California’s law requiring that chain restaurants post calorie counts for their foods took effect earlier this month. It’s already producing results, as two chains, Macaroni Grill and Denny’s, are reexamining and revising their offerings.
nutrition
How Healthy Is This Juice? Depends If You Speak English Or Spanish
By 7.12.09
Orchida Coconut Juice displays nutrition data in both English and Spanish, but the values aren’t the same. The English nutrition panels claims that the juice has 240 calories and no fat. Apparently, our Spanish-speaking friends are supposed to read that as 150 calories and 2.5 grams of fat. Pictures of the strange panels, inside…
Treat Your Pet's Arthritis With Lead
By 7.10.09
People love their pets and want the best for them. That includes medical treatment, and loving, well-meaning pet owners buy over-the-counter supplements for their critters’ aching joints. Unfortunately, nutritional supplements for humans don’t get a lot of scrutiny, and those intended for pets get even less. A study by ConsumerLab.com discovered that arthritis supplements for dogs, cats, and horses not only didn’t contain the quantity of active ingredients promised, but also contained…other things.
100% All Natural Plumped Chickens Are Stuffed With Water And Salt
By 6.29.09
Do you like overpaying for salt and water? Then “100% All Natural” chicken breasts might be for you! Just look for the labels that boast “enhanced with up to 15% chicken broth,” and you can be sure you’re overpaying for the saltiest, most water-logged chicken that industrial food processors can design. So how does all that chicken water get into the chickens, you ask? Hit the jump for the delightfully graphic description…
Scientists see no dietary benefit to replacing corn syrup with sugar
By 6.25.09
While grocery store brands increasingly swap out corn syrup for sugar-and trumpet the fact-little evidence suggests any health benefit for consumers. Corn syrup has been demonized because it’s highly processed and environmentally unfriendly. But sugar ain’t much better.
National Menu Labeling Law Moves Closer To Reality
By 6.12.09
As states continue to adopt laws requiring chain restaurants to include nutritional information on menus, Congress has been considering proposals for a national menu-labeling law. This week, members of Congress, the restaurant industry, and consumer groups reached agreement on a proposal that they hope to introduce this summer.
Kellogg Will Start Adding Fiber To Most Of Its Breakfast Cereals
By 6.4.09
Kellogg has announced that it’s going to start adding fiber to about 80% of its cereal product line, beginning with Froot Loops and Apple Jacks in August and continuing into other brands through the end of 2010. The goal is to bump up the fiber per serving to 3 grams, which is the amount the government requires to label a food a good source of fiber for kids.
Oregon Set To Require Menu Labeling For Chain Restaurants
By 6.2.09
Oregon has passed legislation requiring that chain restaurants post calorie information on menus. Oregon’s governor is expected to sign the bill.
Red Lobster Finally Makes Nutritional Info Available
By 5.8.09
Last May, we reviewed which fast food and chain restaurant websites were sharing nutritional information with customers and which ones weren’t. Red Lobster has always been stingy about nutritional info, so we’re happy to report that they’ve finally changed their ways and now offer an online and downloadable nutrition guide. The only thing we can’t figure out is how their “1 1/4 lb” steamed lobster is only 45 calories—that works out to about 1.5 ounces of actual lobster. (Thanks to zlionsfan!)
The Truth Behind Healthy Supermarket Foods
By 5.6.09
The Wall Street Journal takes a good look at items marketed as “healthier for you” on supermarket shelves, and as you can probably imagine, any actual health benefits vary greatly from product to product. Take all natural chicken, for example: if you buy “enhanced” or “plumped” chicken—it will say somewhere on the label that water, salt, and/or carrageenan has been added, but it will still be labeled natural—the sodium per 4 oz serving jumps from 45-60 mgs to 200-400 mgs.
Kellogg Agrees To Tone Down "Frosted Mini-Wheats Are Brain Food" Nonsense
By 4.21.09
What? It turns out that giving your kid a bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats will not guarantee a nearly 20% uptick in classroom attentiveness, despite what Kellogg claims on packaging and TV? I probably should have figured that out on my own, but I rarely eat Frosted Mini-Wheats for breakfast, so I am quite likely retarded. Luckily for all of us, the cereal company just reached an agreement with the FTC to stop misleading consumers with its faux-scientific claims.
Trade Group Asks Obamas To Please Use Pesticides In Their Vegetable Garden
By 4.17.09
We don’t blame the Mid America CropLife Association (MACA)— a pesticide an agribusiness trade group—for promoting its interests, but we still think it’s funny that they’ve asked the first family to not grow organic vegetables in the White House vegetable garden. MACA’s Executive Director Bonnie McCarvel sent a long letter to Michelle Obama reminding her of the importance of technology in modern farming, then publicized the letter via an email where she noted, “While a garden is a great idea, the thought of it being organic made Janet Braun, CropLife Ambassador Coordinator and I shudder.”
Technically, There Is Nothing Wrong With This Display
By 2.27.09
On the other hand, we think the CVS manager in this D.C. store might want to take a look around and see how other stores are doing it. (Thanks to Rob!)
Papa John's Founder Says Don't Eat Too Much Of His Pizza
By 2.6.09
Marketing and PR folks probably dread stories like this one: John Schnatter, the founder of Papa John’s, said on a BBC radio interview yesterday that you shouldn’t eat too much of their pizza.
Delicious 2,600-Calorie Baskin Robbins Milkshake Is The Worst Food In America
By 1.21.09
In their annual roundup of unhealthy restaurant foods, Men’s Health has declared the Baskin Robbins large chocolate Oreo shake the worst food in America, supplanting Outback’s bacon and ranch dressing cheese fries.
Coke Sued Over VitaminWater Claims
By 1.15.09
The Center for Science in the Public Interest has announced a class-action lawsuit against Coca-Cola over its VitaminWater line, on the grounds that it makes deceptive claims about the nutritional benefits of its drinks.
The Inmates Get Thinner And The Sheriff's Bank Account Gets Fatter
By 1.9.09
Here’s a grim economics lesson: In Alabama, there’s a law that allows the Sheriff to keep any money that’s left over after feeding the prisoners in the county jail. Can you guess what the result of this conflict of interest might be?
Fatburgr Collects Restaurant Nutritional For Easy Reference
By 1.9.09
Riley writes, “I remember seeing a couple of articles about restaurant nutrition information awhile back (ie the 2008 Ultimate Fast Food Nutrition Guide) and was motivated to create a site that houses nutrition information for chain restaurants across the country.” The result is Fatburgr, where you can quickly look up info by restaurant or food type.
