Articles

Forget reality shows. For anyone interested in the future of food – and really the future of the entire planet – the corporate theatre of the mega-merger is proving to be compelling stuff. This week Monsanto confirmed a record-breaking $66bn takeover of its GM seeds business by rival Bayer. The deal – if it is allowed to […]

If you are in the dark about mushrooms you could be missing out on some key nutritional – and medicinal – benefits. Although most people lump them in with their daily plant foods, mushrooms aren’t technically plants; they are fungi – an entirely separate classification from plants or animals. Nutritionally mushrooms provide many of the […]

Childhood cancer is on the rise and has been for some time. Indeed, this trend was one of the first that I ever tackled as a health journalist – more than two decades ago. It was depressing, then, to see the response to the recent survey by Children with Cancer UK  Researchers for the charity […]

I’d like to ask a serious question about asking serious questions. At the recent meeting of the American Chemical Society a new packaging material made from the milk protein casein was unveiled. Mix casein with some citrus pectin and glycerol and you can produce an eco-friendly film that looks and feels like plastic wrap and […]

Are we becoming more anti-social? Are we less likely to love our neighbours and show kindness strangers, to welcome social diversity and simply trust in humanity? If the recent world news is anything to go by, it would seem so. Worse, being anti-social can become a vicious circle; prolonged loneliness and isolation can transform the […]

In our modern society we have a food addiction – and it’s not the one you think. We are addicted to pretty packages, to the bright colours and exaggerated claims, and it is ruining our health. I was reminded of this recently when a study came out showing that so-called ‘healthy’ breakfast biscuits contain unacceptable […]

I consume therefore I am…as the modern mantra goes. People vary, of course, in how closely they stick to this mantra. For some the act of shopping, of consuming, of treating the world like their own private hypermarket is both thrilling and fulfilling. But the psychology – or neurosis – of the consumer society aside, […]

Have you ever wondered how to effectively substitute dried herbs for fresh herbs in remedies and recipes? Fresh herbs are great and have a variety of uses, but because they are natural products they are governed by geography and the seasons. Drying them means you can enjoy their benefits all year long. But drying them […]

Celebrities have a unique ability to engage people in environmental campaigns, writes Pat Thomas. Neil Young is a case in point: his latest album, The Monsanto Years, conveys an eloquent message of the dangers of GMOs and corporate power, and his upcoming European tour offers green campaigners a unique opportunity to engage a broader public […]

This week a St. Louis jury ordered the Johnson & Johnson Company to pay $55 million (£38 Million) to a woman in South Dakota who claimed she developed ovarian cancer after 30 years regular use of the company’s talcum powder. This was not the first such award. In February of this year, another jury in […]