LOCAL

Minnesota food deserts

Nine percent of Minnesota households struggle to have access to food; this is known as food insecurity. These disparities of access to healthy and affordable food create lasting health problems including chronic illnesses such as obesity and diabetes. 

About 1.6 million Minnesotans live in a food desert. Food desert as defined by the USDA is an area where the poverty rate is greater than or equal to 20 percent and at least 500 people or 33 percent of the population live more than one mile from a large grocery provider. One does not have to travel far either to find themselves in a food desert. Large parts of North Minneapolis are classified as food deserts. 

Individuals who live in food deserts often experience a variety of socioeconomic inequalities compared to those who do not live in food deserts. Individuals living in these areas tend to: have lower income, are of a minority population, and have little or no access to a private vehicle. Some studies have found local food resources, such as community gardens and farmers' markets, can help alleviate the effects of food deserts in some urban areas. Although these can be beneficial, they are seasonal and groups point out more solutions are needed. 

MPR
ARCGIS

NATIONAL

Hepatitis A in frozen berries

Officials released a public health warning on June 7 about frozen berries that have tested positive for hepatitis A contamination. The berries, Private Selection brand, have subsequently been recalled from shelves. The berries were sold at Kroger stores and other retailers. 
 
The berries were manufactured by Townsend farm, which was also linked to a 2013 multi-state hepatitis A outbreak. The FDA is advising consumers to not eat and dispose of any of these Private Selection berries.   

The FDA and CDC have not received any confirmed cases associated with the berries; however, it can take up to 50 days from exposure for hepatitis A symptoms to develop. In addition, people who have eaten any of these berries in the last two weeks could benefit from a post-exposure vaccine, according to the CDC.

Food Safety News

INTERNATIONAL

Pet connection with stress

A new study suggests that when owners go through a stressful event, their dog feels it too. Swedish researchers looked at 58 people, who either owned border collies or Shetland sheepdogs, and measured cortisol levels in the hair of the owners and pets. Cortisol is a hormone that is released into the bloodstream in response to stress and absorbed by the hair follicles. 

Measured levels of cortisol in the hair of the owners and pets matched throughout both summer and winter months suggesting their stress levels were in sync. The researchers believe that the human stress is affecting the dogs and not the other way around, as previous studies show that certain human personality traits affect dogs' cortisol levels. 

Researchers also suggest that stress levels may be more connected between competitive dogs and their owners as bonds formed between owner and competitive dogs during training may increase the canines’ emotional reliance on their owners. It is important to point out as well that increased cortisol does not necessarily indicate "bad" stress as increased levels are also seen prior to happy experiences such as going for a walk. 

​AP