What the papers say - July 10, 2007

Cricket ace Monty Panesar is to advertise a new flavour of crisps - aimed at Asians. The Sikh England star was hired by snack giant Walkers, who normally use soccer legend Gary Lineker, 46, for their campaigns. Panesar, 25, will launch the new chilli and lemon crisps this week to target Britain's 2.5 million Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi community - The Sun​

The cost of chips is about to rise because of the worst outbreak of blight in the potato crop for five years. The British Potato Council is reporting a total of 80 cases so far and has identified hotspots in East Anglia, the Midlands and the South West. Blight thrives in warm, wet weather. The problem is compounded by the devastating flood damage to potato crops in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Humberside. With harvesting not due until September, it is too early to predict the scale of the damage - The Times​

A food additive found in some sausages and burgers could trigger cancer, food safety specialists have warned. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) panel on food additives and flavourings yesterday recommended that the colouring E128 should no longer be considered safe for human consumption - The Telegraph, Daily Express​

Smokers are less likely to develop Parkinson's disease, research published in the July issue of Archives of Neurology suggests. It said a better understanding of how smoking protects from Parkinson's disease could also lead to a better understanding of the condition, its prevention and treatment - The Times​

One youth in ten who becomes addicted to nicotine gets hooked within two days of first inhaling a cigarette, says a four-year study of 1,246 senior school students by Massachusetts University researchers in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (June). The report also found that a quarter of the students become addicted within a month of their first drag on a cigarette, and those who smoke only a few cigarettes a month suffer withdrawal symptoms - The Times​