The Health Protection Agency (HPA) in the UK is investigating cases of Salmonella newport related to watermelons following a salmonella outbreak that has infected 35 people across the country. Dr Bob Adak, head of the gastrointestinal disease department at the HPA said “Although it is too soon to say with certainty what the likely causes of the infection are, early indications suggest that a number of people became unwell after eating watermelon”. Dr Adak also said that cases have been also notified... ...Read more »

UK researchers have shown one way in which poor nutrition in the womb can put a person at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other age-related diseases in later life. The researchers say their finding could lead to new ways of identifying people who are at a higher risk of developing these diseases and might open up targets for treatment. The team, from the University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council (MRC) Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester, have just published... ...Read more »

The Canadian Government has announced it will reform the way it regulates energy drinks in Canada. Energy drinks are non-alcoholic beverages characterised by the addition of ‘energy enhancing’ ingredients. These may include a number of water-soluble B vitamins, amino acids and other substances, and caffeine. The proposed Canadian legislation includes: A cap on the amount of caffeine that can be included in an energy drink at 180 mg per single serving. In addition to current labels that... ...Read more »

Research published today by market research organisation, IBISWorld, predicts that Australians will spend A$25.4 Billion on alcoholic beverages in 2011-12. According to the research, Australians are increasingly choosing premium alcoholic drinks over traditional beers. The report predicts that alcohol spending in Australia will increase by 15.3% over the next five years, reaching A$29.3 Billion in 2016/17. IBISWorld General Manager (Australia) Karen Dobie said that while Australia’s alcohol consumption... ...Read more »

The results of a survey by weight-loss company Atkins suggest that over half of women in the UK think more about food than they do about sex. Atkins surveyed 1,290 women dieters across the UK. In addition to 54 per cent of the women confessing that they thought about food more than they thought about sex, over a third of the women, 37 per cent, said they thought about food and dieting more than they thought about their partner. One in four of the women surveyed by Atkins admitted they thought dieting... ...Read more »

Rising diagnosis rates of coeliac disease, combined with an increased awareness of the perceived benefits of a gluten-free diet, are driving growth in the free-from sector in the UK. Euromonitor forecasts that the gluten-free sector will grow by almost 10% between 2011 and 2015 to become a channel worth GBP95.5m (US$155.2m) a year. According to Norma McGough, head of diet & health at charity Coeliac UK, some 14,000 people are newly diagnosed each year, a number which she says was “assumed... ...Read more »

British department store Marks and Spencer has revealed that it is planning to return to France with a combination of its department stores and its Simply Food convenience outlets. The UK retailer is planning to open its first department store on the Champs-Elysées ahead of the Christmas trading period. It said it was in “advanced talks” with SSP, one of its UK franchise partners, around opening a number of its Simply Food outlets. The retailer said it is considering “strategic... ...Read more »

The global food production system is “not fit for purpose” and requires a “radical redesign” in order to secure adequate food supplies and ensure future food security, a leading scientific expert insisted today. Speaking at a conference in London, Professor John Beddington, chief scientific advisor to the UK government, warned that current methods of food production are failing to meet the demands of a growing global population, a problem that looks set to intensify. “The... ...Read more »

Unilever will increase its prices at a more “rapid rate” in 2011 as it continues to look to offset rising commodity costs, concerns over which hit the company’s share price yesterday (3 February). The UK group’s stock closed down 1.1% in London this afternoon despite a 26% increase in annual profits and accelerating underlying sales growth in the fourth quarter of 2010. However, rising commodity costs hit Unilever’s margins in the last three months of the year, which... ...Read more »

UK poultry and fish group Boparan Holdings has decided to table a takeover bid for Northern Foods, the maker of Goodfella’s pizza and Fox’s biscuits planning to merge with Ireland’s Greencore. On Friday evening (21 January), Boparan made a GBP342m (US$547.2m) offer for Northern after weeks of speculation and ahead of a Takeover Panel deadline that expired at 7pm tonight. The bid, worth 73p a share, has been backed by Northern’s board, which had spent over two months supporting... ...Read more »