Concerns over foodborne risk from birds may not be as severe as once thought by produce farmers, according to research from the University of California, Davis, that found low instances of E. coli and Salmonellaprevalence. 

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have developed a new type of cooling cube that could revolutionize how food is kept cold and shipped fresh without relying on ice or traditional cooling packs. 

These plastic-free, “jelly ice cubes” do not melt, are compostable and anti-microbial, and prevent cross-contamination. 

“When ice melts, it’s not reusable,” said Gang Sun, a professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. “We thought we could make a so-called solid ice to serve as a cooling medium and be reusable.” 

The Olive Center at UC Davis is teaming up with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and the tribe’s Séka Hills line of agriculture products to create a blend of Olio Nuovo, the freshest type of extra virgin olive oil available.

The Olio Nuovo was produced from the first harvest of the season and bottled right after the olives were milled to make it readily available to the public.  

This article originally appeared in The Washington Post.

They say a farmer’s work starts before dawn, but in Cambodia’s Battambang province farmers work together late into the night to prepare their vegetable harvest for the overnight bus ride to the capital city’s markets.