Category Archives: Food

M&S joins calls for EU to restrict harmful tuna fishing methods in Indian Ocean

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Retailer and green groups warn of ‘high environmental cost’ of fish aggregating devices to tuna stocks and other endangered marine life

The EU is under pressure to significantly restrict its huge fleet of fishing vessels from using “fish aggregating devices” that make it easier to catch huge numbers of fish and contribute further to overfishing.

A letter signed by Marks & Spencer and more than 100 environmental groups, including the International Pole and Line Foundation, warns EU officials that the devices (FADs) are one of the main contributors to overfishing of yellowfin tuna in the Indian Ocean, because they catch high numbers of juveniles.

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New Mexico could be first state with official aroma

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The familiar smell of roasted chiles is ‘unique to our state’, says lawmaker pushing to codify fragrance

The sweet smell of green chile roasting on an open flame permeates New Mexico every fall, wafting from roadside stands and grocery store parking lots and inducing mouth-watering visions of culinary wonders.

Now one state lawmaker says it’s time for everyone to wake up and smell the chile.

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Food, feed and fuel: global seaweed industry could reduce land needed for farming by 110m hectares, study finds

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Scientists identify parts of ocean suitable for seaweed cultivation and suggest it could constitute 10% of human diet to reduce impact of agriculture

An area of ocean almost the size of Australia could support commercial seaweed farming around the world, providing food for humans, feed supplements for cattle, and alternative fuels, according to new research.

Seaweed farming is a nascent industry globally but the research says if it could grow to constitute 10% of human diets by 2050 it could reduce the amount of land needed for food by 110m hectares (272m acres) – an area twice the size of France.

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‘Life-changing’: In-N-Out burger chain takes first eastward steps into Tennessee

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The expansion of family owned fast food company, founded in 1948, has been met with great enthusiasm

In-N-Out Burger, the famous California fast food chain, is expanding eastward as far as Tennessee, a move Tennessee’s governor called “life-changing”.

The family-owned burger company will open an “eastern territory office” in Tennessee, as well as several Nashville-area restaurants, by 2026, according to state officials, and In-N-Out’s owner said further eastward expansion was in the works.

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Revered Danish restaurant Noma to close for reinvention at end of 2024

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Copenhagen eatery, regularly ranked as one of world’s best, will become a test kitchen, billed as a food laboratory

The Copenhagen restaurant Noma, one of the world’s top eateries, with three Michelin stars, will close at the end of 2024 to reinvent itself as a food laboratory.

“To continue being Noma, we must change … Winter 2024 will be the last season of Noma as we know it,” the restaurant’s representatives wrote in a post on Instagram.

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Takeaways in poor parts of England more likely to fail on hygiene

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One in five takeaways in some areas of UK did not satisfactorily meet required standards, data shows

Takeaways in poorer parts of England are twice as likely to need improvement in food hygiene as those in wealthier areas, with as many as one in five in some parts of the UK falling below required standards, according to Guardian analysis.

Almost one in 10 takeaways in England’s poorest neighbourhoods did not satisfactorily comply with food hygiene standards, compared with just one in 24 in the richest, according to an analysis of almost 600,000 inspection reports at the beginning of December, 64,000 of them takeaways.

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‘A trend is starting’: France leading way in alcohol-free drinks boom

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Rush of startups creating alcohol-free spirits, wines and beers is a departure in a country with a vast booze industry

When Nicole, a retired executive assistant, began preparing her new year get-togethers with family and friends, her first purchase was an artisan bottle of French alcohol-free gin.

“There’s something in the air right now,” the 71-year-old said. “Young people in their 20s and 30s drink so much less booze than we did. My generation was rock’n’roll, we drank a lot, smoked a lot. Times have changed. Young people are finding alternatives – and it’s benefiting us oldies too as we try to step back from bad habits.”

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New Zealand bans battery cages for hens – but replacement ‘just as bad’

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Colony cages are larger but animal welfare campaigners say the birds are still not able to behave naturally

Battery cages for layer hens will become illegal in New Zealand from 2023 but animal welfare campaigners are urging the government to scrap the replacement colony cages, which they say are just as bad.

The plan to ban battery cages has been 10 years in the making – in 2012, the previous National party government committed to phasing them out by 1 January 2023.

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UK free-range egg rules could be relaxed in line with EU for avian flu outbreaks

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Ministers considering change that would class eggs laid by hens kept in barns for months under restrictions as free range

Free-range egg rules in the UK could be relaxed in response to the European Union preparing to overhaul regulations after the biggest avian flu outbreak on record.

Ministers are understood to be considering a change to the rules that would mean eggs laid by hens kept in barns for months on end could be classed as free range.

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Mafia-themed food items sold abroad unacceptable, say Italian farmers

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Investigation takes aim at everything from Cosa Nostra whiskey to El Padrino restaurant in Spain and Nasi Goreng Mafia eaterie in Indonesia

Italy’s biggest farmers’ association is waging a battle against the “scandalous” use of mafia terms to sell a variety of food and drink products around the world, from Cosa Nostra whiskey to Chilli Mafia tomato sauce.

Coldiretti undertook an extensive investigation and also discovered that almost 300 restaurants beyond Italy have mafia-themed names, including El Padrino in Spain, Don Corleone in Finland, Burger Mafia in Germany, Falafel Mafia in the US and Nasi Goreng Mafia in Indonesia.

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Shortfalls in Australia’s food pesticide residue monitoring raised almost a decade ago

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Documents obtained by the Guardian reveal government has no real idea about agricultural chemicals’ impact on environment

Serious shortfalls in Australia’s monitoring of pesticide residues in food, particularly food destined for the domestic market, were identified by the federal agriculture department nearly a decade ago, documents obtained by Guardian Australia reveal.

Bureaucrats in the department expressed concern about Australia’s food monitoring as early as 2014, the documents, obtained under freedom of information laws, show.

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Ali Ahmed Aslam, inventor of chicken tikka masala, dies at 77

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The chef said he devised the recipe for ‘Britain’s favourite curry’ after a customer complained that his meal was too dry

A chef who is believed to have invented the chicken tikka masala, regarded as Britain’s favourite curry, has died aged 77.

Ali Ahmed Aslam’s death on Monday was announced by his Shish Mahal restaurant in Glasgow, which closed for 48 hours as a mark of respect. The eatery announced: “Hey, Shish Snobs … Mr Ali passed away this morning … We are all absolutely devastated and heartbroken.”

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Recall extended over spinach contamination caused by leafy green ‘weed’ on Victorian farm

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Authorities say recalled spinach which causes delirium and hallucinations has affected more than 120 people across Australia

A child admitted to hospital is among more than 120 people believed to have suffered symptoms after consuming spinach amid a widespread recall of fresh food items contaminated with a weed.

Authorities say the recalled spinach products, thought to be from a farm in Victoria, have caused delirium and hallucinations.

Riviera Fresh – Riviera Farms Baby​ Spinach

Fresh Salad Co – Fresh and Fast Stir Fry

Woolworths – Chicken Cobb Salad and Chickpea Falafel Salad

​Coles – Spinach, Chef Blend Tender Leaf, Baby Leaf Blend, Kitchen Green Goddess Salad, Kitchen Chicken BLT Salad Bowl, Kitchen Roast Pumpkin, Fetta & Walnut Salad, Kitchen Smokey Mexican Salad, Kitchen Egg and Spinach Pots

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Coles recalls more spinach products as fears over potential contamination widen

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Supermarket warns over 11 own-brand products, following earlier recalls by Woolworths and Costco

Coles has recalled 11 own-brand spinach products as the scare over contamination of fresh produce in Australia widens.

On Saturday the supermarket announced it was recalling the products as a precaution because health authorities had advised that some spinach “may potentially be contaminated with unsafe plant material”.

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‘Great migrant nation’: bid to protect Australian prosecco and feta from EU bans

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Trade minister Don Farrell says many producers took their food and culture to Australia from Europe and have the right to use traditional terms

The trade minister, Don Farrell, has asked his European counterparts to recognise Australia as a “great migrant nation” and not force its producers to stop using terms like prosecco and feta.

In an interview from Berlin, Farrell said he was hopeful of clinching a free trade agreement with the European Union early in the new year because he had received an “extremely positive response in all of the countries we visited”.

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Save whales or eat lobster? The battle reaches the White House

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Fishing gear used by Maine lobstermen is killing right whales. Will boosting a $1bn industry trump protecting an endangered species?

President Macron of France may not have realised it, but he walked into another fishing war earlier this month when he and 200 other guests were treated at the White House to butter-poached Maine lobster accented with American Osetra caviar and garnished with celery crisp.

At issue was the lobster, currently subject to a court ruling designed to prevent Maine’s lobstermen from trapping the crustacea in baited pots marked by lines that can fatally entangle feeding North Atlantic right whales. There are now just 340 such whales, with only about 100 breeding females, making the species one of the most endangered on the planet.

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Summer sweetness: oversupply of mangos sees prices plummet across Australia

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Overlapping harvest seasons have increased availability of the tropical fruit at markets, putting prices as low as $1.90 apiece

Mango growers are urging customers to celebrate the summer season by buying more of the fruit, as a glut in supply has sent prices plummeting.

Across the country, the oversupply of mangoes has seen prices drop dramatically – with the fruit going for as little as $1.90 each in some stores.

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Revealed: group shaping US nutrition receives millions from big food industry

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Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has a record of quid pro quos with a range of food giants, documents show

Newly released documents show an influential group that helps shape US food policy and steers consumers toward nutritional products has financial ties to the world’s largest processed food companies and has been controlled by former industry employees who have worked for companies like Monsanto.

The documents reveal the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has a record of quid pro quos with a range of food giants, owns stock in ultra processed food companies and has received millions in contributions from producers of pop, candy, and processed foods linked to diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other health problems.

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Plant-based diet can cut bowel cancer risk in men by 22%, says study

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Researchers find no such link for women, suggesting connection between diet and bowel cancer is clearer for men

Eating a plant-based diet rich in vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes can reduce the risk of bowel cancer in men by more than a fifth, according to research.

A large study that involved 79,952 US-based men found that those who ate the largest amounts of healthy plant-based foods had a 22% lower risk of bowel cancer compared with those who ate the least.

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