Researchers at Imperial College London conducted a study of over 4,500 adults in thirteen countries.  They tested participants’ blood for the antibodies produced by the immune system’s response to certain foods.

These ‘allergies’, properly designated as food sensitivity reactions, can be activated by almost any food, but the most common found in this particular study were apples, peaches, hazelnuts, wheat and shrimp.  Refuting the common assumption, cow’s milk, eggs and fish turned out to be some of the least likely to cause an allergic response.

The study also indicated that sensitivity to specific foods was identified in different countries.  Less than one percent of people in all thirteen countries showed a sensitive reaction to eggs, fish and milk, but seven percent reacted to hazelnuts.  In some countries, including the U.S., Norway, Italy and Germany, the highest percentage of participants (about 22 percent) was shown to have antibodies against at least one specific food.

In Britain and France, antibodies were present in only about 14 percent of all participants.

Food sensitivity does not necessarily set off an allergic reaction such as swelling, wheezing or skin irritation.  In addition, clinical allergies are often confused with food intolerance, which does not involve the immune system.  Many people who believe they are allergic to certain foods may just have a low tolerance – a small amount of the particular food would probably not cause any negative reaction, whereas with a true allergy, even a tiny portion can lead to severe symptoms.

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The crop approvals were made on Tuesday and were significant as they marked the end of a deadlock in which lawmakers in Brussels in refused to approve GM foods for a 13 year period.

The Amflora crops will be grown for use as an industrial starch and bred by BASF.  Although it is not likely to be produced within the UK, the Agricultural Biotechnology Council (ABC) declared that the decision was monumental as it ended the hiatus of EU approved GM crops.

Chairman of the ABC, Dr. Julian Little, stated that the council welcomes the approval after the last 13 years and hope that the decision made on Tuesday will signify a turning point in the way that the EU recognizes the benefits of GM technologies to the environment and to farmers.

Little added that if the UK is serious about allowing farmers to produce affordable and high quality food for its consumers than the country must be open minded about allowing farmers to choose efficient methods of crop production that include many scientific advances including GM.

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The contaminate in the chicken is called campylobacter and is responsible for 80 deaths per year and 440,000 illnesses.

The best way to avoid getting food poisoning is to cook chicken thoroughly and to disinfect the areas where chicken is kept.

However, despite this easy advice over the last four years the amount of those who fall ill each year has risen by about 40,000.

Chief executive of FSA, Tim Smith, told the board of agency that he wrote to each of the chief executives of major supermarket chains such as Tesco, Asda, and Sainsbury’s to highlight the concern and ask for their aid in reducing the problem.

Smith stated that now is the time for retailers to change their policies when it comes to purchasing goods that are subject to contamination and that by setting standard policies, purchasing strategies, and specifications in place the amount of campylobacter incidents can be reduced.

For the moment the FSA is asking supermarket officials to attend a March summit that will educate them about how chicken should be properly cleaned.  Before the summit, officials are looking into whether deep freezing or steam cleaning chicken for a brief period before placing it on the shelves will reduce the rates of contamination.

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