A heavily overloaded ship carrying more than 1,200 illegal refugees, most believed to be from the Indian subcontinent, sank while heading for Italy's Adriatic coast, drowning hundreds. Bodies were washed ashore from Brindisi to Sicily. The incident highlighted the growing world problem of refugees displaced by a combination of war, ecological degradation and food shortages. SR
Whatever happened to the Sunday roast? Consumers have been turning up their noses at meat for decades. The rot set in with BSE in the 1990s, causing sales to decline steadily. This year sales of animal meat accounted for a mere 14% of total food sales in England. A long list of celebrities has lent weight to the animal welfare argument for vegetarianism, while an ever-growing band of complementary therapy practitioners has bolstered the nutritional arguments. Mainstream scientists remain divided. Clear winners are the biotech companies, which have capitalised on the trend by producing expensive meat alternatives. SA
At an online auction of 20th-century memorabilia, a rare Pot Noodle fetched almost E$11,000 - a record for a collectable food item. A Pot Noodle comprised a sealed plastic cup containing dried ingredients which, when soaked with boiling water, were said to create the illusion of a freshly cooked meal. RG
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