Peanut product recalls extend to pet treats

The Food and Drug Administration says it thinks a peanut processing plant in Blakely, Georgia, is the sole source of the salmonella outbreak that has now sickened at least 468 Americans and one Canadian and has been linked to six deaths. More than 125 different products have been recalled, now including Great Choice dog biscuits sold at PetSmart, which also contained peanut paste. Experts say the risk to pets eating the treats is minimal, put humans could pick up the bacteria if they don’t wash their hands after distributing treats. Salmonella was found in an unopened container of peanut butter at the plant, proving that the contamination didn’t happen after the peanuts were processed and shipped.

China sentences two to death in melamine scandal

Two men in China will die for their role in producing milk tainted with salmonella that killed at least six infants, and the woman who formerly managed the company at the center of the scandal faces life in prison. Tian Wenhua, considered by many the most at fault, pleaded guilty last year to charges that do not carry a death penalty. She’ll also be fined $3.6 million. Zhang Yujun is one of the men who will be put to death; he made more than 600 tons of protein powder laced with melamine. The other person set to die was a middleman who sold adulterated milk to Sanlu Group, which produced the formula. In the meantime, researchers at Purdue say they’ve come up with a quick test to check for melamine in milk.

Poor neighborhoods have little access to fresh food

People who live in poorer neighborhoods are likely to have plenty of access to fast food joints, but not so much access to grocery stores where they might find fresh produce and other healthy choices, according to an analysis from the University of Minnesota. Minority and low-income people who live near grocery stores have healthier diets, and fruit and vegetable consumption goes up 32 percent with each additional grocery store available in a census area. People with more supermarkets in the neighborhood also seem to have a lower risk of obesity. But not all stores are created equal; some studies showed better, healthier choices at stores in white neighborhoods compared to those where minorities live.

Orlistat to be sold OTC in Europe

Pharmacies throughout the European Union will be able to sell the weight loss drug orlistat over the counter, at a lower dose than is usually prescribed by doctors. The drug is the same one that’s sold in the United States as alli. The pill is said to be for people with a body mass index of 28 or above, and the Royal College of GPs advises that anyone who wants to use the pill still see their doctor first for guidance. Pharmacists will get a training pack that explains how to measure a person’s BMI before giving them the pills. The drug is billed as being able to help people lose 50 percent more weight than they would with dieting alone, but care must be taken not to eat too much fat when on the pills or some unfortunate side effects may occur.

Clean air can add five months to life

Finally, we’re always interested in potential means of life extension, and it turns out that having cleaner air may be contributing an extra five months of life that people weren’t enjoying a few decades ago when skies were more polluted. A report in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at 51 cities in the United States and spots in 200 countries and found that air is about a third cleaner on average than it used to be. Air quality has improved so much in Pittsburgh and Buffalo that residents of those cities have gained about three and a half years in life expectancy just because they can breathe easier.

(By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)

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This entry was posted on Thursday, January 22nd, 2009 and is filed under Diet pills, drugs, supplements and devices, Fast food and restaurants, Food miscellaneous, Food safety, Foreign stories (non-U.S.), Nibbles: diet news shorts. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. Permalink.