we want local food!

‘Local brands are winning hearts and minds’: Rising demand for local food in Europe

14-Nov-2018 By Katy Askew

European consumers are increasingly interested in buying locally produced products, with local and national brands “winning hearts and minds”, according to new research.

Chewing the fat over statins

this is a very interesting paper that shows that there is sth wrong around statins prescription...


Chewing the fat over statins: Consumer concerns about lipid-lowering medication

• Deckx, L.^a
• Kreijkamp-Kaspers, S.^a,
• McGuire, T.^bcd,
• Bedford, S.^e,
• van Driel, M.^a

• ^aPrimary Care Clinical Unit, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
• ^bFaculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia
• ^cSchool of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Australian Family PhysicianVolume 46, Issue 8, 1 August 2017, Pages 594-601

Background
The objective of this article was to explore the information needs of consumers using statins.

Methods
Calls made to a national medicines call centre in Australia were analysed. Where question narratives were available electronically (n = 1486), the main concerns were identified using a coding scheme. Subsequently, we evaluated whether these concerns were addressed in the medication leaflet.

Results
The most common concerns were about side effects (36%) and interactions (28%). Concerns about side effects related to musculoskeletal (27%), gastrointestinal (12%) and skin problems (5%). Concerns about interactions included other medicines (49%), complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs; 39%) and grapefruit (6%). Additional questions related to differences between treatments (12%) and dosage (8%). Most topics were mentioned in the medication leaflet, but strategies to manage these concerns were lacking.

Discussion
When prescribing statins, information about common side effects, when symptoms require action, and interactions with other medicines, especially CAMs, should be addressed and tailored to the patient.

Seafood: sustainable supply is essential

The majority of Europeans say they eat fish because its healthy. Fish consumption is increasing, with 42% Europeans eating fish/aquaculture products at least once a week at home. This underlines the need to ensure sustainable supply of fish to the EU market.

A new Eurobarometer survey on EU consumer choices regarding fishery and aquaculture products reveals that people in the EU eat seafood quite regularly, although how far people live from the sea plays a role in how often they eat fish.

[here is the full article]