Dunkin’s research and development manager, Rick Golden, one of the few people in the know, slept with his cellphone by his pillow every night during the trial, waiting for someone to call with a doughnut crisis. No one did.
nutrition
Inside Dunkin's Virtually Trans-Fat Free Donut
By 9.17.07
L.A. Considers Temporarily Banning New Fast Food Restaurants In South L.A.
By 9.12.07
NYC isn’t the only big city picking fights with fast food restaurants these days. Citing high obesity rates in her mostly working-class district, Los Angeles councilwoman Jan Perry has proposed a 2-year ban on new fast food restaurants in parts of South L.A., in the hope that it will make room for healthier restaurants to compete.
Burger King To Offer Healthier Menu Options For Kids
By 9.12.07
Burger King knows you don’t want your kids to be fat, but it does want your money. Introducing: “Apple Fries!”
Starbucks To Stop Using Monsanto Milk
By 9.5.07
By the end of this year, Starbucks will no longer serve dairy products that contain Posilac, aka rBGH or rbST, the growth hormone manufactured by Monsanto, says a Reuters article. The company was already well on its way to cutting rBGH out of its menu—as of last month, 72% of their dairy comes from rBGH-free suppliers. According to a letter sent by Starbucks to Food & Water Watch (which has heavily campaigned against the synthetic hormone), “By December 31, 2007, all of our fluid milk, half and half, whipping cream and eggnog used in U.S. company-operated stores will be produced without the use of rBGH.”
Menu Labeling Legislation Gaining Momentum In California
By 8.31.07
According to the Center For Science In The Public Interest, menu labeling legislation is gaining momentum in the California State Assembly. The menu labeling law “would require chain restaurants to list calories on menu boards and calories, saturated and trans fat, sodium, and carbohydrates on printed menus.”
Dunkin' Donuts To Eliminate Most Trans Fat By October 15
By 8.26.07
Dunkin’ Donuts will announce tomorrow that over 50 menu items, including donuts, will become virtually trans fat free by October 15. The donut maker is relying on a reformulated cooking oil made from palm, soybean, and cottonseed oils. Over 400 locations secretly tested the new formula over the past four months, and according to Dunkin’, “we got no negative consumer feedback, and we sold 50 million doughnuts in that time.” The CSPI reacted favorably to the news, saying:
“It’s good news that they’re dropping most, if not quite all, trans fat,” said Jeff Cronin, spokesman for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based nonprofit. “If Dunkin’ Donuts can do that, anyone can.”
Stephen Colbert Interviews Michael Jacobson, Executive Director Of The CSPI
By 8.24.07
The substance of the interview is that trans-fat is bad for you and should be replaced with oils that are less likely to make you die, but by far the best part is when Colbert says, “If you have popcorn you might as well just slap your children.”
FTC Subpoenas 44 Food Companies That Target Kids
By 8.10.07
The FTC has issued subpoenas to 44 food and beverage companies that market to kids, including Burger King, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Kraft. The companies are being called on to disclose how much they spend on their marketing campaigns to kids, as well as “specific information about their marketing practices,” by November 1st of this year.
Like Food, But Not People? Order Online
By 8.7.07
For all of us out there who are hungry but antisocial, the New York Times today presents an overview of online food ordering services. The benefits are obvious – it’s fast, (usually) more accurate, you can place an order the day before, and you don’t need cash. Lots of chain restaurants are now offering it (Pizza Hut, Subway, and Papa John’s are some examples), but there are also a few special websites that aggregate menus from multiple restaurants (after the break).
Study Shows Fast Food Zombies Are Made At An Early Age
By 8.6.07
A new study is reporting that very young children are highly susceptible to the daily onslaught of branded fast food advertising: “most 3- and 5-year-olds who taste-tested a variety of foods said they preferred the ones in the McDonald’s wrapper — even though the foods were exactly the same.”
Should Alcoholic Beverages Have Nutrition Labels?
By 8.5.07
Our alcoholic uncle always swore that booze was healthy, and if the Treasury Department has its way, nutrition labels on alcoholic beverages may soon have people thinking he was right. A rule issued last week by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau would require all alcoholic beverages to sport a panel listing traditional information like serving size and alcohol content, along with data on calorie, carbohydrate, fat, and protein content. The alcoholic beverage industry vigorously supports the rule, but some advocacy organizations are concerned that the nutrition labels might imply that alcoholic beverages have some nutritional value. Tell us what you think of the proposed rule in our poll, after the jump.
Seattle To Require Calorie Labeling At Chain Restaurants, Cut Trans Fat
By 7.20.07
Seattle will be going trans fat free, according to the CSPI. Not only that, Kings County is also adding a calorie labeling requirement similar to that of NYC. NYC is currently being sued over the regulation by the a restaurant group representing most fast food chains. Subway has complied with the requirement and their menu is being used as an example in court.
Healthy Eating Campaigns Stink, Do Nothing To Prevent Childhood Obesity
By 7.6.07
The federal government is spending over $1 billion on nutrition education this year, and it’s probably a waste of money, according to the AP.
“Any person looking at the published literature about these programs would have to conclude that they are generally not working,” said Dr. Tom Baranowski, a pediatrics professor at Houston’s Baylor College of Medicine who studies behavioral nutrition.
Vegetables Were Healthier Fifty Years Ago
By 7.1.07
The heirloom tomatoes in your garden may not just be tastier than commercially grown vegetables, but healthier too, according to a study from the American College of Nutrition. The study looked for 13 nutrients in 43 crops grown from 1950 to 1999 and discovered that the vegetables enjoyed by our grandparents were significantly more nutritious than the veggies found on supermarket shelves today.
After rigorous statistical analysis, the researchers found that, on average, all three minerals evaluated have declined; two of five vitamins have declined; and protein content has dropped by 6 percent.
NYC Restaurant Group Sues Over Nutritional Info Regulation
By 6.18.07
A NY restaurant trade group is asking a court to outlaw a New York City Heath Board regulation that will require primarily large chain restaurants and fast food outlets, such as McDonald’s and Burger King (who have standard menus,) to display the calorie count of their menu items on the menu.
Kellogg To Stop Marketing Unhealthy Food To Kids
By 6.14.07
Kellogg announced today that it would phase out advertising to children under 12 unless the food met nutritional guidelines for sugar, calories and fat, reports the New York Times.
The Myth Of Salads: Why Why Fast Food Salads Aren't Necessarily Going To Help You Lose Weight
By 5.31.07
Ah, salads. The food of the perpetual dieter. You all know a few fast food salad eater. She’s the girl at your office who eats nothing but salads and yet never seems to lose any weight. He’s the guy who eats a salad because he’s on Atkins, but it doesn’t seem to be working. Why is that?
Edible Nutrition Facts Printed On Cookie
By 4.24.07
BoingBoing links to this cookie that has its Nutrition Facts printed on the icing (in edible ink). Is this the future of food? No. Is it awesome? Yes. —MEGHANN MARCO
