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 Erica and Mae Tee (Photo courtesy of Erica Ward). Big changes are coming for Erica Ward.
The Fowlerville, Mich. native, who recently graduated from Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, is the newest staff veterinarian at Thailand’s Elephant Nature Park (ENP), where she’s volunteered for several years.
She first traveled to the park, located in Thailand’s Chiang Mai province, in 2011 as part of an ecotourism trip. Since then, she’s organized several other trips to the park with groups of preveterinary and veterinary students from around the U.S. But the person she was when she arrived in Thailand for the first time and the person she was when she left were very different. It’s a change she’s also seen reflected in many of the students who also visit the park.
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 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is set to lift a decades-old ban on many cured meats from Italy on May 28.
The lifting of the ban – which has been in place for about 40 years – comes after the USDA declared certain areas of Italy free of swine vesicular disease, which can survive the cooking and curing process. As such, the USDA believes the risk of the disease making it to U.S. shores is now low, according to NPR’s The Salt.
These regions include Lombardy, Emilie-Romagna, Veneto and Piedmont, along with the provinces of Trento and Bolzano.
Although the way will soon be clear for Italian cured meat exporters, they still have to meet U.S. food safety standards, including pathogen controls, which could be costly, according to The New York Times. [ More ... ]
 The Canadian government has taken the next step in rolling out the Safe Food for Canadians Act.
Last week, officials unveiled the government’s action plan, which aims to provide additional information to consumers, create more effective inspections and enhance food safety rules, according to a statement from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Several food safety initiatives will be launched in the next two years. The first will be new labeling requirements for mechanically tenderized beef cuts. The measure aims to further control E. coli in beef plants by informing consumers which cuts of meat have undergone the tenderization process along with including proper cooking instructions. Federally-registered facilities must begin labeling by July 2. [ More ... ]
Editor’s note: Hi all! Just a little FYI – next week’s edition of the links will be posted next Wednesday.
 Don’t have time to scour the internet for the latest food safety, animal safety, life sciences and agriculture news? Relax, we’ve got it covered.
Food safety
Groundbreaking study into peanut allergy – Food Standards Agency
The United Kingdom’s (U.K.) Food Standards Agency is recruiting participants in a study that will look at the factors that affect peanut allergy.
Four main culprits found for serious childhood diarrhea – Nature
Four pathogens are responsible for most serious cases of diarrhea in children – E. coli, Shigella, Cryptosporidium and rotavirus. Diarrhea is the second biggest killer of children globally.
Eat more bugs, they’re good for you! – The Social Silo
The United Nations recently released a report about the potential benefits of eating bugs as a way to combat global hunger. You can find it here.
E. coli outbreak reported in northeast Georgia – Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Officials still are tracking the source of the outbreak. [ More ... ]
 Pets are living longer than before.
Nationally, the average lifespan for dogs is about 11 years while cats live for about 12.1 years. Overall, the average lifespan for dogs is up about 4 percent (or about half a year) since 2002. For cats, the average lifespan has increased an entire year, or about 10 percent, since 2002, according to the 2013 Banfield State of Pet Health Report.
Cats and dogs had the longest average lifespan in Montana, with cats clocking in at 14.3 years and dogs at 12.4 years. The report took factors such as breed, genetics and spay/neuter status into account. [ More ... ]
 Although the number of H7N9 cases has slowed in recent weeks, many of those infected continue to battle the illness.
Some experts believe the closure of live poultry markets could be reason for the slow down, although others have suggested H7N9 could be decreasing as summer arrives, something that has been seen with other avian flu viruses, according to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP).
Since the beginning of May, only four new cases have been reported, according to Nature. However, no new cases have been reported from Shanghai since April 20 – the original location of the infections. [ More ... ]
 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has added a tool to its arsenal against intentional food adulteration and contamination.
The new software – the Food Defense Plan Builder – is designed to help food facility operators easily develop plans to prevent intentional contamination. Although FDA doesn’t require food defense plans, many companies still implement them to ensure products are safe.
Food defense refers to methods of protecting the food supply from intentional adulteration from terrorism, counterfeiting or any other illegal or dangerous means. If differs from food safety in that food safety deals with preventing unintentional contamination whereas food defense helps prevent intentional contamination.
FDA has released several food defense tools following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks as a way to safeguard the U.S. food supply, according to a statement from FDA. Although intentional contamination is rare, it has occurred. [ More ... ]
 It’s like playing telephone, but more science-y.
Researchers have found plants use an underground network of fungi to warn each other of attacks by aphids, small insects that feed on and can destroy plants, according to phys.org. The research was published in Ecology Letters and was conducted by researchers at the University of Aberdeen and Rothamsted Research.
Below ground, most plants are connected by thread-like fungi called mycorrhizae. Researchers grew bean plants in groups of five then let three in each group grow mycorrihizal mycelia. The remaining two plants in each group were kept fungi-free, according to the University of Aberdeen. [ More ... ]
 Yesterday marked the beginning of Food Allergy Awareness Week, which aims to educate as many people as possible about food allergies and their severity.
Food allergies have been increasing in the U.S. in recent years – up from 3.4 percent of kids younger than 18 in 1997-1999 to 5.1 percent in 2009-2011, according to new research. Roughly 3.5 to 4 percent of U.S. adults also have at least one food allergy. In fact, every three minutes, food allergies send someone to the emergency room, according to FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education), a national group dedicated to raising awareness of food allergy.
Although almost any food can be allergenic, 90 percent of food allergic reactions are caused by only eight foods: peanuts, eggs, milk, tree nuts, wheat, fish, soy and shellfish. [ More ... ]
 Don’t have time to scour the internet for the latest food safety, animal safety, life sciences and agriculture news? Relax, we’ve got it covered.
Food safety
New study by USDA, FDA aims to enhance food safety in retail delis (Risk assessment targets Listeria monocytogenes) – USDA FSIS
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are launching the first study of its kind on Listeria monocytogenes and retail deli foods.
Recall plan guidebook now available – USDA FSIS
FSIS has released a book on how to effectively develop a meat and poultry recall plan.
U.S. beef industry working to regain beef access in Russia – BEEF
U.S. officials are trying to restore beef exports to Russia, which were halted after the Russian government cracked down on the feed additive ractopamine. [ More ... ]
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