It’s been a little more than a month since New York City’s Department of Health unveiled a proposal that would require all chain restaurants to add a salt shaker symbol (or something similar) on the menu next to items that contain more than the recommended daily limit of 2,300 milligrams of sodium, or about 1 teaspoon of salt. Though there’s been plenty of pushback, that proposal could become the law of the land as soon as December. [More]
health
Salt Labels Could Appear Next To Menu Items In NYC’s Chain Restaurants As Soon As December
By 7.30.15
Brain-Eating Amoeba Found In Fresh Water Claims A Victim In Minnesota
By 7.10.15
Summer is here again, with its promises of cool, refreshing water holes and having fun in the sun swimming. But before you take a dip in freshwater lakes and ponds, take heed: The brain-eating amoeba often found in such bodies of water has claimed another victim, and this time, it struck much farther north than where it’s usually found. [More]
You’re Not Eating Enough Fruits And Vegetables
By 7.9.15
Though there are surely those of you health-conscious readers out there who undoubtedly consume bucketloads of fruits and vegetables on a regular basis, the truth is most of us aren’t eating enough of that good, healthy stuff. That’s according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [More]
FDA Giving Businesses Another Year To Comply With Rules Requiring Calorie Counts On Menus
By 7.9.15
Restaurants and other businesses that were living under a deadline to include calorie counts on menus and displays will get a bit of wiggle room to comply with the rule passed by the Food and Drug Administration last fall. The agency now says food purveyors will have another year to get their acts together, extending the previous deadline from Dec. 1, 2015 to Dec. 1, 2016. [More]
Study Spoiling 4th Of July Fun Says Fireworks Release Harmful Particulates Into The Air
By 6.30.15
Just in time for the Fourth of July comes some news that might put a damper on your celebrations: A new study says exploding fireworks create toxic air pollution that could be harmful to your health. Happy Independence Day, everyone. [More]
McDonald’s: Fewer Happy Meals Are Being Ordered With Sodas
By 6.25.15
Back in the fall of 2013, McDonald’s decided to jump on the healthyish bandwagon and stopped pushing sodas with Happy Meals, removing them from the menu and marketing materials but still providing them to customers who ordered them. That move has apparently worked to cut down on soda consumption at the Golden Arches, as the chain says fewer Happy Meals are being ordered with sodas. [More]
Doctors Warn: Squatting In Skinny Jeans May Lead To Nerve Damage
By 6.23.15
If you’ve always had a sneaking suspicion that there was something not quite right about the trend of encasing your lower half in skintight denim, that feeling might be justified: Researchers say squatting while wearing skinny jeans can cause not only temporary discomfort, but nerve damage as well. [More]
Health Group Remakes Iconic Coke Ad With People Suffering From Soda-Related Diseases
By 6.23.15
From fast food restaurants removing sugary drinks from kid’s menus to city governments considering taxes on soda, the soft drink industry has been the target of a crusade to end – or at the very least reduce – consumers’ love affair with fizzy, sugar-laden drinks and raise awareness of the negative impact such calorie-filled beverages have on one’s health. Today that mission continued with the release of a video that aims to curtail the incidence of soda-related disease by turning the most iconic soft drink commercial on its head. [More]
Customer Claims California KFC Served Him Deep-Fried Rat
By 6.17.15
UPDATE: KFC gave Consumerist an updated statement on the situation saying the company believes the whole thing is a hoax. [More]
San Francisco Officials Considering A Health Warning On Ads For Sodas, Sugary Drinks
By 6.9.15
Although a proposed tax on sodas and sugary drinks didn’t fly in San Francisco, officials are now mulling the idea of slapping a health warning on advertisements appearing within the city limits for sugary beverages. [More]
Subway Removing Artificial Ingredients From Its Menu By 2017
By 6.4.15
Last April, Subway stopped using Azodicarbonamide – a chemical that is used to improve elasticity in bread but that also shows up in things like yoga mats. Now, the sandwich shop is taking things a step farther, by making plans to drop all artificial ingredients from its menu by 2017. [More]
Taco Bell, Pizza Hut Ditching Artificial Flavors By End Of 2015
By 5.26.15
The menus for Taco Bell and Pizza Hut will soon include fewer ingredients listed under your favorite meal, as the two fast food restaurants announced Monday that they plan to ditch artificial colors and flavors by the end of the year. [More]
CDC Links Salmonella Outbreak Reported in 9 States To Sushi Made With Raw Tuna
By 5.22.15
Raw seafood might be delicious, but there’s always that chance that it could make you sick: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that while it hasn’t conclusively determined the cause of a recent salmonella outbreak that’s spread to nine states and infected up to 53 people, it could be linked to sushi made with raw tuna. [More]
Crayola: Don’t Use Our Colored Pencils On Your Face
By 5.18.15
In another example of why it’s not a good idea to believe every viral thing you come across on the Internet, Crayola is warning customers not to use its colored pencils as makeup after some beauty bloggers posted tutorials on how to soften the drawing tools and use them as eyeliner. [More]
No Tax On Sugary Drinks In California After State Assembly Committee Vote
By 5.13.15
California lawmakers trying to get a $0.02 tax imposed on sodas and other sugary drinks in the state have come up empty, after the proposed measure failed to pass an Assembly committee. Supporters said the law would help curb high rates of obesity and diabetes, while some critics said it wouldn’t properly address health issues and would hit low-income residents the hardest. [More]
Drinking Collagen-Infused Booze Probably Won’t Make You Look Any Younger
By 4.30.15
If life was fair, we could all be our ideal body shape/type/weight and look as young/old/smart as we wanted while eating/drinking/doing whatever we felt like. Life, however, is not fair, and as such, it’s unlikely that drinking booze infused with collagen will give you both the buzz of alcohol and the fresh-faced appearance of youth in one bottle. You just can’t have it both ways. [More]
Health Officials Issue Warning Over Uptick In Hospitalizations Linked To Synthetic Marijuana
By 4.24.15
One of the biggest dangers involved with using so-called designer drugs? One tweak to one chemical and something that’s illegal and potentially unsafe could slip past regulators and into the hands of consumers. Such is the case for a form of synthetic marijuana known as “spice,” that’s been linked to an uptick in illnesses and hospitalizations that has health officials and experts around the country worried. [More]
Depend Attempts To Get Sexy With New Ad Pitch Aimed At The Younger Set
By 4.3.15
Lest you think wearing Depend undergarments is something the older folks do, the company has set out on a mission to spread what it calls “Underwareness” with a new ad campaign showing younger people, especially women, wearing the the protective skivvies. [More]
