7/21/14 Health News: Tainted meat scandal hits McDonald's, KFC ♦ Preserving Livers for Transplantation ♦ PHASE OUT GROWTH-PROMOTING ANTIBIOTICS ♦ BAN ON BPA IN FOOD PACKAGING

Preserving Livers for Transplantation

A new technique increased the time that rat livers can remain viable outside the body. If the approach succeeds in humans, it could aid organ transplant efforts. Continue Reading

Tainted meat scandal hits McDonald's, KFC

Yum Brands -- which owns KFC -- has faced a number of food scandals in China. LONDON (CNNMoney) An American-owned meat factory operating in China has been accused of selling out-of-date and tainted meat to clients including McDonald's (MCD) and Yum Brands (YUM), which owns the KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut chains. Dragon TV reported that workers at the food plant were …continue reading

CARGILL TO PHASE OUT GROWTH-PROMOTING ANTIBIOTICS IN SIGNATURE TURKEY BRANDS

Cargill announced this week that it will stop using antibiotics for growth promotion in raising its turkeys. The company says the changes to its two signature brands — Honeysuckle White and Shady Brook Farms — makes Cargill the first major turkey producer to have a USDA Process Verified Program for this purpose. A Cargill press release... Continue Reading

THREE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SEEK BAN ON BPA IN FOOD PACKAGING

Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Reps. Lois Capps (D-CA) and Grace Meng (D-NY) are calling for a ban on Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used to harden plastics and commonly found in food packaging. “The dangers of BPA have been well demonstrated,” the three wrote in an opinion piece for Roll Call. “Exposure, even... Continue Reading

Are Silver Nanoparticles Used on Our Food Packaging Safe ???

Certain metals are known to inhibit microbial growth, such as Zinc, Copper and Silver Silver Nanoparticles have been approved by the FDA for use in food packaging.They are very effective in killing viral, bacterial and fungal microorganisms.

Silver ions control bacteria by means of a triple mechanism: Blocking oxygen-transporting enzymes, where oxygen is required for cell function. Inactivating sulphur-containing proteins of the bacteria. These proteins are required for DNA production. Locking the cell membrane. Studies have indicated that the use of metal salts render the cell membrane inactive, so “suffocating” the microbe.

The fact that the silver acts on the atomic level – oxygen inhibition, at the DNA level and at the cell membrane level make it very effective. It is true that silver nanoparticles do not cause food borne disease, but the question is whether the silver weaken our body over the long term making us susceptible to other diseases in the future?. A recently published study by researchers at the University of Southern Denmark showed that silver nanoparticles are able to enter human cells, producing potentially harmful free radicals and changes in certain cellular proteins. The researchers, led by Professor Frank ie Kjeldsen and Dr. Thiago Verano Brava, studied the effect of two sizes (100 nm and 20 nm) of silver nanoparticles on human intestinal cells in cultures in the laboratory. They used a variety of techniques to examine the interactions between particles and proteins in cells. The results showed that, although the two particle sizes produce a response, only smaller particles are able to enter cells and cause direct effects. These include the production of reactive oxygen species and the carbonylation of proteins as well as stimulating the production of certain proteins. "  We can confirm that the nano-silver lead to the formation of harmful substances called free radicals in cells. We can also see that there are changes in the form and amount of protein.This worries us  , " say Kjeldsen and Verano Brava. Silver nanoparticles are used as antimicrobial component in certain types of food packaging and are also sold as a dietary supplement in some markets. The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration would have responded to this study cautioning against taking these supplements that are available for sale on the Internet. Another study suggests silver nanoparticles, used as a pesticide and in some food packaging, could remain on fresh produce after washing, posing potential risk. When Mengshi Lin and his colleagues doused pears in silver nanoparticles to mimic what happens on farms, some nanoparticles remained stuck on pears four days after repeated washing — and smaller slivers penetrated the pear skin to reach the pulp. That's potentially "dangerous to consumers," said Lin, whose study suggests a method that could be used to detect nanoparticles in food since the smallest slivers could migrate through the body and reach sensitive sites such as the brain or heart. Besides the possibility of causing harm to our body the silver nanoparticles have the potential to kill off the bacteria in our stomach that help our immune system and our digestion. I believe that there needs to be more research before we use silver nanoparticles on our food.

Italy Leading the Way to find Safer Alternative for BPA in Food Packaging

Finding alternatives and safer to replace endocrine disruptors, potentially hazardous substances and used in many areas including the food packaging: Endocrine disruptors are substances such as bisphenol A, (BPA),phthalates and parabens, technologically useful in the production of plastic but equally worrying for their ability to disrupt the endocrine system, putting consumers at risk.

European researchers are working to identify alternatives to the three groups of substances that are safer for the protection of human health and equally valid for industrial uses. There is already a list of potentially substitute, but often lack of data and studies on their possible toxicity.

Precisely for this reason, the first step of the project will be  to evaluate the actual endocrine disrupting activity of candidates for substitution.

The goal is to  identify three to five for each of the three groups of substances under consideration, and to assess the possible impact on product safety in the specific sectors considered (materials in contact with foodstuffs, cosmetics, plastics used in medical devices). The next step will be the evaluation of actual products and prototypes that will be compared with similar products currently in use.

source italy www.ilfattoalimentare.it/