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Powerless consumers choose larger size food portions to gain status

Consumers who feel powerless will choose larger size food portions in an attempt to gain status, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. But there is hope for convincing them that a Big Gulp won't translate to higher ranking.

22 Oct 2011

Rural women need same access to resources as men to help increase food production, Ban says

"Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling on the international community to give rural women the same access to productive resources as men, noting the huge benefits that would ensue, from increased food production to a drop of 150 million in the number of the world's hungry people," the U.N. News Centre reports.

18 Oct 2011

California Medical Association with 35,000 doctors in tow wants to legalize and regulate marijuana

Along with other supporters of legalizing marijuana, now there is the California Medical Association. The CMA that includes 35,000 doctors has adopted an official policy that recommends the legalization and regulation of cannabis. California Medical Association adopted the new stance at its annual meeting Friday in Anaheim.

17 Oct 2011

FDA may be lax when it comes to laws on sea food safety: Study

Due to the last year’s BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a new study contends that current federal standards underestimate the risk to pregnant women and children of cancer-causing contaminants that can accumulate in seafood from such spills.

16 Oct 2011

Broken biogeochemical cycle of phosphorus will impact food security

Should the periodic table bear a warning label in the 21st century or be revised with a lesson about elemental supply and demand? If so, that lesson could start with one element considered a staple of life - but growing endangered, like the Asiatic dhole - phosphorus.

15 Oct 2011

Preparing for future disasters 'saves lives, property and money'

In this post in USAID's "IMPACTblog," Kasey Channell, the acting director of the Disaster Response Team for USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, reports on the importance of preparing for future disasters as the world observed International Day for Disaster Reduction on Thursday, writing Before the next disaster hits, now is the time to recommit to making smart investments that save lives, property, and money.

15 Oct 2011

Mecum Auto Auction raises $366,000 to benefit severely wounded U.S. soldiers

A 2011 Chevrolet Camaro convertible donated by General Motors and custom designed by famous vehicle builder Ryan Friedlinghaus and his West Coast Customs team raised $366,000 at auction to benefit U.S. soldiers severely wounded during their service overseas.

14 Oct 2011

UNH scientists to explore small-scale ecological experiments

University of New Hampshire scientists have received National Science Foundation (NSF) funding to explore how small-scale ecological experiments can be applied to understand the behavior of entire ecosystems, part of the agency's nascent effort to investigate large-scale biological responses to climate and land-use change.

14 Oct 2011

Guardian photo gallery shows North Korea's food crisis in pictures

The Guardian published a gallery of photographs taken in North Korea by Damir Sagolj, after "a harsh winter and widespread flooding have exacerbated the food shortage in the country, leaving millions of people on a knife edge."

13 Oct 2011

Researchers design global plan for sustainable agriculture

The problem is stark: One billion people on earth don't have enough food right now. It's estimated that by 2050 there will be more than nine billion people living on the planet. Meanwhile, current agricultural practices are amongst the biggest threats to the global environment. This means that if we don't develop more sustainable practices, the planet will become even less able to feed its growing population than it is today.

13 Oct 2011

WFP launches phone cash program to help Ivory Coast residents

"Working with a local telecommunications company, the World Food Programme (WFP) has developed a program in the Ivory Coast to facilitate cash transfers that can be used by thousands of Ivorians to buy food despite a climate of political violence," according to a Foreign Policy Association blog post.

12 Oct 2011

Governments should target aid towards households threatened with food poverty

Governments should target aid towards individual households threatened with poverty because of soaring food costs rather than intervene in the markets to try to lower prices, according to research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.

12 Oct 2011

Dr. Pepper Ten is for men: New product and ad campaign

Dos Equis, the maker of Dr Pepper, is rolling out Dr Pepper Ten, a 10-calorie soda with an ad campaign that asserts that the soft drink is “not for women.” To appeal to men, Dr Pepper made its Ten drink radically different than Diet Dr Pepper. It has calories and sugar unlike its diet counterpart.

11 Oct 2011

FAO report warns increases in cereal production may not be enough to offset global economic downturn

Worldwide cereal production is expected to increase in 2011-2012, but "there is uncertainty about the improvement's impact on food security because of the global economic slump and increased risks for recession," according to a U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report released on Thursday, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

7 Oct 2011

USAID awards ICF International $21.5M contract for LEAD program

ICF International, a leading provider of consulting services and technology solutions to government and commercial clients, has won a new contract with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Regional Development Mission for Asia to support the Low Emissions Asian Development (LEAD) program. The contract has a value of $21.5 million and a term of five years.

3 Oct 2011

WSU to help develop alternatives to petroleum-based fuels and chemicals

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack yesterday announced that Washington State University (WSU) will receive a five-year, $40 million grant to help develop alternatives to petroleum-based fuels and chemicals.

3 Oct 2011

BIO: Advanced biofuels can be commercialized rapidly for military use

Advanced biofuels can be commercialized rapidly for military use, on military timelines, with adequate support and coordination of efforts by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Defense and Energy.

1 Oct 2011

NYSC opens new sports club in Garnerville

New York Sports Clubs (NYSC), a leading owner and operator of health and fitness clubs in the tri-state area, announced today the opening of its NYSC Garnerville location in Rockland County.

1 Oct 2011

Weeds are an integral part of our ecosystem

Weeds, which are widely deemed as a nuisance plant, are vital to the existence of many farmland species according to a new University of Hull study published in the journal Biological Conservation today.

30 Sep 2011

Walter Reed employees moved to Bethesda without adequate parking, transportation plan

The American Federation of Government Employees is voicing its concern over the lack of progress in securing parking for thousands of Walter Reed Army Medical Center employees who have been transferred to the new Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Bethesda.

30 Sep 2011