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The food production and processing value chain is under pressure from all sides—increasing demand driven by a growing and more affluent population; dwindling resources caused by urbanization, land erosion, pollution and competing agriculture such as biofuels; and increasing constraints on production methods driven by consumers and regulators demanding higher quality, reduced chemical use, and most of all environmentally beneficial practices ‘from farm to fork’. This pressure can only be addressed by developing efficient and sustainable agricultural practices that are harmonized throughout the value chain, so that renewable resources can be exploited without damaging the environment. Bridges must, therefore, be built between the diverse areas within the food production and processing value chain, including bridges between different stages of production, between currently unlinked agronomic practices, and between the different levels and areas of research to achieve joined-up thinking within the industry, so that the wider impact of different technologies, practices and materials on productivity and sustainability is understood at the local, regional, national and global scales. In this article, we consider the challenges at different stages and levels of the value chain and how new technologies and strategies could be used to build bridges and achieve more sustainable food/feed production in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In order to update the epidemiological and mycological profile of candidaemia in Europe, the European Confederation of Medical Mycology conducted a prospective, sequential, hospital population-based study from September 1997 to December 1999. A total of 2,089 cases were documented by 106 institutions in seven European countries. Rates of candidaemia ranging from 0.20 to 0.38 per 1,000 admissions were reported. Candida albicans was identified in 56% of cases. Non-albicans Candida species were most frequently isolated from patients with haematological malignancies (65%). With increasing age, an increasing incidence of Candida glabrata was seen. The 30-day mortality rate was 37.9%. The survey results underline the burden of candidaemia in a wide range of patient populations, confirm the importance of non-albicans species, and provide baseline data for future surveillance studies at a European level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]