http://www.bcfoodsecuritygateway.ca FS Gateway News en-us BC Food Security Gateway Copyright © 2010 BC Food Security Gateway 2013-05-19T18:10:44-05:00 hourly 2 2003-01-01T12:00-05:00 http://www.bcfoodsecuritygateway.ca/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=12801 A growing body of mortality research on immigrants has shown that the longer they live in this country, the worse their rates of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. And while their American-born children may have more money, they tend to live shorter lives than the parents. [New York Times, May 18, 2013] -05:00 http://www.bcfoodsecuritygateway.ca/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=12800 A new study published in PNAS argues that for fisheries policies to be effective they must take in to account not just fish stock conservation and environmental issues, but also research data on the patterns and dynamics of fish trade, markets and user consumption. [ScienceDaily, May 17, 2013] -05:00 http://www.bcfoodsecuritygateway.ca/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=12799 Abstract Estimates of foodborne illness are important for setting food safety priorities and making public health policies. The objective of this analysis is to estimate domestically acquired, foodborne illness in Canada, while identifying data gaps and areas for further research. Estimates of illness due to 30 pathogens and unspecified agents were based on data from the 2000–2010 time period from Canadian surveillance systems, relevant international literature, and the Canadian census population for 2006. The modeling approach required accounting for under-reporting and underdiagnosis and to estimate the proportion of illness domestically acquired and through foodborne transmission. To account for uncertainty, Monte Carlo simulations were performed to generate a mean estimate and 90% credible interval. It is estimated that each year there are 1.6 million (1.2–2.0 million) and 2.4 million (1.8–3.0 million) episodes of domestically acquired foodborne illness related to 30 known pathogens and unspecified agents, respectively, for a total estimate of 4.0 million (3.1–5.0 million) episodes of domestically acquired foodborne illness in Canada. Norovirus, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter spp., and nontyphoidal Salmonella spp. are the leading pathogens and account for approximately 90% of the pathogen-specific total. Approximately one in eight Canadians experience an episode of domestically acquired foodborne illness each year in Canada. These estimates cannot be compared with prior crude estimates in Canada to assess illness trends as different methodologies were used. [M. Kate Thomas, et al. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease, online ahead of print: May 9, 2013; doi: 10.1089/fpd.2012.1389.] -05:00 http://www.bcfoodsecuritygateway.ca/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=12798 A maritime milestone will be set this week as a container of 18 tons of fresh salmon from Chile is offloaded from a cargo ship in California after a month at sea -- without being frozen. How, you ask. By using fuel cell technology in a new way. A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that converts hydrogen and oxygen into water, and in the process produces electricity. [Anchorage Daily News, May 18, 2013] -05:00 http://www.bcfoodsecuritygateway.ca/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=12797 A maritime milestone will be set this week as a container of 18 tons of fresh salmon from Chile is offloaded from a cargo ship in California after a month at sea -- without being frozen. How, you ask. By using fuel cell technology in a new way. [Anchorage Daily News, May 18, 2013] -05:00 http://www.bcfoodsecuritygateway.ca/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=12796 Abstract Estimates of foodborne illness are important for setting food safety priorities and making public health policies. The objective of this analysis is to estimate domestically acquired, foodborne illness in Canada, while identifying data gaps and areas for further research. Estimates of illness due to 30 pathogens and unspecified agents were based on data from the 2000–2010 time period from Canadian surveillance systems, relevant international literature, and the Canadian census population for 2006. The modeling approach required accounting for under-reporting and underdiagnosis and to estimate the proportion of illness domestically acquired and through foodborne transmission. To account for uncertainty, Monte Carlo simulations were performed to generate a mean estimate and 90% credible interval. It is estimated that each year there are 1.6 million (1.2–2.0 million) and 2.4 million (1.8–3.0 million) episodes of domestically acquired foodborne illness related to 30 known pathogens and unspecified agents, respectively, for a total estimate of 4.0 million (3.1–5.0 million) episodes of domestically acquired foodborne illness in Canada. Norovirus, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter spp., and nontyphoidal Salmonella spp. are the leading pathogens and account for approximately 90% of the pathogen-specific total. Approximately one in eight Canadians experience an episode of domestically acquired foodborne illness each year in Canada. These estimates cannot be compared with prior crude estimates in Canada to assess illness trends as different methodologies were used. [M. Kate Thomas, et al. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. Online ahead of print: May 9, 2013. doi:10.1089/fpd.2012.1389] -05:00 http://www.bcfoodsecuritygateway.ca/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=12795 In what is likely to be every bacon-lover’s worst nightmare, Vancouverites are being urged to go vegetarian for a day as the city cooks up its first ever “Meatless Monday” event. Mayor Gregor Robertson will be proclaiming June 10 as Meatless Monday in honour of a growing international movement to encourage people to give up meat one day a week. The campaign aims to educate people about how going meat-free can reduce their carbon footprint, minimize water usage, cut down on fossil fuel dependence as well as improve their health. [The Province, May 18, 2013] -05:00 http://www.bcfoodsecuritygateway.ca/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=12794 What would eventually become one of the worst crises in Canadian agriculture history began quietly in late January 2003, when Marwyn Peaster, a former catfish farmer from Mississippi trying his hand at cattle ranching in Alberta, sent a sick cow to a local slaughterhouse. The cow was so ill it could no longer stand up — a “downer” in industry terms. Deeming the cow unfit for human consumption, an inspector shipped its head for testing; the rest of the carcass was to be rendered into pet food and pig and poultry feed. [Calgary Herald, May 19, 2013] -05:00 http://www.bcfoodsecuritygateway.ca/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=12793 A growing number of scientists, as well as fishermen like Mirarchi, recognize that another factor -- global warming -- is sending the already delicate and opaque mechanics of marine ecosystems into a period of rapid flux. Some research suggests, for example, that as ocean temperatures rise, many fish species are being driven into deeper waters or toward the planet's poles. Those same shifting conditions, meanwhile, are inviting historically anomalous breeds into new ranges -- with unpredictable results. [Huffington Post, May 17, 2013] -05:00 http://www.bcfoodsecuritygateway.ca/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=12792 School gardens can helps kids learn about all sorts of things from photosynthesis to nutrition to composting. But time in the garden can benefit growing bodies as well as minds. Some studies have found that gardening leads to increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. Preliminary research also suggests there may be a link between gardening and healthy weight. [CBC News, May 17, 2013] -05:00