International Portal on Food Safety, Animal and Plant Health
Launched
FAO in association with the organizations
responsible for international standard setting in sanitary and
phytosanitary matters and the World Trade Organisation, launched its
portal to provide single access point for authorized official
international and national information across the sectors of the food
safety and animal and plant health.
FAO Comments on the Role of Agricultural
Biotechnology in Future Global Food Security
In its Annual State of the World Food and
Agriculture Report (SOFA 2004), released May of this year, the UN Food
and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), comments that "today many
small-scale farmers remain trapped in subsistence agriculture, while
each day over 842 million people go without enough to eat. Billions
suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, an insidious form of
malnutrition caused by an inadequate diet. Over the next 30 years an
additional 2 billion people will need food ... yet the natural resource
base on which agriculture depends is growing increasingly fragile".
The report comments that agricultural
biotechnology has real potential as a new tool in the war on hunger but
so far that potential remains largely untapped. Dr Jacques Diouf,
Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, stated
at the release of SOFA 2004 "we will have to use the scientific tools of
molecular biology, in particular the identification of molecular
markers, genetic mapping and gene transfer for more effective plant
enhancement, going beyond the phenotype-based method".
The report emphasizes the need to ensure that the
prospective benefits of biotechnology in agriculture are shared by all
people, rather than a select few. Indeed, while SOFA 2004 notes that
poor farmers and consumers in developing countries can benefit greatly
from biotechnology, it adds that so far only a few are actually doing
so. Neither the private nor the public sector has invested
significantly in new genetic technologies for the so-called 'orphan
crops' such as cowpea, millet, sorghum and teff, which are critical for
the food supply and livelihoods of the world's poorest people".
Small Study Finds Appetite Insensitive to High
Energy Density and Large Portion Size of Foods
Thirty-nine women were provided three meals per
day, ad-libitum over a six week period. The lunch meal was formulated at
two levels of energy density, and was served in three portion sizes. The
two versions were matched for macronutrient composition and
palatability. Those consuming bigger portion size and higher
energy-dense luncheon were found to consumer 56% more energy than those
served the lower energy-dense meal.
Subjects eating lunch with the higher energy
content did not compensate by reducing intake at subsequent meals.
Subjects did not report any significant differences in sensations of
fullness or hunger.
The researchers conclude that energy density and
portion size appear to act independently of appetite to alert energy
intake, and thus large portion sizes and energy-dense foods may lead to
over-consumption of energy.
This paper published by Kral T, Roe L, & Rolls B
can be found in the Am J of Clin Nut 2004 79; 962-8
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How Cocoa-Flavanols May Improve Heart Health
A study published 2003 determined one possible
route through cocoa-sourced flavanols improve heart health. In a small
double-blind, randomized, cross-over trial of human subjects with at
least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease, high-flavanol cocoa
beverages were found to improve vascular function. The effect peaked 2
hours after consumption of the high-flavanol beverage, and no
significant effect was observed following consumption of low-flavanol
cocoa beverage. The study provided further understanding of the
mechanism by which chocolate rich in the antioxidant flavanols seems to
improve heart health (providing of course it is consumed in moderation
and as part of a varied and balanced diet)
For more information see Heiss et al 'Vascular
effects of cocoa rich in flavan-3-ols' JAMA Aug 27 2003; 290 (8):1030-31
