Soya
milk leaves 3,000 children ill and three dead in China
At
least three children died and up to 3,000 fell ill after drinking soya
milk issued to schools in China's northeastern Liaoling province. The
Beijing Times, quoting parents, said the children fell ill after drinking
the locally manufactured milk recommended by the local education commission
on March 19. They said three children had died and some 3,000 were suffering
from upset stomachs, headaches and dizziness. Eight schools were involved.
Nearly 100 pupils and their parents arrived in Beijing to seek better
treatment, with parents indignant at what they claim is an inadequate
response to the crisis by the authorities in Liaoling’s Haicheng city.
It follows an incident in September last, when 42 people died out of
around 300 poisoned by breakfast snacks laced with rat poison in the
eastern city of Nanjing.
US
Congressman urges for collaboration with Bihar
“Food
processing developments could create larger markets in India and abroad,
and also raise incomes for the population. This is particularly important
since Bihar is such a poor state,” said Congressman Frank Pallone, New
Jersey Democrat. Mr Pallone was in India recently for the World Economic
Summit. During his stay he made an overnight visit to Bihar along with
some Indian American physicians originally hailing from the state.
“I
discussed some possibilities of joint collaborations when we met with
Bihar’s Chief Minister Rabri Yadav and her husband, Laloo Yadav, in
Patna,” Pallone said. “Bihar could possibly tap into some new food processing
techniques in conjunction with Rutgers University’s Cook College, the
agricultural school for New Jersey” he added.
Spirits
are high and cellars brimmeth over, says report
Vinexpo
released the latest world wine consumption figures late March in association
with the UK-based International Wines and Spirits Record (IWSR). The
jointly produced study features information on 28 producer countries
and 110 consumer countries. The study shows that consumers now spend
as much each year on wine as they do on cosmetics, or three times as
much as they do on recorded music.
In
2002, the retail turnover of the global wine market was $101.5 billion,
according to Vinexpo and IWSR report, up nearly 8 per cent from the
1998 figure. In volume terms, total consumption of still light wine
and sparkling wine reached 224.759 million hectolitres. The report predicts
that this growth will continue, with value sales set to increase by
nearly 9 per cent to $111 billion by 2006. Exports are expected to rise
by another 14.9 per cent, taking imported wine sales to 73.2 million
hectolitres – one-third of all wines consumed throughout the world.
Air
pressure helps keep food healthier, say scientists
Scientists
in Northern Ireland are experimenting with putting food under massive
air pressure, a huge 45,000 pounds per square inch, as a new means of
keep foods fresher, tastier, safer and nutritious for longer. Formally
known as High Pressure Processing, the system destroys many bacteria
and decay-causing enzymes without affecting nutrients such as vitamins.
Food items are put in pressure chambers, surrounded with water. Dr Patterson
says it is because the pressure is the same all around the food item
that it retains its shape. She has been focussing on shellfish – oysters
and mussels – but says the system works across a wide variety of food
items.
Ahold
sells off units in South American countries
Ahold,
one of the primary food retailers in Europe, announced the sell-off
of its operations in Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Paraguay, earlier this
month. The Dutch group said that it was selling the business in order
to concentrate on its mature and most stable markets, and to generate
funds to pay down debt. The company is also facing an uncertain financial
future following revelations of accounting malpractice at its US Foodservice
arm.
No
timing has been set for any specific divestment, as Ahold is determined
to get the maximum value for the businesses it is selling – no doubt
in order to dispel the image of rival retailers as vultures converging
on a dying creature. Or, as Ahold put it, it wants to withdraw gracefully
from South America in a measured way, “with respect to its customers
and associates”.
Germans
protest war with a ban on Coca-Cola
To
protest against the Iraq war, restaurants in Germany have cancelled
everything American from their menus. The list of boycotted food items
includes Coca-Cola or Budweiser, Marlboro, American whisky and even
American Express cards. Although the protests are mainly symbolic, waiters
in dozens of bars and restaurants in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Bonn and
other German cities are telling patrons, “Sorry, Coca-Cola is not available
any more due to the current political situation.” The boycotts appear
to be part of a nascent worldwide movement as consumer fury seems to
be on the rise.
Demonstrators
in Paris smashed the windows of a McDonald’s restaurant recently, forcing
police in riot gear to move in to protect staff and customers of the
American fast-food outlet. The attackers sprayed obscenities and ‘boycott’
on the windows. In Indonesia, Iraq war opponents have pasted signs on
McDonald’s and other American food outlets, trying to force them to
shut by ‘sealing them’ and urging Indonesians to avoid them. In the
Swiss city of Basel, 50 students recently staged a sit-down strike in
front of a McDonald’s to block customers entry, waved peace signs and
urged people to eat pretzels instead of hamburgers.
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