5@5: Canadian single-use plastic ban | Is junk food fueling food allergies?

Trudeau announces Canadian ban of single-use plastics as early as 2021

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has proposed a ban on common single-use plastic items that will be put into effect by 2021. This step follows the European Union’s decision in March to ban single-use plastics by the same year. Read more at The Hill …

Junk food may be fueling rise in food allergies, say experts

Food allergies are on the rise in western countries, and some scientists are now suggesting that substances commonly found in highly processed foods and cooked meats called advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) could be the reason behind this. Although AGEs occur naturally in the body, high levels of the substance are linked to a number of conditions including diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Read more at The Guardian …

Diet for one? Scientists stalk the dream of personalized nutrition

The largest and most comprehensive experiment to date looking at individual responses to food has shown that there are “substantial and surprising variations in how well participants processed fats and carbohydrates,” even among identical twins. The team concluded that the most important factors affecting how are bodies metabolize food are environmental—namely, “sleep, stress, exercise and the diversity and population of our individual gut microbiome." Read more at The New York Times …

Bioengineered salmon won’t come from US’s biggest farm state

Fish farmers in Maine do not plan on raising the genetically engineered salmon being brought to market by AquaBounty Technologies. Among other reservations, the group “feels the environmental assessment of the fish conducted by regulators was not rigorous enough." Read more at WGME …

Stop & Shop now has big, goofy-looking robots patrolling its aisles. What, exactly, is the goal?

Following a strike that cost the northeastern grocery chain between $90 and $100 million, Stop & Shop introduced over 200 robots to stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Jersey. These robots have only one job, to alert staff to clean up spills or loose items on the floor, but employees have found them largely inept and customers remain wary. Read more at New Food Economy …