FDA issues 2009 FDA Food Code
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration today announced the publication of the new FDA Food Code, a model code and reference document that provides a scientifically sound technical and legal basis for regulating the retail and food service segment of the food industry. The 2009 FDA Food Code is a key component of the president's overall public-health-focused food safety framework for maintaining a safe food supply.More

Natural Products Association issues GMP certification to Chinese supplier
Natural Products Association
The Natural Products Association (NPA) has announced it has issued good manufacturing practices (GMP) certification to a Chinese raw materials supplier. The company is the first in China to earn certification through NPA, joining more than 80 U.S. businesses currently GMP-certified by the association. Shandong Zhongyuan Greentech Co., Ltd., a China-based dietary ingredient supplier, is a producer of Chondroitin sulfate for the dietary supplement industry, currently supplying the bulk of its materials to the U.S. market. Greentech chose to invest in NPA’s GMP certification not only to prove its facility is compliant with U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations, but also to secure its future business.More

Study: BPA raised workers' risk of sexual dysfunction
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Chinese factory workers exposed to huge amounts of bisphenol A substantially increased their risk of sexual dysfunction, according to a study released late Tuesday that is expected to add more urgency to the question of the chemical's safety. The new study, funded by the U.S. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, is the first to be designed specifically to test the effects of BPA on humans.More

Hard-hit community learns to grow food
The Associated Press via ABC News
Many of the new gardeners didn't know how to grow vegetables, and weren't sure what to do with them once they did. They learned, though, as part of a project by a local college to help a community hard-hit by the recession grow some of its own food. Wilmington College in Ohio provided the 20 plots and the guidance in this southwestern Ohio town after DHL Express decided last year to close its operation here, putting most of 8,000 Wilmington Air Park employees out of work. Local unemployment has soared to 15 percent.More

Find the 15-minute competitive advantage
Harvard Business Publishing
Just because this is a time of transformation doesn't mean that it's easy to sell transformational ideas. Economic uncertainty has reduced the audience for bold, grand rhetoric. Besides, even in boom times innovation is risky. Innovators often have to ease anxieties by sounding conservative while doing something radical. We all want breakthroughs; it's just that we can't know exactly which of the bold new ideas will break through.More

Prospects of a global organics standard 'appear low'
Cosmetics Design
With the proliferation of yet more natural and organic cosmetic standards, analysts say the prospects for a global unified standard are not getting any closer. Although overall uptake of certification for the category is increasing, a new report from market researcher Organic Monitor finds that adoption is largely taking place on a national basis.More

Diet rich in processed food linked to increased risk for depression
Medscape Medical News CME
Patients who consume a diet rich in high-fat dairy products and fried, refined, and sugary foods are at increased risk of developing depression, whereas those whose diet is rich in fish, fruit, and vegetables are at lower risk of developing depression, a new study shows. Although other research has looked at the relationship between single nutrients and depression, this is the first study to investigate the effect of dietary patterns on depression.More

Dirty air, heat, cold may all trigger heart attacks
Reuters
Extreme temperatures and heavy air pollution boost heart attack risk, according to a major new study. And on days when the air is extra dirty and the temperature is unusually hot or cold, the effects are likely to be particularly bad, given that temperature and pollution seem to harm the body in different ways.More

Teen obesity ups MS risk in women
HealthDay News via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While there are plenty of good reasons to avoid obesity in your teens, a new study now suggests that extra weight in adolescence may increase your risk of multiple sclerosis later. Reporting in Neurology, Harvard researchers found that being obese at age 18 more than doubles a woman's risk of developing MS later in life compared to her slimmer peers.More

Different shades of green
Happi
On the surface, the two couldn't seem more disparate. On one side of the debate, there's natural's pioneer Horst Rechelbacher, the founder of Aveda, creator of Intelligent Nutrients and a long-time proponent of environmentally friendly personal care products. On the other side, there's Procter & Gamble (P&G), the multibillion-dollar household and personal care corporation with far-flung operations in every corner of the globe. Both insist their environmental efforts can have a real impact on consumers and the planet.More

Organic Monitor assesses natural; organic cosmetic standards
GCI Magazine
Organic Monitor's new Technical Insights report, an assessment of the leading international natural and organic cosmetic standards, shows that although standards are gaining in popularity, adoption is mostly on a national basis. Very few standards have built a regional, let alone international, presence. Furthermore, the differences between the most popular standards in each region remain wide. Standards are the most widely adopted in Europe, where almost two-thirds of all natural and organic cosmetic products are certified.More

A glut of Google can give you a virtual fever
The Washington Post
Cyberchondria, loosely defined as the baseless fueling of fears and anxiety about common health symptoms due to Internet research, or, as I like to think of it, Googling oneself into a state of absolute, clinical hysteria over every last pain, itch and strange freckle on your body.More

Poor nutrition 'stunting growth'
BBC News
Poor child nutrition still causes major problems in the developing world - despite some progress, experts say. A third of deaths in children under five in those countries are linked to poor diet, a report by Unicef suggests. It also reveals 195m children - one in three - have stunted growth, even though rates have fallen since 1990.More