Scientists studying the cloudy emulsions produced by anise-flavored liquors such as Ouzo have discovered new molecular insights into their formation, findings that could lead to the design of better commercial emulsions used in making pharmaceuticals, food products, cosmetics and other materials.

Venezuelan consumers are increasingly facing periodic shortages of basic food products as the economy shows signs of overheating amid record revenues from an oil boom.

Unsafe food at the very least can make people ill. At the very worst, it can be fatal. Last year, supermarkets in the United States removed fresh spinach from their shelves after three people died and nearly 200 were sickened by E. coli carried by the spinach.

The European Union's head of consumer safety says China has promised to "strictly" provide regular reports on how it handles European complaints about dangerous products. China has so far failed to live up to earlier similar promises and faces complaints from around the world about unsafe products.

China has suspended the import of tainted meat products from seven U.S. companies, including Tyson Foods Inc, the world's largest meat processor.

Safeguarding food safety has been made the top priority of China's industrial and commercial departments, with nearly 5,800 tons of substandard foods recalled in the first half of the year.

Many Russians remember a time when a bukhanka, a loaf of the dense black bread that was an indispensable staple at any kitchen table, cost just 18 kopeks. Now a similar loaf can cost as much as 15 rubles, and authorities are warning that the price may grow by as much as 50 percent by the end of the year.

The top U.S. food safety official says he believes the Chinese government is serious about improving the quality of its food products. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's David Acheson spoke Wednesday following a series of scandals involving tainted products from China.

While criticism of China grows for its export of tainted food products and other consumables, the government in Beijing has yet to come up with convincing measures for improving the country's food safety system. Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.

The food producer, Groupe Danone SA, whose brands include Evian bottled water and Dannon yogurt, plans to delist its American Depositary Receipts from the New York Stock Exchange.

With food poisoning and shoddy fake medicine cases frequently reported to have caused deaths in China, the government is expected to issue a comprehensive plan to track and trace food products.