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Day: April 11, 2024
Healthy Heart Tip: Traffic Light Food Labels
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK
Healthy Heart Tip: Traffic Light Food Labels
Reading food labels can be confusing, and it can be hard to know where to look, with the back-of-pack labels often feels like navigating through a maze.
Most food and drink manufacturers, as well as supermarkets in the UK, now voluntarily display front-of-pack information in a colour-coded ‘traffic light system’. Energy, fat, saturated fat, total sugars, and salt content are commonly displayed in green, amber and red on the front of many food and drink packets to help consumers make informed choices.
By being aware of the nutrient content of foods, reading food labels correctly and making healthy swaps, you can keep your heart healthy and live a little longer too.
Here are some tips to help you make the healthiest food choices possible:
Energy value
The energy value of food or drinks is measured and displayed on packets as both calories (Kcal) and kilojoules (kJ).
On average, men need to consume around 2500kcals per day and women need approximately 2000kcals. This should be taken into account when choosing your food and drink options. Lower calorie options are often healthier, but make sure you check the sugar and salt content.
If you regularly consume more calories than you burn off, then it is likely you will gain weight. Increased weight is associated with a higher risk of developing heart diseases
Go green
You should aim to choose foods that have as many areas highlighted in green as possible. Traffic light labelling can help you to make healthy informed decisions about what brand or type of food you buy.
For example, if you are selecting a pre-packed sandwich or a jar of sauce, look at which one has more green sections on the front.
Amber: proceed with caution!
If you notice that food has amber front-of-pack information, then proceed with caution. This food can still be healthy, and it is advised to opt for foods with mainly green and amber labels, but just be aware not to consume too much of it.
Make sure that you are aware of your intake. If you are buying more than one item of food for a meal and they all have amber warnings for salt, then swap one for a healthier lower-salt alternative.
Remember high levels of salt, sugars and saturated fats can all impact your heart health.
Red: STOP!
Are you regularly choosing foods that have lots of red on the labels? Be careful!
Consuming foods that are high in fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt have a negative impact on your heart and it is generally advised to avoid those with red labels.
Eating these on occasion as a treat and part of a balanced healthy diet is fine, but when they are consumed regularly, they can increase your blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels (LDL).
This puts an increased strain on your heart and heightens your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Public warned of rise in identity theft
- The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) reports a 97% rise in organised insurance fraud being facilitated by stolen identities in the past year.
- Identity theft has a devastating financial impact on victims and fuels a wide range of insurance scams, including dangerous crash for cash activity and ghost broking.
- Cifas exclusively reveal most victims of impersonation are now over 61 years old.
The public is being urged to look out for signs of their personal information being misused as the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) finds a rise in scams fuelled by identity theft.
Reports of insurance fraud resulting from stolen identities provided to the IFB by UK insurers, police and regulators have nearly doubled in the past 12 months.[1]
Stolen identities are highly valuable to criminals as they can be used for a range of harmful scams, leaving victims in financial hardship and emotional distress.
In an urgent bid to protect more people from being targeted, the IFB has launched a campaign to encourage the public to be vigilant.
Ursula Jallow, Director at the IFB, said: “We’ve seen a worrying rise in insurance fraud made possible by identity theft. Stolen personal information can be used for every financial crime imaginable, and victims of impersonation who are often elderly or vulnerable, face devastating consequences.
“We urge everyone to be cautious when sharing personal details and to spread the word to their friends and family. If anyone thinks their information has been used in an insurance scam, they should report it to our confidential CheatLine.”
The IFB often finds that drivers who are cheaper to insure are frequently impersonated by Ghost Brokers, who take out policies in victims’ names and doctor these to sell them on at higher prices.
Misrepresented motor insurance policies are also used by fraudsters to facilitate dangerous Crash for Cash scams and to insure vehicles linked to serious crime.
In a recent IFB investigation with Hertfordshire Police, it was found that hundreds of identities had been stolen by a gang who took out fraudulent motor insurance policies to steal brand new cars from dealerships via finance deals.
In another investigation, the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) and the IFB suspected that a gang had impersonated over 200 people – from personal to commercial policyholders – to either make bogus claims in their names and divert funds to third parties, or pretend victims had caused collisions to fraudulently obtain compensation.
Cifas, a not-for-profit organisation which protects public, private and voluntary sectors from fraud, says identity fraud dominates the National Fraud Database (NFD) making up 64% of all cases. Concerningly, their records also show most victims of impersonation are now over 61 years old.[2]
Cifas believes that the cost-of-living crisis has resulted in this age group being more susceptible to social engineering tactics and enticing offers to ‘sell’ their identity. They have also seen more younger age groups sharing sensitive information on social media and messaging apps.
Campaign video:
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/932461573/8027f625eb
Stephen Dalton, Director of Intelligence at Cifas, said: “Identity fraud continues to be a favoured tactic for many criminals when exploiting innocent people to steal their identities and use personal details to fraudulently open and abuse financial products and services.
“It’s therefore vital that individuals protect their information by never divulging financial details or credentials that could be used against them. We support IFB’s campaign to bring this important issue to the public’s attention and remain committed to working with our insurance members to keep the public safe from fraud and financial crime.”
Protecting your identity
Fraudsters can attempt to impersonate someone with just a few stolen details (such as a name, date of birth or home address) and this can be used for most frauds; including insurance, banking and credit fraud.
Victims may be pursued by third parties looking to recover costs of financial arrangements made in their name, which can impact their credit score making it difficult to get loans, credit cards or even mortgages for years to come.
Simple measures can help to protect personal information:
- Create strong unique passwords for personal accounts.
- Avoid publicly sharing personal details on social media.
- Only make purchases through legitimate retailers’ websites and be wary of any person or organisation asking to use your bank details.
- Protect personal devices by installing the latest software and app updates, and where possible opt to use two-factor authentication.
- Avoid phishing attempts which encourage you to click on links and open files.
If anyone thinks their identity has been compromised for an insurance scam, this can be reported to the IFB’s confidential CheatLine online or via its phoneline (powered by CrimeStoppers) on 0800 422 0421.
Cifas’ victim of impersonation advice has guidance to help people targeted by identity theft.
Strachan House Care Home invites community to Open Day
The Strachan House care home in Blackhall will be opening their doors to the local community for a day of tea and entertainment on Saturday 20th April.
Taking place between 10am and 4pm guests will be able to enjoy home-made cream cakes prepared by Paul Dow the home’s Head Chef, and will have the chance to meet the team and take a tour of the home.
Fran Fisher, General Manager at Strachan House says: “I’m excited about welcoming new visitors and existing friends of the home to our open day.
“Looking for care can be a little bit daunting, but our team here at Strachan House will do all we can to provide all of our guests with the guidance and support they may need, and answer all of their questions, big or small.
“Our open day is a great chance to enjoy some delightful entertainment in a homely and friendly setting- hope to see you all there!”
Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for 83 residents from respite care to long term stays.
Former members: Book your place at FetLor Centenary Dinner
Our Centenary Dinner is fast approaching. We’d love to welcome more former members to the night. We have one former member of the club coming all the way from Australia.
If you would like to come along please let me know so I can add you to one of our Former Members Tables. Tickets are £100 and this includes a champagne reception with canapés, a three course meal with wine and beer.
I hope to see you on the night
Richie
A Eureka Moment: Researchers take biodegradable ‘forever chemicals’ alternative to market
Mercel becomes the latest company to spin out from Edinburgh Napier University
Two scientists who discovered they could use seaweed waste to produce a bio-degradable alternative to chemical plastics are taking their technology to the next level – after spinning out from Edinburgh Napier University (ENU).
Mark Dorris and Dominic O’Rourke founded Mercel after realising they could make high-value nanomaterial from brown seaweed extract, with zero waste.
They made the discovery during their research with the Advanced Materials group in ENU’s School of Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment.
Having appointed Alastair Kennedy as Chief Commercial Officer, the three-strong firm are now planning to set up a new base for the company in Fife, to develop the product’s uses and license the technology for wider production.
They have already started testing it as a replacement for synthetic plastics in a range of practical uses, including as a binder for laundry products, a waterproof coating, and a delivery system for medical ingredients.
The material could offer a sustainable substitute to some widely used synthetic chemicals, such as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – known as ‘forever chemicals’ because of the difficulty and cost in disposing of them.
Mercel is now working with nine companies on 13 different projects to explore real-world applications.
The technology has been tested on sargassum seaweed – which has drawn worldwide headlines for washing ashore in huge quantities from the Atlantic Ocean.
By spinning out, Mercel joins an impressive list of companies that began life as projects at the University, including the likes of Cyacomb, ZoneFox, and Celtic Renewables.
Last year ENU was named among the UK’s top ten universities for generating spin-out firms by one of Europe’s largest venture capital teams.
Mark Dorris, Mercel Founder and Chief Technical Officer, said: “There are very few ‘eureka’ moments in science – but this was one of them.
“Coming from industry previously, we had no connections, no money, and no experience of seaweed.
“At many points we were hanging on by our fingertips. We drunk the last chance saloon dry. We had job offers but decided ‘we can’t let this go’.
“We immediately saw the potential of using brown seaweed cellulose from existing seaweed processing to produce nanocellulose.
“The seaweed is typically harvested for alginate, which is used mostly as a food thickener, and the cellulose left behind was historically viewed as a waste product.
“We’re aiming this at hidden plastics, binders, thickeners: many of the chemical ingredients you read on the back of a bottle and wonder what they are. They’re hard to replace, but that’s what this can do.
“Regulation on synthetic chemicals is increasingly being tightened, so we are hoping to create something future-proof – as it is completely natural, sustainable, and non-animal in its origin.
“We want it to be the best choice rather than just being the green option.”
Fiona Mason, Head of Business Engagement and IP Commercialisation at Edinburgh Napier University, said: “The climate crisis demands urgent action, and Edinburgh Napier University is committed to playing a role in finding solutions.
“The creation of Mercel demonstrates our dedication to translating cutting-edge research into real-world applications that can make a tangible difference.
“Mercel’s success is a source of great pride for us, and we commend the devoted research team behind it.
“Their expertise, passion, and commitment, supported by our skilled Business Engagement and IP team from the Research Innovation and Enterprise Office, have been instrumental in making this happen.”
Scottish-Nordic festival returns to Edinburgh this month
MUSICAL families, top new young talent and a rich mix of cultures feature in the Northern Streams Festival of Nordic & Scottish Music, Song & Dance 2024 in Edinburgh.
Taking place 26-28 April, this year’s festival features artists all based in Scotland with backgrounds and repertoire from Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Shetland, and North-East Scotland:
- Brian Ó hEadhra & Fionnag NicChoinnich with Órla Ní Eadhra and Ró Ó hEadhra (BFÓR): a family affair from Inverness drawing on the Gaelic traditions of Scotland, the Nordic countries and the North Atlantic Fringe. https://www.brian-fionnag.com
- Erin Mungall-Baldvinsdottir with Evie Alberti, Becka Gauld and Ben Shanks: members of Jelephant Folk Band in their full Nordic/Scottish mode ranging from Icelandic, Finnish, Saami and Gaelic. https://www.facebook.com/JelephantBand
- Sir-Reel Clarks ft: Aaron Clark: a music and song duo comprising Andy and Aaron Clark, carrying on their family’s musical heritage despite the challenges Aaron has faced to become a champion melodeon player. https://www.facebook.com/SirReelClarksFamilyBand
- Miguel Girão and Amy Laurenson (BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2023 winner): guitarist and piano duo drawing on Amy’s native Shetland traditions and Miguel’s exploration of Scandinavian cultures. https://amylaurenson.com/ and https://miguelgirao.com
Event organiser, Fiona Campbell, said: “I’m really excited about this year’s Northern Streams line-up.
“We have amazing talent in Scotland who are exploring the music and song of Scottish and Nordic cultures and coming up with new sounds, whilst respecting the past. This was one of the founding ideas behind the festival. And we have a variety of ways people can take part with concerts, workshops and a session.”
All events take place at The Pleasance, 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9TJ.
The outline festival programme is:
Friday 26 April
7.00pm Evening concert
Brian Ó hEadhra & Fionnag NicChoinnich with Órla Ní Eadhra and Ró Ó hEadhra (BFÓR) + Erin Mungall-Baldvinsdottir with Evie Alberti, Becka Gauld and Ben Shanks. Featuring Nordic and Scottish music and song from talented artists based in Scotland, including from Gaelic, Icelandic and Finnish cultures.
Saturday 27 April
Workshops:
11.00am – 12.15pm
Brian Ó hEadhra and Fionnag NicChoinnich North Atlantic Songs
12.30pm – 1.45pm
Erin Mungall-Baldvinsdottir and Ben Shanks Icelandic/Finnish Songs
2.00 – 3.15pm
Miguel Girão Tunes from the Wedding Traditions of Shetland
3.30 – 4.45pm
Sir-Reel Clarks North East Scotland Tunes
7.00pm Evening Concert
Sir-Reel Clarks ft Aaron Clark + Miguel Girão and Amy Laurenson. Featuring Nordic and Scottish music and song from talented young artists based in Scotland, including BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2023 winner, Amy Laurenson, and North East Scotland champion, Aaron Clark.
Sunday 28 April
2-5pm Open Music and Song Session – FREE entry
For more details of the Northern Streams programme, guest artists or for booking links, visit www.northernstreams.org.
Ticket prices range from £7 for a workshop – £15 for the concert tickets, with concessions and discount deals worth checking if you plan to attend more than one event. Book your tickets in advance for a chance to WIN an IKEA Voucher! (terms and conditions are on the Northern Streams website ‘Contact Us’ page)
Other ways to get details are by email: eltmsa@yahoo.co.uk or tel: 0795 191 8366, or Facebook – TMSAEdinburgh&Lothians and Twitter@northernstream1.
The Northern Streams festival is organised on a voluntary basis by the Edinburgh & Lothians Branch of the Traditional Music & Song Association of Scotland (TMSA) and acknowledges support from Tasgadh Traditional Arts Small Grants Scheme and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in association with The City of Edinburgh Council.
Pedestrian critically injured in Trinity Crescent road accident
POLICE are appealing for information after a 59-year-old pedestrian was seriously injured in a crash with a white Citroen Relay van on Trinity Crescent around 5.50pm yesterday (Wednesday, 10 April).
Emergency services attended and a 59-year-old man, the pedestrian, was taken by ambulance to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. His condition has been described as critical.
The driver of the van, a 40-year-old man, was arrested and released pending further enquiries.
The road was closed for around six hours to allow for investigations to take place.
Sergeant Jen Niven said: “Our enquiries into this collision are ongoing and we would like to ask anyone that was in the area at the time who has not already spoken to us to please get in touch.
“We would also be keen to see any dashcam or private CCTV footage from the area around the time of the crash.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 2772 of 10 April.
Smartphone Free Childhood call for WhatsApp to reverse age reduction policy
Smartphone Free Childhood, the grassroots parents’ movement, has called on WhatsApp to reverse today’s change in age policy, which lowers the minimum age of use from 16 to 13 years old.
As of April 11th, anyone in Europe over the age of 12 can now legally access the messaging service, after WhatsApp made a planned change to its age restriction policy.
This comes despite growing national calls for greater protections for children around smartphone and social media use, including from the 60,000 parents who have joined Smartphone Free Childhood since it launched spontaneously eight weeks ago.
A recent nationwide poll found that 95% of parents said they wanted big tech companies to do more to protect their children, with 80% believing that age limits on social media were too low.
Daisy Greenwell, co-founder of Smartphone Free Childhood said: “WhatsApp are putting shareholder profits first and children’s safety second.
“Reducing their age of use from 16 to 13 years old is completely tone deaf and ignores the increasingly loud alarm bells being rung by scientists, doctors, teachers, child safety experts, parents and mental health experts alike. This policy boosts their user figures and maximises shareholder profits at the expense of children’s safety.
“Lowering their age restrictions from 16 to 13 sends a message to parents that WhatsApp is safe for those over the age of 12, and yet a growing body of research suggests otherwise.
“Meanwhile parents and teachers in the Smartphone Free Childhood community regularly reach out to us to share that it is a contributor to bullying, sleep disruption and access to harmful content.”
Meanwhile a growing body of research continues to raise serious questions about how suitable closed group messaging apps are for children and young teens. One recent study² found that 56% of students aged 8-18 reported that they had experienced cyberbullying in their class WhatsApp groups.
Elsewhere, heavy use of screen media has been associated with shorter sleep duration and more mid-sleep awakening (in a study of more than 11,000 British children³) and many teachers have anecdotally reported to Smartphone Free Childhood that late night activity on WhatsApp is an increasing problem affecting children’s mood and ability to concentrate in class.
“Young people increasingly exist within digital echo-chambers, which can normalise harmful rhetoric.”
Furthermore, numerous reports link WhatsApp to children accessing extreme content – including sexual imagery, self-harm material5 and videos of extreme violence such as beheadings and terrorist attacks. Studies proves that nearly a quarter of people viewing such content on social media will experience symptoms of PTSD6.
Meanwhile, the end-to-end encryption on WhatsApp threatens children’s safety on the app, making it hard for parents to understand who their children are talking to and leaving them at risk of grooming by sexual predators.
One in ten children report7 using the messaging site to talk to people they don’t already know, and one in six 14-16 year-olds have received something distressing from a stranger on the site.
Despite these significant concerns, WhatsApp have as yet given no indication of how they plan to protect all the new under-16 users on their site, or how they will comply with UK law to remove the millions of under-13s already on the platform.
Help for families during holidays
‘Extra Time’ partnership providing vital support
A joint initiative between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Football Association is supporting low-income families.
Launched by the First Minister with a £2million Scottish Government investment last year, the programme provides before-school, after-school and holiday activities for around 2,700 children each week.
The Extra Time programme aims to tackle poverty by delivering accessible and affordable activity clubs for children from low-income families.
During a visit to Dundee United Sports Club, which received £95,000 from the fund and provides support during term time and school holidays, Deputy First Minister Shona Robison said: “School holidays should be a time for fun and enjoyment for children, but for many families it is a time of added financial pressure.
“Scotland currently has one of the most generous childcare offers in the UK, and our investment in early learning and childcare, and school age childcare, is a key part of our goal to tackle child poverty.
“We are committed to building a system of school age childcare that helps to support parents and carers into employment, training or study. Our investment is helping to reduce inequalities that exist for children from lower income families who might otherwise struggle to participate in activities before or after school or during the holidays.
“Our Extra Time partnership with the Scottish Football Association is in the early stages of delivery, but we are already seeing the positive impacts that access to term time and holiday clubs are having on both children and parents.
“For example, we have early evidence from families that they feel better supported to work, with children seeing the benefits of increased physical activity as well as other benefits such as improved attendance, and improved behaviour at school’.
Chief Executive of the Scottish Football Association, Ian Maxwell, said: “It is fantastic to see the impact this vital programme is already having across the country since its launch last year, building on the initial success of the pilot in Ayr.
“Every child should have the opportunity to experience our national game and play with their friends within their local communities. There is no doubt that initiatives such as the Extra Time programme help remove barriers for children and their families around accessing after school and holiday activity clubs.
“We are appreciative of the continued support of the Scottish Government on this project, as we continue to pursue avenues in which the power of football can make a tangible difference in the lives of people in Scotland.”