Category: Scientific/Technical Items
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GMO Opponents “Know the Least But Think They Know the Most,” Study Finds
A study in Nature Human Behavior has reportedly found that Americans who oppose the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) believe themselves to be highly informed on the subject but lack knowledge of it. Fernbach et al., “Extreme opponents of genetically modified foods know the least but think they know the most,” Nature Human Behavior,…
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Meta-analysis Finds No Effects Associated with Artificial Sweeteners
A review of 56 observational studies and controlled trials has reportedly found “no compelling evidence” that non-sugar sweeteners (NSSs) cause positive or negative health effects. Toews et al., “Association between intake of non-sugar sweeteners and health outcomes: systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised and non-randomised controlled trials and observational studies,” BMJ, January 2, 2019. Some…
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Poll Finds Americans “Closely Divided” on Health Risks from Food Additives
A Pew Research Center poll has reportedly found that Americans are “of two minds about food additives” because about half “say the average person faces a serious health risk from food additives over their lifetime (51%) while the other half believes the average person is exposed to potentially threatening additives in such small amounts that…
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Spices and Herbal Remedies Can Expose Children to High Levels of Lead, Researchers Report
The North Carolina Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program has reportedly found that children can be exposed to elevated levels of lead through consumption of spices and herbal remedies. Angelon-Gaetz et al., “Lead in Spices, Herbal Remedies, and Ceremonial Powders Sampled from Home Investigations for Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels – North Carolina, 2011-2018,” Centers…
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Researchers Aim to Find “Optimal Tax Levels” to Combat Effects of Meat on Health
U.K. and U.S. researchers have published a study on “a market-based approach of taxing red and processed meat according to its health impacts.” Springmann et al., “Health-motivated taxes on red and processed meat: A modelling study on optimal tax levels and associated health impacts,” PLOS One, November 6, 2018. The researchers predict that meat-related health…
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Survey Finds About A Quarter of Consumers Confused By Plant-Based Milk Labels
A survey of 1,000 participants conducted by the International Food Information Council Foundation has purportedly found that between 24 and 28 percent of respondents either believed or did not know whether plant-based milks contained cow’s milk. The organization reported that between seven and nine percent of respondents identified rice, cashew, almond, soy and coconut milk…
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EFSA Explores Risks of Cricket Consumption
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has released a report on risks associated with consuming crickets. The report finds that crickets contain high microbial loads because the entire insect—”including their guts”—is eaten, but food-borne bacteria infections are rare, though they may occur during processing. Crickets can also be host to mycotoxin-producing fungi that cannot be…
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U.K. SSB Tax Produces “Minimal Impact” on Consumer Behavior, Survey Finds
Nielsen has announced the results of a survey of U.K. consumers comparing opinions about sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) before and after the country’s SSB tax took effect in April 2018, finding “minimal impact on consumer behaviour.” The survey reportedly found that 62 percent of consumers “claim to have not changed their consumption behaviour in any way…