News bites, November 2014

Antibacterial honey

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden
have identified a unique group of 13
bacteria found in fresh honey that produce
active antimicrobial compounds. These
lactic acid bacteria were tested on severe
human wound pathogens — including
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) — and the lactic acid bacteria
counteracted all of them. While the effect
on human bacteria has been tested only
in a lab, the lactic acid bacteria have been
applied directly to horses with persistent
wounds. (Entomology Today)

Bayer sued over bees

Canadian beekeepers are suing the
makers of popular pesticides for more
than $400 million in damages, claiming
their products are causing the deaths of
bee colonies. The lawsuit charges Bayer
Cropscience and Syngenta Canada with
negligent design, manufacture, sale and
distribution of neonicotinoid pesticides,
which were found in 70 percent of dead
bees tested by Health Canada in 2013. Studies
show that exposed bees have smaller
colonies, fail to return to their hives, and
may have trouble navigating. (CBC News)

Butterflies and climate change

A British butterfly species has made climate change history by becoming the first known animal of any kind to lose the ability to do something after global warming forced it to move to a new environment and adapt its behavior. The brown argus butterfly has spread from long-established sites in the south of England further north to warmer and more habitable areas. But in the move the species has lost its ability to eat one of the two plants on which it has traditionally relied for survival because it’s not prevalent in its new home, according to new research. (The Independent)

Beekeepers vs. GE

Beekeepers and indigenous groups in
the Mexican state of Yucatán have won an
important court decision against genetically
engineered (GE) crops. A judge overturned
Monsanto’s permit to plant Roundup Ready®
soy for the commercial market, saying coexistence
between producers of honey and GE
soy is not possible. A ban against GE soy in
the Campeche region was upheld last spring
and other judges in Mexico last year kept
bans in place on GE corn. (Pesticide Action
Network North America)

Bacteria in cheese

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) has cut its allowance for a typically
harmless bacterium (nontoxigenic E.
coli) in cheese drastically, from 100 MPN
(most probable number) per gram to 10
MPN, raising concerns that some popular
cheeses, such as Roquefort and raw-milk
Morbier, may disappear from the market.
Nontoxigenic E. coli live in every human
gut and typically are harmless but the FDA
considers them a marker for sanitation: If a
cheese shows even modest levels, the FDA
assumes the facility that produced it must
be insufficiently clean. (Los Angeles Times)

Chicken producer drops antibiotics

Perdue Foods, the third-largest U.S.
chicken producer, announced it has
stopped adding antibiotics for human
diseases to the water or feed for 95
percent of its chickens, and no longer
will use any human antibiotics in its
hatcheries. Perdue says it will continue
feeding human antibiotics to 5 percent
of its chickens — but only when prescribed
by a veterinarian for a specific
problem. Perdue will continue using
animal antibiotics with about twothirds
of its birds. (USAToday.com)

Farmers help birds

A new Environmental Defense Fund
(EDF) report, “State of the Birds,” calls on
farmers and ranchers to help protect birds.
Birds, especially those in the increasingly
dry western states, face intense pressure
from development and drought, and many
species are struggling to survive. EDF is
working with agriculture groups around the
nation to provide a mechanism for farmers
and ranchers to get paid for creating and
caring for habitat for the birds that are the
most at risk. (The Prairie Star)

Diet sodas and the microbiome

Diet sodas may alter our gut microbes
in a way that increases the risk
of metabolic diseases such as Type 2
diabetes, according to a new study published
in the journal Nature. Experiments
by researchers at the Weizmann Institute
of Science in Israel found that artificial,
zero-calorie sweeteners, such as saccharin,
aspartame and sucralose, can alter
the mix of bacteria in the guts of mice
and people in a way that lead some to
become glucose-intolerant. (NPR)

Misleading chicken ad

Foster Farms and Tyson chicken TV
ads are misleading consumers, trying
to give the impression they don’t use
antibiotics. A voiceover in the ads says the
chicken is produced “without hormones,”
but added or artificial hormones are not
used in poultry production. What the ads
avoid saying is that antibiotics are used.

Food additive database?

Some big food producers say they will
share a database of information on flavors,
colors, texturizers and stabilizers with the
FDA for increased transparency. They’re
trying to deflect criticism about how they
approve additives through the GRAS (Generally
Recognized as Safe) process. The
GRAS process allows companies to decide
whether their additives are safe, based on
their own research. (Food Safety News)

Supermarkets vs. industry

Germany’s top supermarkets are
forcing the German poultry industry to
return to non-genetically engineered
feed starting in January. After using
only GE feed for more than a decade,
Germany’s poultry industry announced
in February it was changing course
— claiming a shortage, the risk of
contamination and the associated legal
uncertainty. Supermarkets found these
claims did not stand up and that there’s
plenty of non-GE feed to meet demand.
(nationofchange.org)

Apples fight obesity?

Apples can fight obesity, according to
a recent study from Washington State University.
Researchers found that some of the
indigestible matter in apples encourages the
growth of friendly, obesity-fighting bacteria
in the gut. Researchers tested only the most
popular varieties of apple, but of those they
determined the Granny Smith is most effective
in fighting weight gain. (Capital Press)