Scientists at the University of Birmingham, in the UK, have found that certain combinations of fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrates may help combat chronic gum disease when combined with conventional dental therapy. The results of their study, published today in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, showed that taking a daily dose of capsules containing concentrated phytonutrients improved clinical outcomes for patients with chronic periodontitis (deep-seated gum disease) in the two months... ...Read more »

Almost half of Australian adults are failing to meet the recommended daily intake of vegetables due to ‘lack of convenience’, according to a survey by kitchenware brand Tefal. According to Tefal, the survey of 2,500 Australians revealed that 45 per cent of Australians failed to meet the recommended daily intake of five vegetable portions. Of these people, 39 per cent said that preparing and cooking vegetables wasn’t convenient as part of their busy lifestyle, and this was major impediment to... ...Read more »

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at McMaster and McGill universities, in Canada, has found that a diet containing plenty of fruit and raw vegetables could alter a gene that puts people at risk of heart disease. The researchers said the study involved analysing more than 27,000 individuals from five ethnicities – European, South Asian, Chinese, Latin American and Arab – and the affect that their diets had on the effect of the ‘9p21’ gene. The ‘9p21’ gene... ...Read more »

After 10 years of negotiations, U.S. cherries can now be exported to Western Australia, making cherries the first U.S. fresh fruit to gain access to that market. U.S. cherries from California have been common in the eastern states of Australia since the late 1990s as the states of Washington and Oregon have been permitted to export to the eastern Australian states since 2001. Since that time, negotiations have been ongoing between Biosecurity Australia and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to... ...Read more »

A farm in Colorado, U.S., is recalling cantaloupe melons it sold this summer out of concern they may be contaminated with Listeria, a deadly bacteria. At least 15 persons infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes had been reported from four American states. All illnesses started on or after 15 August 2011. Listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working... ...Read more »

A drop in the price of fruit and vegetables in August 2011 has contributed to the lowest inflation rates for almost two years in Australia, according to a report published today by leading financial services provider TD-Securities. According to TD-Securities’ Melbourne Institute, the price of fruit and vegetables in Australia fell by 1.6 per cent in August 2011, compared with a rise of 1.8 per cent in July 2011. The TD-Securities Melbourne-Institute monthly inflation gauge dropped 0.1 per cent... ...Read more »

Australia’s chemical regulator, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), is considering banning dimethoate. The APVMA is concerned that the insecticide, widely used to control fruit fly in fruit and vegetables, may pose a health risk for consumers. After completing a Residues and Dietary Risk Assessment, the APVMA said this week that the use of dimethoate on many crops exceeds the health standard established in January this year. The APVMA proposes to suspend dimethoate... ...Read more »

The State of Tasmania is seeking to maintain import restrictions on New Zealand apples. The move comes despite the fact that regulator Biosecurity Australia yesterday gave the green light to the importation of New Zealand apples into Australia. Last year, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) found Australia’s biosecurity and quarantine standards stopping New Zealand apples exported to Australia to be in breach of WTO rules. In a statement passed on to Australian Food News, the Tasmanian Premier Lara... ...Read more »

Apple growers across Australia today launched a fightback against the apple import trade. The move comes following officially authorised shipments of apples being imported from New Zealand. This follows the decision of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2010 that found Australia’s biosecurity and quarantine standards to breach WTO rules. Apple growers have taken the step of branding locally grown apple with an ‘Aussie Apples’ sticker, allowing consumers to choose home-grown apples at the... ...Read more »

SPC Ardmona has announced the release of three new fruit snacks aimed at kids of all ages into supermarkets across Australia. The Coca-Cola Amatil subsidiary said the three snacks, SPC Fruit Squeezies, SPC Fruit Crush-Ups and SPC Power Pulp, are designed specifically to make fruit fun for kids of all ages, from preschoolers to teens. “According to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, kids aged four to 18 should eat between one and five serves of fruit each day. However the latest National... ...Read more »