Latest Food News

Germs in the kitchen: Salmonella better known than Campylobacter

October 5, 2017

In the latest issue, it can again be seen that consumers often underestimate risks which are classified as health-relevant from the point of view of risk assessment, such as food hygiene at home. One new topic is the question of awareness of several pathogens in the food sector. "While most people have heard of Salmonella, only a minority has heard of Campylobacter," explains BfR President Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel. "This is despite the fact that Campylobacter is by now the most common bacterial pathogen of intestinal infections in Germany." The view of consumers that food in Germany is safe has hardly changed, while smoking, climate and environmental pollution, unhealthy or wrong diet and alcohol are still perceived as the greatest health risks.

Beer can lift your spirits due to malted barley ingredient

October 8, 2017

Visitors to the Oktoberfest have always known it and now it has been scientifically proven -- beer can lift your spirits. Scientists at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) examined 13,000 food components to find out whether they stimulate the reward centre in the brain and make people feel good. Hordenine which is found in malted barley and beer seems to do the job quite well.

Milk-alternative drinks do not replace the iodine in cows' milk

September 27, 2017

In the first study of its kind in the United Kingdom, researchers from the University of Surrey examined the iodine content of 47 milk-alternative drinks (including soya, almond, coconut, oat, rice, hazelnut and hemp, but excluding those marketed specifically at infants and children) and compared it with that of cows' milk.
Researchers discovered that the majority of milk-alternative drinks did not have adequate levels of iodine, with concentration levels found to be around 2% of that found in cows' milk. Cows' milk and dairy products are the main source of iodine in the UK diet however findings from the study show that most milk-alternative drinks are not an adequate substitute.
Iodine is required to make thyroid hormones, and is particularly important during pregnancy as it is essential for normal fetal brain development. Previous research in this area by the University of Surrey has shown that low iodine status in pregnant mothers is linked to lower IQ and reading scores in their children (up to 9 years of age)