6 million from April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011 says the report. The growth rate of 0.92 percent was the lowest since the mid-1940s.

27 Dec 2011

Fate of India's Food Security Bill unknown; Analysts say it may harm country's economy

"Though approved by the Cabinet Sunday, the fate of the much-anticipated Food Security Bill, which will guarantee cheap food for India's masses, is far from sealed," the Wall Street Journal's "India Real Time" blog reports, noting that the "bill is to be tabled in Parliament this week."

21 Dec 2011

Guardian examines efforts to bring therapeutic food production into developing countries

The Guardian examines how ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs) -- "small packets of a sticky, peanut butter-like paste, fortified with minerals and vitamins, that can reverse severe malnutrition within six weeks" -- "have revolutionized famine relief in Africa," and asks whether these products could be produced in the countries in which they are being distributed.

21 Dec 2011

Engineers describe novel method that collates trace heavy metals in water

An unfortunate consequence of many industrial and manufacturing practices, from textile factories to metalworking operations, is the release of heavy metals in waterways. Those metals can remain for decades, even centuries, in low but still dangerous concentrations.

17 Dec 2011

Debate on freedom of speech regarding vaccines at Woodford Folk Festival

The Woodford Folk Festival is one of Australia's largest and most popular festivals with approximately 130,000 people attending over six days and six nights. On this year's speakers list is anti-vaccine lobbyist Meryl Dorey, spokesperson for the Northern NSW-based Australian Vaccination Network (AVN).

15 Dec 2011

Horn of Africa food crisis could last into summer 2012, E.U. Aid Commissioner says

"The crisis in the Horn of Africa, which has left more than 13 million people at risk of starvation, will continue into the spring, and possibly the summer," European Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva said Tuesday, Reuters reports.

8 Dec 2011