Dole Food Company is in the midst of a Cyber Attack and have subsequently shut down our systems throughout North America,” Emanuel Lazopoulos, senior vice president at Dole’s Fresh Vegetables division, says in a statement to retailers quoted by CNN.

Looking into this cybersecurity incident for Digital Journal is Stephan Chenette, Co-Founder and CTO at AttackIQ.

Chenette places the incident in the context of other security incidences impacting upon the food sector. He notes: “The recent ransomware attack against Dole Food Company is an unfortunate reminder that the target on the food and beverage industry hasn’t gone anywhere.”

Drawing on another example, Chenette says: “Just last December, Sobeys, a major Canadian food retail giant, suffered a ransomware attack that cost the company around $25 million.”

The maritime company that owns Sobeys ended up alerting customers, and employees past and present about a data breach of personal information.

Returning to Dole, Chenette observes: “The aftermath of a ransomware attack against a food supplier this large can be devastating. Grocery stores in North America are already noting a shortage of shipments due to Dole shutting down its North American production plants.”

Chenette considers what other firms operating in similar areas can to do prevent similar attacks. He states: “To prevent similar attacks in the future, organizations must study the common tactics, techniques, and procedures used by common threat actors, which will help them build more resilient security detection, prevention, and response programs mapped precisely to those known behaviors.”

As a second recommendation, Chenette turns his attention to robotic processes, recommending: “Organizations should use automated solutions that safely validate their defensive controls against ransomware campaigns and their techniques to better prepare for the next threat.”

The post Ransomware attack affects Dole’s operations appeared first on Digital Journal.

Petersen explains that fruit is a great way to stay healthy, refreshed and energized during the busy and hot summer months (especially this summer). Fruit and vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin C and potassium. There is some association with regular fruit consumption and improved health outcomes.

She adds: “On a daily basis you want to eat 2 to 3 servings of fresh fruit. Organic is preferred, and mandatory, if your preference is some of the Dirty Dozen fruits.”

As to what is meant by this, Petersen clarifies: “The Dirty Dozen refers to 12 fruits and vegetables that are so laden with pesticides that they should be avoided unless they are organic. Apples, strawberries, nectarines, and peaches are a few that fall into this category.”

The concern is that as a consequence of new systemic type of pesticides, residues could be contained within the entire piece of produce rather than just on the surface. As a result, peeling or washing fruit and vegetables before eating is often not enough to prevent exposure to pesticides.

This complication aside, Petersen extolls the virtues of eating fruit, noting: “Fresh fruit provides fiber, essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Eating fruit can reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic inflammation.”

Dr. Vikki Petersen proceeds to provide the main health benefits of regularly eating good quality fruit to readers. These form five essential areas.

#1: Berries

Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are high in fiber and the richest source of antioxidants, second only to pomegranate (not the easiest fruit to obtain or eat!). Antioxidants protect your cells from damage and improve your blood sugar and insulin response. This debunks a pervasive misconception that one should avoid fruit if you have diabetes. The opposite, in fact, is true.

#2: Apples

The old adage of “an apple a day” was accurate. Apples are special because they are rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber, thereby acting as a stabilizing force for your blood sugar while supporting gut health. Note: apples must be organic (due to the presence on the Dirty Dozen list) or they are not worth eating.

#3: Avocado

We often do not think of avocados as a fruit, but they hold a special place due to their high fiber content, low natural sugar levels and healthy fat content. The fat and fiber make this fruit very satiating and has been associated with weight loss. The special antioxidants present protect your heart, can lower cholesterol and support eye health.

#4: Oranges

Oranges and other citrus fruits are very rich in vitamin C, along with potassium and B vitamins. Eating a fresh orange can lower your inflammation, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. Note: eat your orange, do not drink it in the form of juice, as many benefits are lost by juicing.

#5: Bananas

Bananas are easy to obtain and travel well. Beyond potassium, which they are best known for, bananas are rich in prebiotic fiber that feed healthy bacteria in your gut. The less ripe the banana the higher its resistant starch level and the better for your gut health.

The post Path to being healthy: Regular fruit consumption matters appeared first on Digital Journal.

“Here, we’re in one of the greenhouses for a bug that’s called the macrolophus,” says Pierre-Yves Jestin, as clouds of the pale green insects swarm around his hands.

Jestin is president of Saveol, the Brittany cooperative that is France’s largest tomato producer, cranking out 74,000 tons a year.

For several years the cooperative has promoted “pesticide-free” harvests in response to growing concerns about the impact of harsh chemicals on humans and the environment.

It does so thanks to its own bug farm, launched in 1983, that now stretches across 4,500 square metres (just over one acre) outside Brest, where the tip of Brittany juts out into the Atlantic.

Plans are in the works to add 1,200 square metres more this year, producing macrolophus as well as tiny wasps that feed on common tomato pests such as whiteflies and aphids.

Every week the insects are packed up in plastic boxes and shipped to the cooperative’s 126 growers.

“This new extension will allow us to increase our breeding of macrolophus, which are increasingly in demand for the pesticide-free range,” said Roselyne Souriau, head of the insect programme at Saveol — whose name means ‘sunrise’ in the local Breton language.

“At the same time, it will let us develop a new range — at least we hope — better suited to strawberries, with parasitic micro-wasps that feed on aphids,” she said.

– ‘A third way’ –

Because the vast majority of Brittany’s tomatoes are grown in greenhouses, they do not qualify for an organic label, which requires plants to be grown under natural conditions in the ground.

That prompted Saveol to team up with two other Brittany cooperatives, Sica and Solarenn, two years ago to promote their pesticide-free offerings.

“In 2020, we didn’t use any chemical treatments at all,” said Francois Pouliquen, whose eight hectares at the Saveur d’Iroise farm are part of the Saveol network.

“Consumers are now looking to eat healthily,” he said. “Organic produce exists of course, but it isn’t always within reach for people on a budget.”

“Pesticide-free is an alternative, a third way, for mass production that is still healthy,” he said.

Overall, use of predatory insects by French farmers has soared, with regulators approving 330 species as plant pest treatments in the first quarter of this year, up from 257 in 2015, according to the agriculture ministry.

At Saveol’s insect farm, the predatory bugs feast on moth eggs spread over hundreds of tobacco plants, which are in the same family as tomatoes and eggplants.

The broad leaves make it easy when workers cut the tops off the plants and shake the insects into a giant metal funnel for packing.

Some 10 million macrolophus and 130 million micro-wasps are produced each year, and Saveol claims it is the only growers’ cooperative in Europe with its own insect-raising facility.

The post French 'bug farm' thrives on demand for pesticide-free fruit appeared first on Digital Journal.

The research found that eating four extra portions of fruit and vegetables each day seems to raise people’s mental health to the level that this can offset half the negative psychological impact of a major life event, like divorce. Moreover, this level of fruit and vegetable consumption could off-set a quarter of the psychological damage caused by unemployment.

Whereas earlier research has based a diet and mental health connection based on people’s subjective responses (limited by cross-sectional correlations, convenience samples, and lack of adequate controls), the new study uses objective evidence, based on longitudinal data, about the association between fruit and vegetables and overall psychological health. An advantage connected with the longitudinal nature of the dataset was that the researchers were able to relate changes in fruit and vegetable consumption with changes in self-reported well-being for the same individual over a sustained period of time.

The research was led by Redzo Mujcic, Assistant Professor of Behavioural Science, and Andrew Oswald, Professor of Economics and Behavioural Science (both based at the University of Warwick, U.K.). The research findings have been published in the journal Social Science Medicine, with the research paper titled “Does eating fruit and vegetables also reduce the longitudinal risk of depression and anxiety? A commentary on ‘Lettuce be happy'”.

The post Fruit and vegetables lower risk of clinical depression appeared first on Digital Journal.

Pins and needles were found stuck into the fruit in September, leading supermarkets to pull boxes from shelves across Australia and New Zealand and forcing farmers to dump crops.

The sabotage and a rash of suspected hoaxes and copycat attacks also prompted the national government to raise criminal penalties for fruit tampering.

My Ut Trinh, 50, who worked at one of the strawberry farms where the tampered produce was grown, was arrested and charged with seven counts of contaminating goods by Queensland state police on Sunday.

She faced court on Monday and bail was denied after prosecutors said she could suffer retribution for her alleged actions, The Australian reported.

The court was told she was motivated by spite and revenge when she allegedly inserted the needles into the berries in early September, the newspaper added.

Earlier, police spoke of the challenges investigators faced as they tried to figure out the source of the contamination.

“This has probably been one of the most trying investigations that I’ve been part of,” Detective Superintendent Jon Wacker told reporters in Brisbane.

Wacker said Trinh, an Australian citizen, “was a supervisor at a farm”, with Queensland’s Courier Mail identifying her employer as the Berrylicious and Berry Obsession farm — one of the growers at the heart of the scare.

Wacker said investigators had “strong evidence” including DNA.

He said police collected 230 reports nationwide of strawberry contamination affecting 68 brands, most within his state, with the majority involving sewing needles.

Some cases were also found to be “a hoax or a false complaint”, Wacker added. Police had earlier questioned at least two minors over suspected hoaxes.

The Queensland Strawberry Growers Association welcomed the arrest, but noted the high number of unresolved cases, adding that the seven counts in Trinh’s chargesheet suggested that most of the 230 reports were either copycat actions or hoaxes.

“It was a crisis driven by social media and the only real victims were the strawberry growers, and to some extent other Australian fruit growers and exporters,” the association said in a statement.

The post Ex-farm supervisor charged over Australia strawberry sabotage appeared first on Digital Journal.

Queensland state authorities offered a large reward and the national government raised jail terms for such crimes after sewing needles were found in plastic boxes of the fruit sold in supermarkets in September.

Since the first case came to light when a man was taken to hospital with stomach pains after consuming strawberries, more than 100 alleged incidents of pins and needles found in fruit, mostly strawberries, were reported in September around the country.

One incident was also reported in neighbouring New Zealand.

Police said a 50-year-old woman was arrested and charged on Sunday with seven counts of contaminating goods “following a complex… and extensive investigation”.

“This is a major and unprecedented police investigation with a lot of complexities involved,” Detective Superintendent Jon Wacker said in a statement.

“The Queensland Police Service has allocated a significant amount of resources to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.”

She faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment and is due in a Brisbane court on Monday.

Police did not reveal the reasons and motives behind her alleged involvement.

The sabotage crisis led supermarkets to pull the fruit from the shelves and saw farmers dump tonnes of the unwanted berry. The government raised the maximum prison sentence for fruit tampering from 10 to 15 years.

Queensland Strawberry Growers Association spokeswoman Jennifer Rowling welcomed the news and said the crisis had a “crippling impact” on the state’s strawberry growers.

“However, it is disconcerting that the charges relate to only six or seven punnets (plastic boxes) of strawberries, proving that the majority of… incidents were copycats or false reports,” she told national broadcaster ABC.

The post Woman charged over Australia strawberry needle scare appeared first on Digital Journal.

For almost two weeks, reports of pins and needles being found in fruit across Australia have delivered a gut punch to industry, set grocery-shoppers on edge and left police struggling to find needles in a haystack of copycat pranks.

But now Australians — adopting a shrug-and-get-on-with-it attitude — have had enough. They are getting back on their berries.

Wholesalers are reporting an uptick in sales, thanks in part to social media campaigns that encouraged Australians to bake a strawberry pavlova or just “#Smashastrawb” and eat it.

“Things are on the up,” said Jim Ripepi of Australian Strawberry Distributors, a family-owned company that grows and sells strawberries wholesale.

“The public support has been really overwhelming. Sales are picking up,” he told AFP. “I was selling out every day this week.”

Supermarkets are starting to report a similar trend and are even struggling to meet demand after many of their usual suppliers packed up tools fearing the worst.

For some farmers it may be too little too late, but for the industry at large, it’s a godsend.

– Mystery remains –

The crisis began almost two weeks ago with needles being found in two brands of strawberries in the northeast state of Queensland.

The cause of the initial scare and the scale of the problem remain a mystery.

Police in Queensland say only that the initial investigation is ongoing, leaving the public to speculate about the motives — could it be a disgruntled employee or competitor? — or how close they are to solving the crime.

The Australian government has instructed police and other agencies to avoid giving specific numbers about how many pins or needles have actually been found in fruit — including bananas, apples and a mango.

Indications are that of the 100 or so instances looked at by police, the vast majority were hoaxes or pranks.

Two kids are believed to have been cautioned for such copycat stunts and in Adelaide in southern Australia, a father has reportedly been charged with making a false claim to police about his daughter eating tainted fruit.

Australian state governments have offered cash rewards and indemnity from prosecution for anyone providing information about the culprit.

Throughout the crisis, the government of new Prime Minister Scott Morrison has strained to appear in control, using its parliamentary majority to introduce longer potential jail sentences for deliberate contamination.

Strawberry farmers “were having their livelihoods threatened”, Morrison said Monday, heralding the parliamentary response.

“We had mums and dads worried about what they were putting in the school kids’ lunches. We were able to act swiftly and get that through the parliament in about 36 hours.”

In the latest twist, needles have turned up in a punnet of Australian strawberries in New Zealand, prompting the authorities there to say each punnet would be screened.

Strawberry Growers NZ said there had been no reports of problems with locally-grown fruit.

“While this is naturally of concern to our industry, this is an Australian strawberry issue and there is no evidence to suggest any connection to New Zealand-grown strawberries,” executive manager Michael Ahern said.

New Zealand Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said it was unclear whether the strawberries had been tampered with before or after they entered New Zealand.

But he did not rule out the prospect of copycat sabotage.

“It’s the kind of sordid and sick proposition that does arise when these situations are publicised,” he told Radio New Zealand.

“We hope that it would not be a New Zealander doing a copycat, we hope that it wouldn’t happen at all.”

The post Australia strawberry crisis now tastes a little sweeter for farmers appeared first on Digital Journal.

The Countdown supermarket chain said it had taken a brand of Australian strawberries off the shelves after a sabotaged punnet — a plastic box — was sold in an Auckland store.

The strawberries, from Western Australia state, were sold in Countdown stores nationwide last week and only one incident of tampering was reported.

“We take food safety very seriously,” the company said in a statement, adding it was in touch with authorities investigating incidents of needles found in strawberries in Australia in recent weeks.

“Customers can return any Choice brand of strawberries they may have at home to Countdown for peace of mind and a full refund.”

Countdown advised customers to cut up any Australian strawberries before eating them.

The statement said there have been no reports of any illness or injury in New Zealand.

It added that the brand of strawberries affected by this withdrawal “have not previously had any issues of this nature reported and had not been withdrawn from sale in Australia”.

In Australia, more than 100 alleged incidents of pins and needles found in fruit have been reported since the scare began in Queensland state earlier this month.

Most are thought to be pranks or jokes on social media, but at least two minors have been questioned by police for carrying out hoaxes.

Woolworths Australia, Countdown’s parent company, has withdrawn needles from sale as a “precautionary step” as police hunt for the original culprit amid a spate of copycat episodes.

The Australian government last week raised the maximum prison sentence for fruit tampering from 10 to 15 years.

The post Needle found in Australian strawberries sold in New Zealand appeared first on Digital Journal.

Urging Australians to make a strawberry pavlova this weekend to help struggling farmers, Scott Morrison demanded a change in the law to toughen sentences.

“We’re not mucking about” said Morrison, after pieces of fruit were found to be contaminated with needles or pins. “This is not on, this is just not on in this country,” he said.

Calling the perpetrator a “coward and a grub”, Morrison called on parliament to quickly raise the maximum sentence for such deliberate food contamination from ten to 15 years behind bars.

That, he said, would put the crime on par with “things like possessing child pornography and financing terrorism. That’s how seriously I take this.”

The scare has prompted a series of supermarket recalls, and some stores in New Zealand have temporarily banned the sale of Australian strawberries.

Farmers have been forced to pulp fruit and lay off pickers because of slower sales and lower wholesale prices.

“Just go back to buying strawberries like you used to and take the precautions that you should,” Morrison told Australians in a televised address.

“Make a pav this weekend and put strawberries on it,” he suggested, later adding in a video message that his wife Jen would actually be doing the baking in their house.

Authorities have suggested strawberries be cut up before they are eaten.

Police on Tuesday said they still did not know the motive for the attacks and were still looking for suspects.

They have asked the public for help with their investigation and are expected later Wednesday to increase a reward for information that helps resolve the case.

The authorities have also complained that the vast majority of the 100 reported cases were hoaxes, and warned that pranksters posting images on Facebook claiming that they have discovered tainted fruit could also face prosecution and potential jail time.

Police in New South Wales said a “young person” has admitted putting needles in strawberries as a copycat prank and will be dealt with under the youth cautioning system.

The post Strawberry sabotage akin to ‘terrorism’: Australia PM appeared first on Digital Journal.

As the number of reported attacks ballooned and suspected copycat attacks were reported — with one apple and one banana contaminated in the Sydney area — police issued a warning about the seriousness of the crime.

It “is a serious offense which carries ten years jail,” warned New South Wales Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty, who described the fruit contamination as an act of “treachery.”

Police now say there have been 20 reported cases of needles or pins being found in strawberries in New South Wales alone, a dramatic leap from the half dozen first reported countrywide.

“We still haven’t any confirmed motivation or reasons why a person would want to do this,” said Doherty. “We haven’t any confirmed demands.

“Who puts needles and pins into strawberries, knowing that’s going to go to families and young kids? There’s some issues there, obviously.”

The scare has prompted supermarket recalls and for some stores in New Zealand to temporarily ban the sale of Australian strawberries wholesale.

No significant injuries have been reported.

In the state of Queensland, where the scare is believed to have originated, the authorities have announced financial support for growers who have been forced to pulp their product.

Some producers have reportedly turned to the use of metal detectors to make sure produce is safe to eat.

Police recommend that Australians “cut up strawberries before use, and exercise caution.”

The scare has put the focus on food safety and prompted questions about whether the industry’s supply chains are watched rigorously enough.

“This latest attack could be viewed as a form of food terrorism” said Andy Lowe, a professor at the University of Adelaide.

It “highlights how vulnerable our food supply chains are to deliberate contamination and tampering,” he added.

The post Strawberry saboteur evades Australia police appeared first on Digital Journal.