Food, Fitness & Wellness

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea The discontinuation of the Biden administration’s monthly payments of the child tax credit could leave millions of American families without enough food on the table, according to our new study in JAMA Network Open. The first missed payment on Jan. 15,

Students in protective masks engage in extracurricular activity in school on Jan. 6, 2022 in Singapore. Suhaimi Abdullah | NurPhoto | Getty Images SINGAPORE — Singapore is extending its Covid booster program to teens aged between 12 and 17, authorities announced on Friday. The health ministry recommends a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine five

Their solution: a fast-acting, first-of-its-kind chewing gum that co-founder and psychologist Gitit Lahav said “works on both a physical and a psychological level.”​ She explained in a release that “most people crave something sweet at certain times of the day, usually after lunch and at night. Over time, it becomes an automatic instinct that makes

The world now has a new COVID-19 vaccine in its arsenal, and at a fraction of the cost per dose. Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has seen over 314 million infections and over 5.5 million deaths worldwide. Approximately 60% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19

Ambulances outside University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, Maryland, on Jan. 7, 2022. Karl Merton | Tribune News Service | Getty Images As Covid-19 cases surge across the nation, Republican and Democratic governors alike are issuing new or reinstated emergency health orders in an effort to slow the spread of the omicron

The FDA’s investigation traced the outbreak of Salmonella during the summer of 2021 back to a specific indoor growing facility in the Midwest operated by indoor farming company BrightFarms, which was using growing pond techniques with deep water culture and floating raft production methods. According to the investigation summary​ ​released last week, a sample collected from an outdoor storm

From the earliest days of the pandemic, COVID-19 has wrought a far higher toll in communities of color than in the general population – thrusting the long-standing issue of health disparities in the U.S. into the attention of public health officials and the general public. Even though non-Hispanic white people make up 60% of the

Workers produce N95 respirators at Protective Health Gear (PHG) in Paterson, New Jersey, U.S., January 14, 2022. Brendan McDermid | Reuters President Joe Biden will make 400 million highly protective N95 masks available to Americans for free at pharmacies and community health centers around the U.S., a White House official said. The masks will start

According to the latest Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey​​ fielded on Dec. 29-30, 2021, the US has become a “pick-up dominant market,”​ which encompasses in-store, curbside, lockers, and drive-up online grocery services.  The survey found that out of the $8.9bn of online grocery sales recorded in December 2021, $7.1bn came from delivery/pickup vs. ship-to-home

Many poorer states, especially in the South, have always had higher rates of obesity and smoking than states in the Northeast and on the West Coast. Here, a doctor listens to a patient’s heartbeat in Jackson, Kentucky. Luke Sharrett | The Washington Post | Getty Images What a difference a new president makes. Enrollment in

The decision, published​ in the Federal Register late last week, could level the condiment playing field for French dressing, which FDA explains was once held as a benchmark for other dressings because of its “wide variation in composition to meet consumer interests,”​ but which has since suffered as other unrestricted dressings and condiments have innovated

When Wendy and Janet Norman decided to have a baby, they went sperm shopping through Xytex Corp., a sperm bank. The couple chose Donor #9623. Xytex, the Normans later claimed, told them the man spoke multiple languages and was pursuing a doctorate. Xytex had also assured them that it carefully screened all donors by reviewing

A woman is getting a Covid-19 test at a drive through Covid-19 testing center as hundreds of cars and pedestrians line up to get Covid-19 test before Christmas holiday season in North Bergen of New Jersey, United States on December 22, 2021 as Omicron rises around the country. Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu Agency | Getty

Late last month, Simply Gum introduced Simply Candy – a clean label, all-natural twist on the beloved Snickers bar that it promises is more than a “me-too” product. “This just has four ingredients: it’s dark chocolate, it’s dates, some roasted peanuts and a little bit of sea salt,”​ for a “very different flavor and a

Supply chain disruptions are being prolonged driven largely by China’s strict zero-Covid policy, according to an economist from Moody’s Analytics. The bottlenecks have lasted for about a year now but are expected to “materially ease in the early months of this year,” said Katrina Ell, a senior economist for Asia-Pacific at Moody’s Analytics. “So we would

The oversubscribed round was led by Hanaco Ventures and includes investments from Precision Capital, Rage Capital, CPT Capital, Intercap, OurCrowd, Aliya Capital, Chartered Group, Indorama Ventures, Tal Ventures, Fresh Fund, Idan and Gil Ofer, Izaki Ventures, and Paradigm Shift Fund.  The company is using its new cash injection to accelerate its manufacturing capabilities and commercialize

The new Standard for Responsible Corn Production was voted in by RTRS members following a multi-stakeholder review and development process. It is available to all producers certified under the RTRS Standard for Soy Production who want to certify their corn production – a crop typically cultivated in rotation with soy. “Continuous cooperation with farmers showed

Governor Kathy Hochul holds a COVID-19 briefing at New York City governor’s office on 633 3rd Avenue. Lev Radin | LightRocket | Getty Images New York is finally starting to turn the corner on the latest wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday. The Covid positivity rate and the seven-day case average,

“After experiencing firsthand the inefficiencies of traditional meal plan services, we have seen a clear possibility of disruption in bringing a complete transformation to a sector that is growing tremendously fast, introducing a brand-new concept,”​ Vincenzo Foglia, director of operations at SquarEat told FoodNavigator-USA. Enter an initial selection of 15 squared foods – each individually

One of my patients – who had been struggling with obesity, uncontrolled diabetes and the cost of her medications – agreed in June 2019 to adopt a more whole-food plant-based diet. Excited by the challenge, she did a remarkable job. She increased her fresh fruit and vegetable intake, stopped eating candy, cookies and cakes and

The deals, both completed in in December, follow Oterra’s bolt-on acquisition of SECNA Natural Ingredients Group S.L. in Europe last spring, and together they make good on the promise private equity firm EQT made when it acquired the business from Chr. Hansen for $940m in October. Already a well-established player in the natural color market

US Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh speaks about Labor Unions during an event in the East Room of the White House September 8, 2021, in Washington, DC. Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images The Labor Department has vowed to use its authority to protect workers from Covid, after the Supreme Court blocked the Biden