Nearly A third of Ireland’s chippers are codding customers and substituting cheaper fish for the more traditional ones so they can sell it at inflated prices, a survey has found.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland took cod and haddock samples from 111 retail outlets, fish shops, hotels, pubs, restaurants and takeaways across the State and found that 19 per cent had been labelled incorrectly.

The survey did not name any of the premises that had been caught out but it insisted it would be taking a tough line on offenders.

Twenty pieces of fish were found to have been wrongly labelled as cod while one was wrongly sold as smoked haddock, the survey found.

Takeaways were by far the worst offenders; 32 per cent were found to have wrongly labelled the fish they were selling either through ignorance or with a view to ripping consumers off, the authority said.

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OLIVE OIL: Four decades ago, researchers from the Seven Countries Study concluded that the monounsaturated fats in olive oil were largely responsible for the low rates of heart disease and cancer on the Greek island of Crete. Now we know that olive oil also contains polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that may help prevent age-related diseases.

YOGURT: In the 1970s, Soviet Georgia was rumored to have more centenarians per capita than any other country. Reports at the time claimed that the secret of their long lives was yogurt, a food ubiquitous in their diets. While the age-defying powers of yogurt never have been proven directly, yogurt is rich in calcium, which helps stave off osteoporosis and contains “good bacteria” that help maintain gut health and diminish the incidence of age-related intestinal illness.

FISH: Thirty years ago, researchers began to study why the native Inuits of Alaska were remarkably free of heart disease. The reason, scientists now think, is the extraordinary amount of fish they consume. Fish is an abundant source of omega-3 fats, which help prevent cholesterol buildup in arteries and protect against abnormal heart rhythms.

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The innocent-looking dishcloth on the draining board could be a killer. Nine in 10 home dishcloths harbour dangerous levels of stomach bugs, according to a government survey.

Research by environmental health officers suggests that people are more at risk of catching food poisoning from their own cleaning cloths than when they eat out. The Health Protection Agency checked restaurant dishcloths last year and found 56 per cent of them held food poisoning bugs, including E. coli and listeria.

When the Chartered Institute of Environment Health tested 100 home dishcloths this year the level of unhealthy bacteria was even higher. Its report suggests more emphasis be put on tackling food poisoning in the home. It advises dishcloths be washed regularly and not left lying on the sink.

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Fairtrade International (FLO) has increased minimum prices and required price gaps for different Fairtrade coffees in reaction to the recent spike in prices.

Consumption of most ready-to-eat meat products contributes very little to HCA intake but cooking conditions and ingredients are influential, suggests new US study.

Scientists are reporting on a new material containing an ingredient used to make bricks that shows promise as a transparent coating for improving the strength and performance of plastic food packaging. Called “nano-bricks,” the film even looks like bricks and mortar under a microscope, they say. The coating could help foods and beverages stay fresh and flavorful longer and may replace some foil packaging currently in use, they note.

The scientists described the new, eco-friendly material in Anaheim, California at the 241st National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) on March 27.

Ordinary plastic soda bottles tend to loose their fizz after just a few months of storage on grocery store shelves. If manufacturers apply the new coating to these bottles, the material could slow the loss of carbon dioxide gas and help sodas stay bubbly for several more months or even years, the scientists said. The coating could also extend the shelf life for those portable food packages known as MREs (Meal, Ready to Eat) that sustain soldiers in the field, with the added benefit of being microwavable, they noted. Although made to last for at least three years, their shelf life can drop to as little as three months when exposed to harsh conditions such as high heat.

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As many as 16 residents of Tirisulam who consumed contaminated drinking water have been admitted to the Chrompet GH with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea.

About 3,000 people who reside at Tirisulam consume drinking water from an overhead tank in the area. A few days ago, the pipeline running through Pillayar Koil Street and Thoppu Street got damaged due to the constant traffic of heavy vehicles on the route.

As the pipeline was not repaired on time, dust and debris got mixed with the drinking water, contaminating it. Residents of the area, however, argued that the water contamination was due to the overhead tank not being cleaned regularly.

Deputy director of health, Dr S. Rajasekaran who visited the affected people, said that tablets have been distributed to the residents.

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A new scientific study positions walnuts in the number one slot among a family of foods that lay claim to being among Mother Nature’s most nearly perfect packaged foods: Tree and ground nuts. In a report given in Anaheim, California at the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society on March 27, scientists presented an analysis showing that walnuts have a combination of more healthful antioxidants and higher quality antioxidants than any other nut.

“Walnuts rank above peanuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios and other nuts,” said Joe Vinson, Ph.D., who did the analysis. “A handful of walnuts contains almost twice as much antioxidants as an equivalent amount of any other commonly consumed nut. But unfortunately, people don’t eat a lot of them. This study suggests that consumers should eat more walnuts as part of a healthy diet.”

Vinson noted that nuts in general have an unusual combination of nutritional benefits — in addition those antioxidants — wrapped into a convenient and inexpensive package. Nuts, for instance, contain plenty of high-quality protein that can substitute for meat; vitamins and minerals; dietary fiber; and are dairy- and gluten-free. Years of research by scientists around the world link regular consumption of small amounts of nuts or peanut butter with decreased risk of heart disease, certain kinds of cancer, gallstones, Type 2 diabetes, and other health problems.

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Fresh Produce Contamination Sources

The melon supply chain has numerous hazardous points beginning with growing and harvesting and continuing through packing, storage, transport, distribution, processing and final consumption.

Cantaloupe can be contaminated any time the crop is in the ground, but the contamination problem is likely to start when the fruit is ripe and ready to be picked. Animals such as deer, coyotes, raccoons, rodents, feral pigs, and birds are attracted to the crop at this stage. Animal vectors in the growing environment may also include amphibians, reptiles and domestic animals.

Animals can affect the crop directly or through contamination of the water supply used for irrigation and crop protection. Manure may contain animal wastes, and fertilizers pose their own unique threat.

Infected humans are also a risk anywhere in this chain. Fecal matter, especially human waste in the growing or harvesting area, is a very significant risk factor and farmers must strictly control this potential.

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A Food and Drug Administration safety committee meets this week to determine if there is a connection between food coloring and hyperactivity in kids, and if  the continued use of added colors is safe for consumers.

In the 1970′s pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Feingold first claimed there was a link between food color additives and children’s behavior.

The National Institute of Health’s 1982 Consensus Development panel on defined diets and childhood hyperactivity concluded that for some children with ADHD, and a confirmed food allergy, a change in diet led to some change in behavior.

As of yet no conclusive link has been made between color additives and hyperactivity in the general population, but the committee will review new evidence and could recommend additional studies and/or product label changes.

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The Indian Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has seized nearly 17,000 packets of a Unilever red tea product for making non-approved antioxidant claims.

The FDA raided a Hindustan Unilever facility after the company failed to act on warnings about the claims being made for its Brooke Bond Red Label tea, according to Indian pres reports.

Assistant commissioner of food at the FDA, GH Rathod, said Unilever had been warned about the claims in December, 2010, but the seized products had a manufacture date of February, 2010.

“We gave enough time to the company to withdraw the stock from the market or remove the claim from the packets,” Rathod said.

“We took action only after Brooke Bond failed to comply with the directives. In fact, the company had given an undertaking to the state FDA commissioner to withdraw the stock.”

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RANCHI: The absence of any authority to pre-certify the hygiene standard of red meats sold in the markets has caused various illnesses to consumers. This has put the meat consumers’ health in peril.

Only recently, five employees of a local construction firm fell ill after a mutton party thrown on the occasion of the birthday of their colleague. On consulting the doctor they realized that all of them had food poisoning due to consumption of unhygienic meat.

Similarly, Akshay Anand had to take sick leave after suffering from food poisoning. The day before, Anand had consumed a chicken roll at a fast food joint in Hinoo. During diagnosis the doctor said that the food poisoning was due to consumption of chicken that was dressed in an unhygienic condition.

These cases are not isolated examples. It is very common in the capital and other parts of the state also because of absence of certified slaughter houses. Meat is dressed in unhygienic condition without anti-mortem or post-mortem examination of the animals by an expert. said a doctor at the Sadar Hospital.

The unhygienic processing of the meat and the subsequent selling tends to be harmful for human consumption.

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A Food and Drug Administration panel plans to meet this week to consider the potential link between hyperactivity in children and artificial dyes found in common foods such as candy, waffles and salad dressing.

The FDA is reconsidering its long-held position that the dyes pose no risk to children or anyone else. Artificial food dyes with names like Yellow 5 have long been targeted by some scientists and consumer advocates concerned that they could cause hyperactivity in children.

The panel, which will meet Wednesday and Thursday, is expected to possibly call for more research. It isn’t expected to take bigger steps such as banning artificial coloring.

The FDA signaled the first change in its thinking last week in a memo that said artificial food dye is an issue “for certain susceptible children with ADHD [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder] and other problem behaviors.” The FDA said there isn’t a link between hyperactivity and food dyes in the general population.

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Feelings of hunger, or food associated images, do produce ‘mouthwatering’ sensations, or increase saliva flow, in the same way that the smell or taste of food does, according to new research.

1. It protects your heart: Moderate coffee drinkers (1 to 3 cups/day) have lower rates of stroke than noncoffee drinkers, an effect linked to coffee’s antioxidants. Coffee has more antioxidants per serving than blueberries, making it the biggest source of antioxidants in American diets. All those antioxidants may help suppress the damaging effect of inflammation on arteries. Immediately after drinking it, coffee raises your blood pressure and heart rate, but over the long term, it actually may lower blood pressure as coffee’s antioxidants activate nitric oxide, widening blood vessels.

2. It diverts diabetes: Those antioxidants (chlorogenic acid and quinides, specifically) play another role: boosting your cells’ sensitivity to insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar. In fact, people who drink 4 or more cups of coffee each day may have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to some studies. Other studies have shown that caffeine can blunt the insulin-sensitivity boost, so if you do drink several cups a day, try mixing in decaf occasionally.

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