The European Commission yesterday proposed to establish a European Union-wide scheme to provide free fruit and vegetables to school children. European funds worth €90 million every year would pay for the purchase and distribution of fresh fruit and vegetables to schools, and this money would be matched by national funds in those Member States which chose to make use of the programme. The Commission has already created a ‘Strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity and related... ...Read more »
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Contaminants Panel (CONTAM) has assessed the risks and benefits to consumers from nitrates in vegetables and concluded that the beneficial effects of eating vegetables and fruit outweigh potential risk to human health from exposure to nitrate through vegetables. “We assessed both the risk and benefits of exposure to nitrate from vegetables and concluded that the beneficial effects of vegetables prevail,” Josef Schlatter, chair of EFSA’s... ...Read more »
New research has established that a Mediterranean diet could help prevent Type-2 diabetes - a disease which is becoming more prevalent across Australia. An expert in the health benefits of seafood, Mr Roy Palmer, said today that a major research project indicated adherence to a Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of Type-2 diabetes by more than 80%. “With 700,000 Australians diagnosed with T2 diabetes already, and 100,000 more people joining them every year, greatly increasing their... ...Read more »
As the world struggles with escalating wheat, rice and dairy costs it now appears Australian fresh fruit and vegetable prices are set to rise as well. Chief Executive Officer of Growcom, Jan Davis, claims that fertiliser and chemical prices now comprise between 11 per cent and 14 per cent of total farm input costs with the recent dramatic increase in prices blamed on a lack of fertiliser suppliers. “Growers are concerned that limited competition in the fertiliser supply industry is creating... ...Read more »
Popular celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has called for fines for restaurants who serve out of season fruit and vegetables. Ramsay, who wants restaurants to get more of their food from local sources, claims the plan would boost chefs “levels of inspiration” and lead to improved food quality. “Fruit and veg should be seasonal,” he said in an interview with the BBC after discussing his idea with British PM Gordon Brown. “Chefs should be fined if they haven’t... ...Read more »
The humble potato could prove to be a vital ingredient in the quest for a solution to the food crisis. With their ability to be grown in many different locations and climates, coupled with their wide number of potential uses, they may prove pivotal in overcoming a potential global food shortage. Some potato varieties are able to mature within 50 days, many do not require great amounts of water to grow and they can potentially yield up to four times more food per hectare than wheat or rice; thus... ...Read more »
Granite Belt vegetable growers in the south of Queensland have had their crops affected by frosts. The mature crops appear to be unaffected but the immature vegetables growing in low lying areas have been frosted over, thus negating the potential for growth in the future. The impact on this season’s supply is, however, expected to be minimal. Read More →