Every third child of school age prefers soft drinks which are not sweet. Children and young people love fish and do not think of themselves as being fussy eaters. Girls have a better sense of taste than boys. Boys have a sweeter tooth than girls. And teenagers taste differently. All this has been discovered by new Danish research. In September, 8,900 schoolchildren from all over Denmark took part in a large-scale experiment conducted by Danish Science Communication and The Faculty of Life Sciences... ...Read more »

Dairy innovation has been a key driver of growth over recent years and it is set to be strengthened with grants to encourage new product development and shape the future commercial success of the Australian industry. Dairy Innovation Australia (DIA) will offer a minimum $200,000 in funding the program for researchers, with grants given to suitable applicants who apply by the January 9, 2009 cutoff date. DIA told DairyReporter.com that up to AUS$2.5m per year could be provided for suitable projects,... ...Read more »

Nestlé has announced the launch of a new research programme on the specific nutritional needs of athletes engaged in different kinds of sports, in a bid to strengthen the company’s commitment to promoting sporting integrity through nutrition. The programme will provide data to help support a more personalised approach to sports nutrition in the future which, in time, should lead to a new generation of personalised sports nutrition products for leading athletes. The announcement comes in the... ...Read more »

Scientists have discovered a new possible explanation for why people who eat more fruit and vegetables may gain protection against the spread of cancers, potentially leading to the creation of improved functional foods. They have found that a fragment released from pectin, found in all fruits and vegetables, binds to and is believed to inhibit galectin 3 (Gal3), a protein that plays a role in all stages of cancer progression. “Most claims for the anticancer effects of foods are based on population... ...Read more »

Dairy marketers could soon have another basis for milk promotion, with Flinders University researchers expecting to have clear evidence by the end of this year on the role that the humble cow could play in boosting the anti-cancer properties of the natural trace element, selenium. In a ground-breaking human trial now underway, a research team led by Professor Graeme Young is testing the beneficial impact that selenium delivered through cow’s milk has in preventing bowel cancer compared with... ...Read more »