Regulation (EU) No. 575/2011 creating a new catalogue of feed materials was published on June 17 in the Official Journal of the European Union.The new catalogue enables operators to use more precise names/expressions for the feed they place on the market. This improves the labelling of feed with respect to transparency and traceability and thus strengthens feed safety.The regulation is the product of a rare act of private-sector cooperation. The Commission introduced the new approach of co-regulation and gave all interested feed chain partners the chance to participate in the updating of the EU Catalogue of feed materials. Thirty-eight (38) EU associations of the feed sector, often competing entities on the market, held many meetings to improve the catalogue and, in the end, they presented their joint proposal.The Commission checked the joint proposal, did some limited fine-tuning and presented it for a vote in the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) in November 2010. The new regulation will enter into force on July 7.

Liquid smoke flavoring made from hickory and other wood — a mainstay flavoring and anti-bacterial agent for the prepared food industry and home kitchens — may get a competitor that seems to be packed with antioxidant, antiallergenic and anti-inflammatory substances, according to a new study in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. It is the first analysis of liquid smoke produced from rice hulls, the hard, inedible coverings of rice grains.Mendel Friedman, Seok Hyun Nam and colleagues explain that wood from trees is typically used to produce liquid smoke, added to meat and other foods for a smoky taste. But other types of plants can also be burned to make the popular seasoning. Rice is a prime candidate, with 680 millions tons produced worldwide each year. Hulls account for 136 million tons of that amount and often go to waste. The researchers wondered rice hulls could be put to good use in a liquid form as a food flavoring, and did the first studies needed to determine if rice hull smoke is safe enough for food use.The scientists found that liquid smoke from rice hulls may be healthful. Their tests on laboratory cell cultures found that liquid rice hull smoke worked as an antioxidant that could help fight off diseases. It also helped prevent inflammation, which is associated with many different health problems did not trigger an allergic response. “New food uses of a major agricultural byproduct may benefit the environment, farmers, and consumers,” the report stated. “However, it is necessary to demonstrate that rice hull smoke is safe. The present study was designed to contribute to this assessment.”The authors acknowledge funding from the Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea“Composition of Liquid Rice Hull Smoke and Anti-Inflammatory Effects in Mice”Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

The package on a supermarket steak may say “grass-fed” or “grass-finished,” but how can a consumer know whether the cow spent its days grazing peacefully on meadow grass or actually gorged on feedlot corn? In ACS’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, scientists are now reporting the development of a method that can reconstruct the dietary history of cattle and authenticate the origins of beef.Frank J. Monahan and colleagues note that consumers are increasingly concerned about the origins and labeling of Steaks sold as “grass-fed” or “grass-finished” can be checked for authenticity using a test that reconstructs the dietary history of cattle.Credit: iStock meat, as they seek assurance about the meat’s safety or prepare to pay premium prices for specialty meats that are raised locally or certified as organic. “An example of such a product is pasture-fed beef,” they write, “often marketed as superior nutritionally as a result of increased levels of omega-3 fatty acids...arising from the consumption of grass.”To reconstruct the diet of cattle, the researchers analyzed the proportions of different types of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and sulfur in the animals’ muscle tissue and tail hair. Specific diets (for instance, a diet that switched from mostly grass to corn at the end of the cow’s life) leave a distinctive “fingerprint” of these elements in cattle tissue. The fingerprint in muscle represents the animal’s overall lifetime diet, while quicker-growing tissue in tail hair can reveal more recent dietary changes. Monahan and colleagues say the fingerprints “provide a powerful tool to reconstruct changes in feed components offered to animals over periods of over a year and thus a tool to verify farm production practices.”The authors acknowledge funding from the Irish Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.“Beef Authentication and Retrospective Dietary Verification Using Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis of Bovine Muscle and Tail Hair”Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

The team of French researchers discovered that a combination of grape, apple, blueberry, strawberry and lingonberry, mixed with a touch of lesser known fruits acerola, a cherry-like fruit from a shrub found in the West Indies, and aronia, also known as chokeberries and found in the wetlands of north-east Amercia, brought together the ideal combination of different polyphenols. More than half of the blend came from grape juice with the remaining 37 per cent made up of the other fruits.Their research is published tomorrow (Thursday 5 May) in the latest edition of the Royal Society of Chemistry journal, Food and Function.Although the relationship between polyphenol content and health is controversial as claims have been difficult to prove scientifically, the scientists proved that the various fruit and berry juices had different abilities to elicit relaxation of the coronary artery rings.This is vital to a healthy lifestyle as abnormal or restricted blood flow to the heart can lead to heart damage because cells that are deprived of oxygen and nutrients die. Dead muscle cells in the heart cannot be replaced with new, healthy cells meaning connective tissue fills the space. This process - fibrosis - results in muscle loss and a weakening of the heart.The scientists, from the University of Strasbourg, noted that numerous studies have shown polyphenol-rich sources such as red wine and green tea were potent inducers of endothelium-dependant relaxations in arteries but wanted to assess how well fruit blends compared to previous health "superfoods". They tried various combinations of 13 different fruit juices or purees, which had similar levels of polyphenols, antioxidant capacity and vitamin C content, before a survey of 80 consumers settled on the best in terms of flavour.The team also discovered that potential health benefits of the blends depended more on the type of polyphenols contained in each fruit than the quantity of polyphenol content. Co-author Dr Cyril Auger said: "Among the various fruits investigated, the most active ones were predominantly berries including cranberry, lingonberry, aronia, blackcurrant and blueberry. These berries are characterised by the presence of high levels of anthocyanins, which are pigments responsible for the blue-red colours of fruits."The fact that several berries including raspberry, blackberry, boysenberry and elderberry had little biological activity despite having a high level of polyphenols indicates that the qualitative composition of the polyphenolic content is important for the biological activity."The authors concluded: "Our data indicates that blends of fruit products can be developed to combine a high level of vasorelaxant activity and an enjoyable taste. The possibility that the regular intake of such active fruit juices may improve the endothelial function and hence vascular health still remains to be determined."The Perfect Blend for a healthy heart:Acerola (4%)Apple (10%)Grape (63%)Lingonberry (5%)Aronia (4%)Blueberry (10%) Strawberry (10%) Fruit juice-induced endothelium-dependent relaxations in isolated porcine coronary arteries: evaluation of different fruit juices and purees and optimization of a red fruit juice blendC Auger et al, Food Funct., 2011 http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2011/FO/C1FO10040H

EFSA’s NDA Panel (Dietetic products, nutrition and allergies) has published the outcome of the evaluations of a fourth series of ‘general function’ health claims proposed for use on food products. The 442 claims assessed relate to health relationships in such areas as: protection against oxidative damage to body cells, contribution to either cognitive or bowel function; and maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels. These opinions will help inform future decisions of the European Commission and EU Member States which are responsible for the authorisation of the claims. EFSA will finalise the evaluation of the remaining 600 ‘general function’ health claims which need to be assessed by June 2011.“Experts on the Panel have completed the evaluation of about 80% of ‘general function’ health claims, excluding the so-called"botanical" claims, and are committed to finalising the remaining claims by the agreed deadline,” said Dr. Juliane Kleiner, Head of EFSA’s NDA Unit.Claims evaluated with a favourable outcome include the relation between: walnuts and improved function of blood vessels; the antioxidant effects of polyphenols found in olive oil on LDL cholesterol; and the relation between caffeine and alertness and caffeine and increased physical endurance. The experts also conclude that a number of claims based on the replacement of certain nutrients were supported by sufficient scientific evidence including: the replacement of digestible starch by resistant starch to lower the increase of blood glucose levels after meals; the replacement of saturated fatty acids with mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids to maintain normal blood cholesterol levels; as well as the role of a range of sugar replacers (e.g. xylitol or sorbitol) in maintaining tooth mineralisation or lowering the increase of blood glucose levels after meals.As for previous evaluations, many of the unfavourable opinions in this series were linked to the poor quality of the information provided to EFSA. Information gaps included, for instance: the inability to identify the specific substance on which the claim is based; the lack of evidence that the claimed effect is indeed beneficial to the maintenance or improvement of body functions; or the lack of precision regarding the health claim being made. In addition, some claims were outside the scope of the current legal framework.EFSA and its scientific experts are pursuing dialogue with stakeholders to further explain their work and to provide applicants with additional guidance on preparing applications. Following consultations carried out in 2010, EFSA will launch three additional on-line consultations later this month on guidance for health claims related to: 1) bone, joint and oral health 2) oxidative damage and cardiovascular health3) satiety, weight management and blood glucose concentrations.http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/panels/nda.htm

On 29 March the final conciliation meeting on updates to novel foods rules failed after Council rejected a final compromise offer from the European Parliament. This means that the current Novel Foods Regulation, adopted in 1997, will remain in force. This is only the second case in which conciliation talks have not resulted in an agreement (the first was those on the working time directive).The updates to novel foods rules aimed to ensure that innovation can continue in the food sector without compromising safety and consumer protection. The following questions and answers outline the European Parliament's role and some of the controversial issues at stake.What are "novel foods"?Foods may be considered "novel" if they are derived from new technological processes or if - as may be the case of an exotic food - they have no significant history of consumption in the EU. In either case, these foods are defined this way from 15 May 1997, when the EU introduced a novel foods regulation to ensure checks before approval for sale. Genetically- modified foods are regulated under separate legislation.What is the status of the update to novel foods rules?In January 2008, the European Commission presented a proposal to update novel foods rules. The European Parliament and Council did not reach agreement on a final text after two "readings" (phases of discussion and voting) and a period of "conciliation talks". The main stumbling block was the question of food from cloned animals. Since negotiations did not end in agreement before the end March 2011 deadline, this legislative process has ended and the 1997 Novel Foods Regulation remains in force without any changes. In October 2010, the Commission indicated it favoured a temporary suspension of animal cloning for food production in the EU and would begin the process to propose legislation to that effect.Who is representing the Parliament in negotiations?The European Parliament delegation is composed of 27 members. The Chair of the delegation is European Parliament Vice-President Gianni Pittella (S&D, IT). The rapporteur Kartika Liotard (GUE/NGL, NL) and Environment Committee chair Jo Leinen (S&D, DE) are also members.What is the European Parliament position on food from clones?In Parliament's second reading vote, an overwhelming majority of MEPs said they did not want food products from cloned animals (or their descendants) to be regulated under novel foods rules. They wanted the Commission to propose separate legislation to prohibit such foods, and a moratorium to be introduced pending such a ban. These amendments were not supported by Council, which represents EU Member State governments.What do EU consumers think about food from clones?A 2008 Eurobarometer survey of 25,000 EU citizens found that 58% of respondents considered cloning for food production to be "unjustified". 83% said foods from cloned animals should be labelled, if permitted for sale. 63% said it was "unlikely" that they would buy food derived from cloned animals.What are the objections to meat from cloned animals (or their descendents)?European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assessments have not suggested that meat or milk from cloned animals poses a risk to public health. However, MEPs object on animal health and welfare grounds, since a high proportion of cloned animals suffer from disease or malformations, or die prematurely. Concerns have also been expressed about ethical implications and the possible consequences of reducing the genetic diversity of farmed livestock, for example in resisting the outbreak of a disease.Is the sale of food from cloned animals allowed in the EU?Under the novel foods regulation already in force, the sale of food from cloned animals (but not of its offspring or descendants) would require an authorisation. No application for clones has so far been submitted. Cloned animals are expensive to produce, and therefore currently present a commercial interest more for breeding purposes than for meat. In August 2010, meat from a bull bred in the UK from a cloned cow was sold and consumed. Traceability in the global food and agriculture market is also an issue. Animal semen and embryos for breeding are traded internationally. A United States voluntary moratorium currently applies to the sale of food from clones, but not from their offspring. The US Food and Drug Administration has not introduced any labelling requirements for such products.Why is nanotechnology relevant to food?The use of nanotechnology is an emerging practice in the food sector. At nano-sizes, materials can take on different properties. (Nanotechnology definitions vary, but the nano-scale refers to dimensions of less than one millionth of one millimetre.) Nano-ingredients have a number of possible applications, for example as anti-bacterial agents, or to alter flavour or colour.What measures do MEPs want on nanotechnology?In their second reading vote, MEPs said further checks need to be developed and applied to adequately assess such foods for safety. MEPs also want food containing nano-ingredients to be labelled to inform consumers.http://www.europarl.europa.eu/

In order to further limit possible risks to the safety of its Food Chain, the European Union decided today to reinforce controls on imports of food and feed from certain regions of Japan, where production could be affected by the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Member States endorsed, at a meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH), a Commission proposal to impose special import conditions. The measures apply to all feed and food originating in or consigned from 12 prefectures of Japan,1 including the four most affected by the accident. All products from these prefectures have to be tested before leaving Japan and will be subject to random testing in the EU. Feed and food products from the remaining 35 prefectures will have to be accompanied by a declaration stating the prefecture of origin and will be randomly tested upon arrival in the EU. The Union will review these measures every month.In particular, the regulation adopted today stipulates that each consignment of food or feed from the 12 prefectures has to be accompanied by a declaration –to be provided by the Japanese authorities– attesting that the product does not contain levels of radionuclides that exceed the EU's maximum permitted levels2. Radionuclides are radioactive elements and the Commission regulation makes specific reference to iodine-131, caesium-134 and caesium-137.Furthermore, importers are required to notify the national competent authorities two days before the arrival of each consignment of food and feed from Japan. Feed and food products that were harvested or processed before March 11 are not affected by the provisions of this regulation. Nevertheless, these products from all of Japan's territory would have to be accompanied by a declaration stating clearly that they were harvested/ processed before March 11.As regards food and feed harvested/produced after March 11, the measures provide that: Upon arrival in the EU, the competent authorities of the Border Inspection Posts (BIP) or of the consignment's Designated Point of Entry (DPE) will carry out document and identity checks on all food and feed consignments from Japan; Physical checks, including laboratory analysis, will be carried out on at least 10% of the consignments of food or feed coming from 12 prefectures mentioned above. Physical checks will also be carried out on at least 20% of the consignments coming from the remaining 35 prefectures; Pending the availability of the test results, products shall be kept under official control for a maximum of five working days. The consignments will be released when the importer will present to the custom authorities the favourable results of the official controls mentioned above; Products that are found to exceed the maximum permitted levels shall not be placed on the market and will either be safely disposed of or returned to Japan. The Commission proposal, endorsed today by SCoFCAH, will be formally adopted tomorrow. The resulting implementing regulation will enter into force one day after its publication in the European Union's Official Journal. It is expected to be published in the OJ on Saturday, March 26. BackgroundCurrently, there is no evidence of risk for the EU consumer by increased radiation levels in food and feed products imported from Japan. However, the Commission decided to reinforce its measures in order to further limit possible risks to its own Food Chain and, thus, ensure better protection for the health of EU citizens.The Commission has been following closely developments in Japan. On 15th March, it asked the Member States, through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), to step up controls on food products arriving from Japan.Food safety risks for EU citizens due to the Japan nuclear crisis are low for a series of reasons. They include: Japan is authorised to export to the EU only four products of animal origin, namely: Fishery products; Bivalve molluscs; Casings; Petfood. Vegetables/fruits may also be exported to the EU, but such exports from Japan into the EU are small in volume – they stood at about 9,000 tons from all of Japan's territory in 2010. According to the latest information, the Japanese authorities have taken the necessary measures to ensure that food (and drinking water) testing above their established acceptable levels of radio-activity is neither sold to the Japanese public nor exported. Imports to the EU of Japanese agricultural products (i.e. products of animal origin, fish and of plant products) are relatively small. In 2010, the total value of agricultural products imported to the EU from Japan stood at €187 million for agricultural products and €18 million for fishery products. 1 :Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Miyagi, Yamagata, Niigata, Nagano, Yamanashi, Saitama, Tokyo and Chiba2 Council Regulation (Euratom) No. 3954/87 (OJ L 371, 30, 12, 1997, p. 11)

ANAHEIM, March 31, 2011 — In a scientific advance literally plucked from the waste heap, scientists today described a key step toward using the billions of pounds of waste chicken feathers produced each year to make one of the more important kinds of plastic. They described the new method at the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).“Others have tried to develop thermoplastics from feathers,” said Yiqi Yang, Ph.D., who reported on the research. “But none of them perform well when wet. Using this technique, we believe we’re the first to demonstrate that we can make chicken-feather-based thermoplastics stable in water while still maintaining strong mechanical properties.”Thermoplastics are one of two major groups of plastics, and include nylon, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and dozens of other kinds. They are used to make thousands of consumer and industrial products ranging from toothbrush bristles to soda pop bottles to car bumpers. Thermoplastics got that name because they need heat (or chemicals) to harden from a liquid into a final shape, and can be melted and remolded time and again. The other group, thermosetting plastics, harden once and can’t be remelted again.Yang pointed out that both kinds of plastics are made mainly from ingredients obtained from oil or natural gas. Because of concerns about petroleum supplies, prices, and sustainability, dozens of scientific teams are working to find alternative ingredients. One major goal is to use agricultural waste and other renewable resources to make bioplastics that have an additional advantage of being biodegradable once discarded into the environment.“We are trying to develop plastics from renewable resources to replace those derived from petroleum products,” said Yang, who is an authority on biomaterials and biofibers in the Institute of Agriculture & Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “Utilizing current wastes as alternative sources for materials is one of the best approaches toward a more sustainable and more environmentally responsible society.”Chicken feathers are an excellent prospect, Yang explained, because they are inexpensive and abundant. Few shoppers think about it, but every shrink-wrapped broiler in the supermarket cooler leaves behind a few ounces of feathers. Annually there are more than 3 billion pounds of waste chicken feathers in the United States alone. These feathers can be processed into a low-grade animal feed, but that adds little value to the feathers and may also cause diseases in the animals. All too often, they become a waste disposal/environmental pollution headache, incinerated or stored in landfills.Yang explained that chicken feathers are made mainly of keratin, a tough protein also found in hair, hoofs, horns, and wool that can lend strength and durability to plastics. Yang added that the mechanical properties of feather films outperform other biobased products, such as modified starch or plant proteins.To develop the new water-resistant thermoplastic, Yang and colleagues processed chicken feathers with chemicals, including methyl acrylate, a colorless liquid found in nail polish that undergoes polymerization — that’s the process used in producing plastics in which molecules link together one by one into huge chains. This process resulted in films of what Yang’s group terms “feather-g-poly(methyl acrylate)” plastic. It had excellent properties as a thermoplastic, was substantially stronger and more resistant to tearing than plastics made from soy protein or starch, and as a first among chicken-feather plastics had good resistance to water.This research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS)

Half a century ago, a Russian carpenter's son named Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space, carving an indelible mark in human history and scoring the greatest Soviet Cold War success. The 27-year-old's 108-minute flight on April 12, 1961 is still remembered in Russia even after the collapse of the Soviet Union as its greatest national achievement. His death in a plane crash seven years later only added to his mythical status. Gagarin's safe return to earth in central Russia -- where he was famously given bread and milk by an astonished grandmother -- ensured he would live the rest of his life as a legend in Russia and abroad. Hundreds of thousands flooded the streets of Moscow when news broke of his triumph, which confirmed the Soviet Union's undisputed supremacy in the space race, a lead it would keep for eight years until Americans walked on the moon. The other-worldly allure of Gagarin is exemplified by the 40-metre-high (130-feet) titanium monument that still bears down on Moscow, his arms outstretched like a bionic superman and apparently preparing to shoot upwards into the sky. Gagarin was confirmed as pilot just four days before launch, a choice which propelled him to stardom and the reserve Gherman Titov, who would later become the second Soviet cosmonaut in space, to relative obscurity. His name also overshadows the mastermind of the mission, Sergei Korolev, who designed the equipment that took Gagarin to space yet whose role in the space programme was kept from the public as a state secret until his death in 1966. When Gagarin was killed, a driving licence, 40 rubles and a photograph of Korolev were found in his pocket. Few lives in modern history have been the subject of so much mythologising as that of Gagarin, with every aspect of his mission and subsequent life pored over in detail. He took off at 9:07 am Moscow time from the Baikonur cosmodrome whose location in the south of Kazakhstan was tightly-kept secret. He ejected and parachuted down to earth in the Saratov region of central Russia. The first people to make contact with the newly returned cosmonaut were peasant Anna Takhtarova and her four-year-old granddaughter Margarita. "I looked round and saw this orange monster with a huge head coming towards us," Margarita recalled in an interview with tabloid daily Komsomolskaya Pravda. "Grandma helped Yuri Gagarin take off his helmet -- she pressed some kind of button. And when we saw a smiling face in front of us we understood that it was a human being in front of us." SOURCE:Russian Federal Space Agency - http://www.roscosmos.ru/

Scientists are reporting that the controversy surrounding whether selenium can fight cancer in humans might come down to which form of the essential micronutrient people take. It turns out that not all “seleniums” are the same — the researchers found that one type of selenium supplement may produce a possible cancer-preventing substance more efficiently than another form of selenium in human cancer cells. Their study appears in the ACS’ journal Biochemistry.Hugh Harris and colleagues note that although the Nutritional Prevention of Cancer clinical trial showed that selenium reduced the risk of cancer, a later study called the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial did not show a benefit. A major difference between the trials was the form of selenium that was used. To find out whether different types of selenium have different chemopreventive properties, the researchers studied how two forms—SeMet and MeSeCys—are processed in human lung cancer cells.The researchers found that MeSeCys killed more lung cancer cells than SeMet did. Also, lung cancer cells treated with MeSeCys processed the selenium differently than than cells treated with SeMet. They say that these findings could explain why studies on the health benefits of selenium sometimes have conflicting results.Original article in Biochemistryhttp://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/bi101678a

Cocoa powder is rich in polyphenols, such as catechins and procyanidins, and has been shown to inhibit low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation and atherogenesis in a variety of models. Human studies have also shown daily intake of cocoa increases plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and decreases LDL levels. Scientists reported discovery of how this treat boosts the body’s production of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) — the “good” form of cholesterol that protects against heart disease. Just as those boxes of chocolates get hearts throbbing and mouths watering, polyphenols in chocolate rev up the activity of certain proteins, including proteins that attach to the genetic material DNA in ways that boost HDL levels. Their report appears in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.Midori Natsume, Ph.D., and colleagues note that studies have shown that cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, appears to reduce the risk of heart disease by boosting levels of HDL, or “good” cholesterol, and decreasing levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol. Credit for those heart-healthy effects goes to a cadre of antioxidant compounds in cocoa called polyphenols, which are particularly abundant in dark chocolate. Until now, however, nobody knew exactly how the polyphenols in cocoa orchestrated those beneficial effects.The scientists analyzed the effects of cocoa polyphenols on cholesterol using cultures of human liver and intestinal cells. They focused on the production of apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), a protein that is the major component of “good” cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B (ApoB), the main component of “bad” cholesterol. It turns out that cocoa polyphenols increased ApoA1 levels and decreased ApoB levels in both the liver and intestine. Further, the scientists discovered that the polyphenols seem to work by enhancing the activity of so-called sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs). SREBPs attach to the genetic material DNA and activate genes that boost ApoA1 levels, increasing “good” cholesterol. The scientists also found that polyphenols appear to increase the activity of LDL receptors, proteins that help lower “bad” cholesterol levels.Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry“Cacao Polyphenols Influence the Regulation of Apolipoprotein in HepG2 and Caco2 Cells”http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/jf103820b

The OECD is developing a new initiative to improve coordination of anti-corruption and transparency initiatives - first within its member countries, and then with all other relevant players, including governments, international organisations, NGOs and the private sector. “We are developing a new initiative, clean.gov.biz, that will improve our own anti-corruption tools and reinforce their implementation,” OECD Deputy Secretary-General Richard Boucher said. “We then want to strengthen cooperation with all relevant players to ensure that our instruments complement those of our partners.” Mr. Boucher discussed the initiative during the March 2-3 meeting of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, hosted at the OECD, underlining how many of its elements complement EITI work. EITI aims to improve natural resource management and reduce corruption by encouraging oil, gas and mining companies to publish the fees, royalties and taxes they pay and commiting governments to transparency about what they receive. The OECD is at the forefront of global anti-corruption efforts. In 2010, its 34 member countries and leading partners including Brazil and Russia agreed to a Declaration on Propriety, Integrity and Transparency in the Conduct of International Business and Finance. The Declaration is based on OECD instruments including the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Entreprises, which since 1975 set standards for business behavior, and the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance, which set out broad rules to guide business conduct. The OECD Anti-Bribery Convention commits 38 signatory governments to establish bribery of foreign public officials as a criminal offence. OECD work on public procurement, public sector integrity, including on lobbying and conflicts of interest, as well as budget transparency is at the core of the reform agenda in a growing number of countries. “Political turmoil in highly corrupted regimes reminds us that citizens around the world will no longer accept corruption as business as usual,” Mr. Boucher said. The OECD is also actively cooperating with the G20 in the implementation of its Action Plan on Anti-Corruption, which includes initiatives on foreign bribery, asset recovery, international cooperation, protection of whistle blowers, government integrity and public-private partnerships in fighting corruption. It will co-organise with the French Presidency and the support of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime a G20 conference in April 27-28 on “Joining forces against corruption: G20 business and government.”For further information on the OECD’s anti-corruption work, visit www.oecd.org/corruption or contact the OECD Media Division (tel: + 33 1 4524 9700; news.contact@oecd.org).About the OECD (from the Website of the Organisation) The mission of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. The OECD provides a forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek solutions to common problems. We work with governments to understand what drives economic, social and environmental change. We measure productivity and global flows of trade and investment. We analyse and compare data to predict future trends. We set international standards on all sorts of things, from the safety of chemicals and nuclear power plants to the quality of cucumbers.We look, too, at issues that directly affect the lives of ordinary people, like how much they pay in taxes and social security, and how much leisure time they can take. We compare how different countries’ school systems are readying their young people for modern life, and how different countries’ pension systems will look after their citizens in old age.Drawing on facts and real-life experience, we recommend policies designed to make the lives of ordinary people better. We work with business, through the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, and with labour, through the Trade Union Advisory Committee. We have active contacts as well with other civil society organisations. The common thread of our work is a shared commitment to market economies backed by democratic institutions and focused on the wellbeing of all citizens. Along the way, we also set out to make life harder for the terrorists, tax dodgers, crooked businessmen and others whose actions undermine a fair and open society. OECD at 50Now, as the OECD turns 50, we are focusing on helping governments in our member countries and elsewhere in four main areas:•First and foremost, governments need to restore confidence in markets and the institutions and companies that make them function. That will require improved regulation and more effective governance at all levels of political and business life.•Secondly, governments must re-establish healthy public finances as a basis for future sustainable economic growth.•In parallel, we are looking for ways to foster and support new sources of growth through innovation, environmentally friendly ‘green growth’ strategies and the development of emerging economies.•Finally, to underpin innovation and growth, we need to ensure that people of all ages can develop the skills to work productively and satisfyingly in the jobs of tomorrow. The OECD’s core values•Objective: Our analyses and recommendations are independent and evidence-based.•Open: We encourage debate and a shared understanding of critical global issues.•Bold: We dare to challenge conventional wisdom starting with our own.•Pioneering: We identify and address emerging and long term challenges.•Ethical: Our credibility is built on trust, integrity and transparency.

Lavender oil could be used to combat the increasing incidence of antifungal-resistant infections, according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology. The essential oil shows a potent antifungal effect against strains of fungi responsible for common skin and nail infections.Scientists from the University of Coimbra in Portugal distilled lavender oil from the Lavandula viridis L'Hér shrub that grows in southern Portugal. The oil was tested against a range of pathogenic fungi and was found to be lethal to a range of skin-pathogenic strains, known as dermatophytes, as well as various species of Candida.Dermatophytes cause infections of the skin, hair and nails as they use the keratin within these tissues to obtain nutrients. They are responsible for conditions such as Athletes' foot, ringworm and can also lead to scalp and nail infections. Candida species coexist with most healthy individuals without causing problems but may cause mucocutaneous candidosis - or thrush - in some people. In immunocompromised patients, Candida species are able to cause serious infection if the fungal cells escape into the blood stream.Currently, there are relatively few types of antifungal drugs to treat infections and those that are available often have side effects. Professor Lígia Salgueiro and Professor Eugénia Pinto who led this study explained why novel fungicides are urgently needed. "In the last few years there has been an increase in the incidence of fungal diseases, particularly among immunocompromised patients," they said. "Unfortunately there is also increasing resistance to antifungal drugs. Research by our group and others has shown that essential oils may be cheap, efficient alternatives that have minimal side effects."Essential oils distilled from the Lavandula genus of lavender plants are already used widely, particularly in the food, perfume and cosmetic industries. Studies of the biological activities of these oils suggest Lavandula oils have sedative and antispasmodic properties as well being potent antimicrobials and antioxidants.This group has demonstrated that these oils work by destroying fungal cells by damaging the cell membrane. They believe that further research into the mechanisms by which this essential oil works could have significant clinical benefits. "Lavandula oil shows wide-spectrum antifungal activity and is highly potent. This is a good starting point for developing this oil for clinical use to manage fungal infections. What is now required is clinical trials to evaluate how our in vitro work translates in vivo," said Professor SalgueiroChemical composition and antifungal activity of the essential oils of Lavandula viridis L'HérJ Med Microbiol

Scientists are reporting development and successful lab tests of “killer paper,” a material intended for use as a new food packaging material that helps preserve foods by fighting the bacteria that cause spoilage. The paper, described in ACS’ journal, Langmuir, contains a coating of silver nanoparticles, which are powerful anti-bacterial agents.Aharon Gedanken and colleagues note that silver already finds wide use as a bacteria fighter in certain medicinal ointments, kitchen and bathroom surfaces, and even odor-resistant socks. Recently, scientists have been exploring the use of silver nanoparticles — each 1/50,000 the width of a human hair — as germ-fighting coatings for plastics, fabrics, and metals. NanoparticlesSEM images and particle size distribution of coated papers: (A) 25 mM/30 min, (B) 25 mM/60 min, (C) 100 mM/30 min, and (D) 100 mM/60 min. The particle size distribution was measured using the Scion Image software where n = 100. The scale bar in (A) and (B) corresponds to 100 nm, while in (C) and (D) it corresponds to 2 μm. , which have a longer-lasting effect than larger silver particles, could help overcome the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, in which bacteria develop the ability to shrug-off existing antibiotics. Paper coated with silver nanoparticles could provide an alternative to common food preservation methods such as radiation, heat treatment, and low temperature storage, they note. However, producing “killer paper” suitable for commercial use has proven difficult.The scientists describe development of an effective, long-lasting method for depositing silver nanoparticles on the surface of paper that involves ultrasound, or the use of high frequency sound waves. The coated paper showed potent antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus, two causes of bacterial food poisoning, killing all of the bacteria in just three hours. This suggests its potential application as a food packaging material for promoting longer shelf life, they note.“Sonochemical Coating of Paper by Microbiocidal Silver Nanoparticles”Langmuir

Scientists in Hungary are reporting that the potential health effects of last October’s Red Mud Disaster, one of the worst environmental accidents in Europe, may be less dangerous than previously feared. Their study, reported in ACS’s journal Environmental Science &Technology, concludes that the dust from the mud may be no more harmful than particles of ordinary urban air pollution.Mihály Pósfai and colleagues point out that a burst dam at a factory that processes aluminum ore last October inundated areas near Ajka in northern Hungary with more than 700,000 cubic yards of caustic red mud. Ten people died and dozens were injured. Since the mud contained potentially toxic substances, concern arose about the health effects of inhaling dust formed when the mud dried and was swept into the air by wind.They studied the chemical and physical properties of the red mud particles and dust and concluded that particles of red mud dust were too large to be inhaled deeply into lungs, where they could cause the most damage. Although the resuspension potential of red mud dust is large, inhalation likely would cause irritation and coughing, but would not increase the risk of other more serious health problems, the report suggested.“The red mud accident in Ajka (Hungary): Characterization and potential health effects of fugitive dust”Environmental Science & Technology

Brussels - On the occasion of the European Antibiotic Awareness Day, ECDC is releasing new European-wide surveillance data on antibiotic resistance from the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (EARS-Net). With annually up to 400,000 patients reported to suffer from infections resistant to multiple antibiotics, the data show that antibiotic resistance remains a public health problem across the European Union. In Klebsiella pneumoniae, a common cause of infection amongst hospital patients, an emerging trend is the proportion of resistance to powerful last-line antibiotics, such as carbapenems. Proportions of resistance range from less than 1% to more than 25%. Without effective last-line antibiotics, doctors face the dilemma of not having any treatment options left. Speaking today at the launch event for European Antibiotic Awareness Day in the European Parliament, ECDC Director, Marc Sprenger, said: “Antibiotic resistance remains a serious threat to patient safety, reducing options for treatment and increasing lengths of hospital stay, as well as patient morbidity and mortality. However the news is not all gloomy. European-wide surveillance data from EARS-Net – a network coordinated by ECDC – show that a significant number of countries have reported decreasing trends for MRSA for the second consecutive year. Notwithstanding, we are seeing increasing multi-drug resistance and the emergence of resistance to last-line antibiotics in European hospitals which we must take urgent action to address.”The focus of this year’s European Antibiotic Awareness Day is promoting prudent antibiotic use in hospitals in order to turn the tide on antibiotic resistance. Whereas, up to 50% of antibiotic use in hospitals can be inappropriate. Prudent use means only using antibiotics when they are needed, with the correct dose, dosage intervals and duration of the course. Activities to promote prudent use of antibiotics are taking place in 36 different European countries, including all member states of the European Union. An EU-level launch event was organised today in the European Parliament to draw attention to the many national campaigns on prudent antibiotic use. Marc Sprenger, ECDC Director, stressed: “ECDC has been involved in coordinating the European Antibiotic Awareness Day since 2008. We are very proud that 36 countries are joining efforts to mark this day. Campaigns to promote prudent antibiotic use across Europe are bringing some good results, as in the case of MRSA. We are also happy that this year the United States’ Get Smart About Antibiotics Week is being launched simultaneously during the week of 18 November in an effort to show global solidarity”.About European Antibiotic Awareness Day The European Antibiotic Awareness Day is a European health initiative which aims to provide a platform and support for national campaigns about prudent antibiotic use. Across Europe each year the European Antibiotic Awareness Day is marked by national campaigns on prudent antibiotic use during the week of 18 November. The focus of this year’s European Antibiotic Awareness Day is promoting prudent antibiotic use in hospitals. Prudent use means only using antibiotics when they are needed, with the correct dose, dosage intervals and duration of the course. For more information, visit: http://antibiotic.ecdc.europa.eu

London (Ontario – Canada) - No! This isn’t good news for smokers. Smoking is still one of the most unhealthy habits of mankind. Nevertheless, tobacco can be employed in a different way. Tobacco, used on a small scale as a natural organic pesticide for hundreds of years, is getting new scientific attention as a potential mass-produced alternative to traditional commercial pesticides. That’s the topic of a report in ACS’ bi-weekly journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. Cedric Briens and colleagues note that concerns about the health risks of tobacco have reduced demand and hurt tobacco farmers in some parts of the world. Scientists are looking for new uses for tobacco. One potential use is as a natural pesticide, due to tobacco’s content of toxic nicotine. For centuries, gardeners have used home-made mixtures of tobacco and water as a natural pesticide to kill insect pests. A “green” pesticide industry based on tobacco could provide additional income for farmers, and as well as a new eco-friendly pest-control agent, the scientists say. They describe a promising way to convert tobacco leaves into pesticides with pyrolysis. That process involves heating tobacco leaves to about 900 degrees Fahrenheit in a vacuum, to produce an unrefined substance called bio-oil. The scientists tested tobacco bio-oil against a wide variety of insect pests, including 11 different fungi, four bacteria, and the Colorado potato beetle, a major agricultural pest that is increasingly resistant to current insecticides. The oil killed all of the beetles and blocked the growth of two types of bacteria and one fungus. Even after removal of the nicotine, the oil remained a very effective pesticide. Its ability of the oil to block some but not all of the microorganisms suggests that tobacco bio-oil may have additional value as a more selective pesticide than those currently in use, the report indicates.“Experimental Investigations into the Insecticidal, Fungicidal, and Bactericidal Properties of Pyrolysis Bio-oil from Tobacco Leaves Using a Fluidized Bed Pilot Plant”Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research