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chocolate could be aggravating the sleep disorder which causes sufferers to act out violent nightmares, according to scientists in a recent new scientist report. the disorder, called rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (rbd), affects around one in 200 people, and is more commonly experienced by men. those affected are said to thrash about while sleeping and shout as they dream. robert vorona of the sentara norfolk general hospital in norfolk, virginia, the study leader, said that the caffeine in chocolate blocks the normal atonia process, which paralyses people during dreams, and the sleeper is more likely to move.

french food group danone declined to comment last week on a report it was in talks with cadbury schweppes and coca-cola over distributing its evian mineral water in the united states. the wall street journal europe in its friday edition cited people familiar with the negotiations as saying danone was in discussions with both coke and cadbury over evian\'s us distribution. in the us market, 50 per cent of evian is currently distributed by coca cola enterprises, coke\'s bottling arm.

us food and drug administration this week announced recalls of mini jelly candies (or mini-cup gel candy) because these products present a choking hazard. these sweets contain the ingredient \"konjac\" (also known as conjac, konnyaku, yam flour, or glucomannan) that has already been suspended from confectionery products by the european commission following fears that the product could be potential hazards for children.

convinced that the principal growth area for dairy lies in nutraceuticals and that value-added functional foods will shift from a premium niche to a mainstream category, irish dairy giant glanbia is investing heavily in technological innovation, reports functionalfood wire. the demand for functional food - foods with enhanced health properties or nutritional benefits - mushroomed during the 1990s to the extent that irish consumers now look for a healthy option in virtually every food category, according to glanbia.

the food safety authority of ireland (fsai) last week published the first comprehensive report on food labelling in ireland. the labelling of food in ireland 2002 aims to clearly define what a food label should contain. for the fsai, the function of food labelling is to inform purchasers of the properties, ingredients, nature and characteristics of the food they buy and, crucially, labelling should not mislead consumers.

on average, americans consume more than three kilos of peanuts and peanut products each year. although the nutty legumes are a good source of vitamins and fibre, for a small but growing sector of the population, peanuts can also induce an allergic reaction. scientists investigating the reasons for this increase have found that roasting peanuts can cause a marked increase in their allergenic properties.

it comes as no surprise to learn that the continued reduction of microbiological hazards in meat and the strict enforcement of bse controls are among the performance targets set for the meat hygiene service for the 2002/03 financial year, the uk food standards agency (fsa) reported recently. the high level targets were agreed in clear response to recent events in the uk regarding bse and foot and mouth disease, and were set by the food standards agency board at its meeting in exeter on 14 march, following full public consultation.

poland, the largest candidate for entry to the european union, may miss out on liberalisation of farm trade between the bloc and applicant countries unless it changes its policy, an eu official said last week, reports reuters. the eu\' s executive commission proposed earlier last week to free more trade with estonia in sensitive farm products, such as cereals, as part of a process to prepare the country for eu membership in the next few years.