Food news May The latest news and headlines from the world of food

In this article

Organic air miles debate Should pregnant women drink? Supermarket news

Food and your health Genetics vs diet Children's nutrition

Farming On the grapevine

• Organic move to cut food flights Food flown into the UK may be stripped of organic status in a move being considered by the Soil Association. 26 May 2007

On this topic from elsewhere

• "Organic movement faces split over air-freighted food," reports Martin Hickman in The Independent. 29 May 2007

• 'No alcohol in pregnancy' advised Pregnant women and those trying for a baby should avoid alcohol completely, according to new government advice. 25 May 2007

On this topic from elsewhere

• 'Stuff and nonsense?' "Last week the government announced that pregnant women should abstain from alcohol. Was there any scientific reason for this change in guidance?," asks Zoe Williams in The Guardian. 25 May 2007

• Out-of-date food in UK supermarkets An investigation by undercover BBC journalists has revealed poor hygiene procedures in stores. 21 May 2007
• Carbon neutral food market closes A £1.5m carbon neutral food market in Devon has gone into administration three months after it opened. 16 May 2007
• Asda to cut out additives by 2008 Supermarket chain Asda is to remove artificial colours and flavours from its own-brand food and drinks by 2008. 15 May 2007

On this topic from elsewhere

• 'Going global' "Supermarkets have traditionally ignored the needs of ethnic-minority customers. Now, though, they are increasingly filling their shelves with juniper sausages, golabki and pickling mango," writes Humayun Hussain of The Guardian. 16 May 2007

• Med diet 'cuts lung disease risk' Eating a Mediterranean diet halves the risk of serious lung diseases such as emphysema and bronchitis, a study suggests. 15 May 2007
• Soups still contain too much salt A survey has shown that half of soups on sale in the UK contain too much salt. 9 May 2007

On this topic from elsewhere

• 'Superfoods: new potatoes' "Potatoes sometimes get a bad press for causing obesity, but in fact they are low in fat and can be part of a healthy diet," writes Amanda Grant of The Guardian. 15 May 2007

On this topic from elsewhere

• "Scientists have identified a gene that helps to explain how drastically reducing food intake can extend lifespan," writes Alok Jha in The Guardian. 3 May 2007
• Extreme dieting: Eat less, live longer? Scientists believe they are a step closer to working out why an extremely restrictive diet boosts longevity. 2 May 2007

Find out more

• BBC Health: Nutrition

Labelling and regulations

• Mars bars get veggie status back Mars has abandoned plans to use animal products in its chocolate, and has apologised to "upset" vegetarians. 20 May 2007

On this topic from elsewhere

• "Food test exposes 'mis-sold' superstore chickens," "New food tests have been used to discover that Britain's biggest supermarket chain has been mis-selling ordinary chicken as 'corn fed'," writes Rajeev Syal in The Times. 26 May 2007
• "New scientific tests by the Food Standards Agency have revealed that some supermarkets sell farmed fish as wild," writes Rebecca Smithers in The Guardian. 4 May 2007
• "Foreign-grown potatoes are being passed off as British in the latest consumer scam to be uncovered by trading standards officers," reports Valerie Elliott in The Times. 8 May 2007
• "The Food Standards Agency may recommend that folic acid be a mandatory additive in flour to cut birth defects," reports Denis Campbell in The Guardian. 6 May 2007

• Artificial food colouring warning Parents are being advised by experts not to give their children food containing certain additives until the results of a new study are published. 8 May 2007
• Children urged to grow their own Pupils in England are being urged to grow and cook some of their own food as part of a campaign to reconnect them with the countryside and their food. 4 May 2007
• Peanut allergy study seeks babies Babies are being sought for a study investigating if early exposure to peanuts will prevent allergy. 3 May 2007

More on this topic from elsewhere

• 'Nestlé "bypasses" baby milk code' "Thirty years after a boycott of Nestlé products was launched to highlight its unethical marketing of baby formula in developing countries, baby formula manufacturers are still failing in their responsibilities towards the world's poorest mothers and babies," reports Joanna Moorehead of the Guardian. 15 May 2007
• "Pressure is growing on supermarkets and retailers to ban artificial colours and flavourings from food and drink consumed by children," writes Rebecca Smithers in The Guardian. 8 May 2007
• "Advertising cheese during children's programming was recently banned. But is cheese in the same league as junk food?" asks Emine Saner in The Guardian. 3 May 2007

Find out more

• Read BBC Food's feature on school meals
• Information on nutrition from BBC Health
• Last month's children's nutrition headlines
• Read BBC Food's feature on cooking in schools

• Farming 'needs GM-style reviews' All new farming methods, not just genetically modified crops, should be assessed for their potential impact on the environment, UK experts suggest. 3 May 2007

More on this topic from elsewhere

• 'Shortage of pickers may hit strawberry crop' "Farmers say soft fruit may be left unharvested," reports Alan Travis in The Guardian. 28 May 2007
• 'Advisers urge more emphasis on crop experiment benefits' "British farmers are being denied access to the most promising agricultural advances because regulators place too much emphasis on the negative impacts they have on the environment," Ian Sample reports in The Guardian. 4 May 2007

• Alcohol health warnings by 2008 Alcoholic drinks will carry new health warning labels by the end of 2008 under a voluntary agreement between ministers and the drinks industry. 28 May 2007

More on this topic from elsewhere

• 'Silver linings in the cloud over Oddbins' "Following rumours of an imminent sale and a £4.2m loss last year, it seems that Oddbins, the once-revered high-street chain, is in crisis," writes Tim Atkin of The Guardian. 6 May 2007