Health

Health
FDA bans red dye No. 3 from foods
Food and Drug Administration officials on Wednesday granted a 2022 petition filed by consumer advocates. The move comes nearly 35 years after the dye was barred from cosmetics such as lipsticks because of potential cancer risk.
The FDA calls for at-a-glance nutrition labels on the front of packaged foods
The FDA wants front-of-package nutrition labels required on packaged foods. The labels would tell consumers if the product has Low, Medium or High levels of saturated fat, sodium and added sugar.
University of Minnesota gets fast-tracked funding to survey wildlife for bird flu
Researchers in the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine will work with wildlife rehabilitators, tribal biologists and other partners across the state to collect 9,000 samples from a variety of birds and mammals. 
U of M researchers examine preparedness for possibility of CWD jump to humans
A new University of Minnesota report examines whether there have been sufficient preparations for chronic wasting disease, which is always fatal in deer, making the jump to other animals, including humans.
Milk from Minnesota dairy farms to undergo mandatory testing for bird flu
Avian influenza has been confirmed in dairy cattle in 16 states, including Minnesota, which had nine cases last year. The USDA says the goal of the testing is to gain a clearer picture of the presence of the virus in dairy herds, and help inform response efforts to prevent it from spreading further.
Hey, meat eaters. Your gut health can rival a vegan’s. Here’s how
Our guts are home to trillions of microbes that influence our health. A new study finds the key to a healthy microbiome is the variety of plant-based food in your diet, even if you eat meat.
COVID-19, RSV and flu: Up, up and way up
The latest confirmed hospitalization data shows notable increases of just over 30 percent in hospital admissions due to both COVID-19 and RSV during the last full week of December. Hospitalizations due to influenza jumped by just over 150 percent during that same week.
Minneapolis man charged with stealing $7.3 million in Medicaid fraud scheme
Investigators allege the Minneapolis man billed Medicaid through his company, 1-0 Granny’s Helpful Hands, for services it did not actually provide. The charges follow a similar case last month and come as the state looks to clamp down on entitlement program fraud.