It was clear from the title and the promotion of the Netflix documentary Seaspiracy that it was going to adopt a similar approach to the highly influential 2014 documentary Cowspiracy, which uncovered the sheer scale and destructive impact of animal agriculture. Seaspiracy follows Ali, an activist and filmmaker who embarks on a journey of discovery which starts with beach […]
Animal Pharm: Food For Thought
Mother Nature can no longer claim total dominion over the future of evolution. Some of the planet’s most commonly consumed animals are undergoing extensive genetic manipulation in laboratory settings across the globe. Scientists can create new breeds of cows, chickens and fish that grow faster, leaner and more muscular than ever before. Even fruits and […]
Gluten in wheat: What has changed during 120 years of breeding?
In recent years, the number of people affected by coeliac disease, wheat allergy or gluten or wheat sensitivity has risen sharply. But why is this the case? Could it be that modern wheat varieties contain more immunoreactive protein than in the past? Results from a study by the Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology at the […]
Hooked: Food, Free Will, and How the Food Giants Exploit Our Addictions
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Salt Sugar Fat comes a “gripping” (The Wall Street Journal) exposé of how the processed food industry exploits our evolutionary instincts, the emotions we associate with food, and legal loopholes in their pursuit of profit over public health. “The processed food industry has managed to avoid being lumped in with Big Tobacco—which is why […]
Bitter receptor involved in anti-inflammatory effect of resveratrol?
Resveratrol is a plant compound found primarily in red grapes and Japanese knotweed. Its synthetic variant has been approved as a food ingredient in the EU since 2016. At least in cell-based test systems, the substance has anti-inflammatory properties. A recent collaborative study by the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University […]
Diet beverage drinkers compensate by eating unhealthy food, study finds
Want fries with that diet soda? You aren’t alone, and you may not be “saving” as many calories as you think by consuming diet drinks. A new study that examined the dietary habits of more than 22,000 U.S. adults found that diet-beverage consumers may compensate for the absence of calories in their drinks by noshing […]
Processed foods highly correlated with obesity epidemic in the US
As food consumed in the U.S. becomes more and more processed, obesity may become more prevalent. Through reviewing overall trends in food, George Washington University (GW) researcher Leigh A. Frame, PhD, MHS, concluded that detailed recommendations to improve diet quality and overall nutrition are needed for consumers, who are prioritizing food that is cheaper and […]
Microplastics can be harmful to farm crops
A Kansas State University crop physiologist has found that plastic products – which are well known to cause negative impacts on fish and other aquatic animals – also have an adverse effect on land-based organisms, such as farm crops. Mary Beth Kirkham, University Distinguished Professor in agronomy who specializes in the relationship between soil, plants […]
Hand blenders used for cooking can emit persistent chemicals
Eight out of twelve tested models of hand blenders are leaking chlorinated paraffins when used according to the suppliers’ instructions. This is revealed in a report from Stockholm University where researchers analyzed a selection of hand blenders which are available on the Swedish market. Chlorinated paraffins are included in the subject group of persistent organic […]
Gen Z not ready to eat lab-grown meat
Gen Z are the new kids on the block. As a cohort of 5 million people born between 1995-2015 encompassing 20 percent of the Australian population and 2 billion people globally — they’re consumers to be reckoned with. New research by the University of Sydney and Curtin University to published on 8 September in Frontiers in […]