It’s the middle of the year, summer has just kicked off, and many of us are stocking up in preparation for our July 4th celebrations. Just around the corner are pool parties, dogs and burgers on the grill, and firework displays to light the balmy night red, white, and blue. With summer fun ahead, few of […]
18
May
May
The shift from the petroleum economy is underway. With consumers more conscientious about the environmental impact of the items they buy, the days of the plastic-based food container are numbered. While researchers at the USDA are tinkering with milk proteins to engineer an edible plastic film, others are crafting entire plant-based food delivery systems that […]
02
Feb
Feb
Look a little closer at the origin of your turmeric, garlic powder, or cinnamon and you might find disturbing additions of contamination. Salmonella bacteria and lead contamination have led to recent recalls of herbs and spices destined for your plate. Over on our sister site Food-Contact-Surfaces.com we examine contamination in the world […]
12
Jan
Jan
Traditionally, New Years resolutions are more subjective and personal commitments. We dedicate ourselves to losing the ten pounds that crept on over the holidays, quitting junk food, taking up running, or finally kicking nicotine to the curb. In short, they’re health-related commitments that improve our lives in tangible, measurable, and personal ways. And improving our […]
16
Nov
Nov
It has to be said: the human body is an amazing and ingenious piece of biological equipment. When it suffers an incision, it self-heals; when it is damaged, it can – at times – regenerate. And when its central command control – the brain – is impaired, it will oftentimes re-route communications via different parts […]
26
Oct
Oct
No-one wants to imagine the unimaginable. You feel vaguely unwell but can’t quite put your finger on the cause. Your significant other pushes you to make that doctor’s appointment – ‘just to put your mind at ease.’ Your family doctor runs a few tests and, ‘without wanting to alarm you unduly,’ refers you up the […]
19
Oct
Oct
Another recall in the food industry. We were starting to recover from scandals involving cookie dough (Listeria monocytogenes, Aspen Hills, Inc.), popcorn chicken (‘extraneous materials,’ Tyson Foods) and preserved lemons (undeclared sulphites, Roland Foods, LLC) another case of product contamination hits the headlines. And this time it impacts a very discerning segment of the consumer […]
12
Oct
Oct
Quick question: When are ‘highly purified phospholipids’ not highly purified phospholipids? Short answer: Perhaps when they are manufactured by Nippon Fine Chemical of Hyogo, Japan. There is much talk within the regulated industries of the critical importance of contamination control, purity, and sterility for pharmaceutical or food-related substances. Anything that eventually becomes part of our […]
05
Oct
Oct
There is little that’s more central to human health than the food that we eat. With each bite, we ingest the vitamins, minerals, fiber, starches, proteins, and fats that we need to fuel, re-build, and maintain our bodies. Each meal provides us with an opportunity to either nourish ourselves or to stress our systems with […]
08
Jun
Jun
Way back in the murky distant mists of time, a trip to your primary care physician might include him listening to your heart, giving you a quick tap on knees to test reflexes, a guffaw about your three martini lunch, and a lungful of second hand smoke from the cigarette burning down in a glass […]
