“It has become clear that cooking is a healthy behavior,” said lead author Professor Mark Wahlqvist in a statement. “It deserves a place in life-long education, public health policy, urban planning and household economics.”

The research team, made up of Taiwanese and Australian researchers, published their work in Public Health Nutrition, a Cambridge University journal after looking at a group of 1,888 men and women over age 65 who lived in Taiwan. At the start of the study, they interviewed each participant about several lifestyle factors, including cooking habits, household circumstances, shopping habits, diet, education, transportation and smoking.

During the initial survey, researchers found that 43 percent of participants never cooked, while 17 percent cooked one to two times per week, 9 percent cooked three to five times in a week and 31 percent cooked five or more times a week.

After 10 years, they followed up to see how many of the participants had died. They then matched lifestyle answers to the 1,193 participants who remained alive. The researchers discovered that frequent cooking was associated with survival. Also associated? Grocery shopping, taking public transportation, not smoking, and being a woman. Frequent cooking — and survival — was more common among women and most profoundly among unmarried women, though also among women with families.

There were limitations to the study: women generally live longer than men and, for cultural reasons, women were more practiced at cooking than men. Additionally, those who remained healthy were more able to perform errands related to cooking, like shopping for food, walking and taking public transportation. The truly ailing wouldn’t be able to cook because of their health — not the other way around.

But even after researchers controlled for these other factors, they found an association between frequent home cooking and longevity. “The pathways to health that food provides are not limited to its nutrients or components, but extend to each step in the food chain, from its production, to purchase, preparation and eating, especially with others,” added Wahlqvist.

source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/18/cooking-longevity_n_1518466.html?ref=food&ir=Food&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008

A 14-year-old boy who had visited the drive-through window with his mother was eating the sandwich and pulled a pad of a finger out of his mouth, Jackson police Deputy Chief John Holda said. He described it as the fingerprint portion.

“Arby’s wants to reassure customers that we are committed to providing quality food in a safe and healthy environment. We are deeply concerned and apologetic to the guest involved in this unfortunate incident,” says a letter signed by John Gray. Gray is vice president of corporate communications and public relations for Atlanta-based Arby’s Restaurant Group Inc. The general manager at the Jackson restaurant deferred comment.

In the letter, dated Wednesday, Gray called what happened an “isolated and unfortunate accident” during which an employee was injured at the business at 952 N. West Ave.

An employee had sliced her finger while operating a meat slicer at the restaurant and left her station without immediately saying she cut herself, said Steve Hall, environmental health director for the Jackson County Health Department. Other workers were filling an order before they became aware of what happened, he said.

Holda said the employee had gone to a back room to wash or treat herself.

Arby’s has been unable to confirm the details and is conducting a thorough investigation, according to the letter.

 The employee went to Allegiance Health and police were called to the hospital at about 1:37 p.m., Holda said.

Hall said the emergency dispatch center notified the health department and the department did an investigation.

Arby’s stopped using the meat slicer and followed proper protocol in breaking it down and cleaning it, he said. The restaurant was cooperative with the department, he said.

 ”Upon learning of the incident, the franchisee’s restaurant team shut down food production and thoroughly cleaned and sanitized the restaurant,” Gray’s letter stated.

Arby’s was allowed to remain open, the letter stated and Hall confirmed it did not close. “Once the employee reported the incident, all product was disposed of,” Hall wrote in an email, answering a question about whether food was tossed as a result of the occurrence.

Nothing that occurred was considered criminal, Holda said. “It’s an accident.”

He said the officer spoke with the customer and his mother at the hospital. The two brought the finger piece there, he said.

Both the boy and the employee are fine, he said.

source: http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2012/05/teenage_boy_finds_piece_of_fin.html

Those of us who live for that next cup of coffee to get us through the day, this is welcome news.

According to the study, “Coffee drinkers were less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections, although the association was not seen for cancer. These results from a large study of older adults were observed after adjustment for the effects of other risk factors on mortality, such as smoking and alcohol consumption.”

Neal Freedman, Ph.D., Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, NCI, and his colleagues examined the association between coffee drinking and risk of death in 400,000 U.S. men and women ages 50 to 71 who participated in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.

The researchers found that the association between coffee and reduction in risk of death increased with the amount of coffee consumed. Relative to men and women who did not drink coffee, those who consumed three or more cups of coffee per day had approximately a 10 percent lower risk of death.

We found coffee consumption to be associated with lower risk of death overall, and of death from a number of different causes,’’ said Freedman. “Although we cannot infer a causal relationship between coffee drinking and lower risk of death, we believe these results do provide some reassurance that coffee drinking does not adversely affect health.”

That is great news for us who consume coffee and worry about the potential side effects.

source: http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/2012/CoffeeProtectiveDCEG

An official with the State Department of Ecology said the mussel farm operations were suspended as a precaution while investigators make certain no pollution reached the mussel pens from the vessel. The investigation was being conducted by the State Health Department, he said.

Source: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/komo/article/Famed-shellfish-in-jeopardy-after-boat-fire-3555376.php

State Department of Health officials found other Oahu, Hawaii farms using unapproved pesticides on basil crops, the Associated Press reported May 13. State and federal authorities were working with local farmers to prevent pesticide misuse after samples at a west Oahu farm in April tested positive for a pesticide not approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use on basil. The farm was ordered to stop selling basil and destroy affected crops.

Health officials said 10 basil samples from 5 produce distributors on the island were tested. Testing found 7 out of 10 samples were positive for 1 or more pesticides not approved for basil. Basil samples taken from six Oahu farms found four farms tested positive for at least one unapproved pesticide. All contaminated crops were restricted from sale or distribution.

Source: http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/d862d9e580b74ab897db87a8fb7cd023/HI–Pesticide-Violation-Basil/

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Police investigating another trailer theft. Pennsylvania State Police said they were looking for another trailer that was stolen from a midstate distribution center, WHTM 27 Harrisburg reported May 14. The latest stolen trailer was full of baked goods.

Troopers said the semi-trailer was taken from the Food Lion distribution center near Greencastle in Franklin County sometime between May 3 and 4. The trailer was carrying perishable baked goods, including several varieties of cakes, fillings, and frostings. State police estimate the total value of the stolen goods at $41,000. Earlier in May, two trailers filled with $30,000 worth of Corona beer were stolen from a Cumberland County distribution center.

Source: http://www.abc27.com/story/18371282/police-investigating-another-trailer-theft

About 700 people, most of them arriving on tour buses from New York City, came to the annual event where dishes were prepared by volunteers, a spokeswoman for the Chuang Yen Monastery said. An official with the Putnam County Bureau of Emergency Services said about 150 people overall became sick and about 80 of those had boarded buses to go shopping at an outlet.

The detective said his department confirmed fewer than 30 sick, but he said the number could go as high as 150 or more. The Chuang Yen Monastery will be working with health officials on the investigation, the spokeswoman said. Though an estimated 100 people went to hospitals in 3 counties, there were no reports of patients who remained overnight.

Source: http://newyork.newsday.com/news/health/chuang-yen-monastery-illnesses-might-be-linked-to-rice-balls-1.3716379