News on Health and Nutrition from the Americas

July 05, 2012

Novozymes Acrylaway can cut acrylamide levels in French fries by up to 50%, show industrial trials

Novozymes, the world leader in bioinnovation, recently announced today they have new, third party data that shows Novozymes Acrylaway® is effective in the industrial production of French fries. Acrylamide has been considered a potential health risk si...

June 25, 2012

McGill University and developing-country scientists working on a better potato for Colombian communities

Researchers cooperate to develop nutritious, high-yielding, and more disease-resistant potatoes for food-insecure indigenous communities in Colombia.

June 25, 2012

Alliance for Potato Research and Education (APRE) launches website

The Alliance for Potato Research and Education (APRE) is pleased to announce the launch of its new website at www.apre.org

June 19, 2012

McCain Foods to pay $40,000 for air quality violations

McCain Foods in Othello reached a settlement agreement this week with the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) over violations of the plant’s air quality permit, vowing to avoid any similar violations in the future.

June 13, 2012

A fin de combatir la malnutrición, investigadores de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia buscan mejorar la calidad de la papa

A fin de combatir la malnutrición, investigadores de la UN buscan mejorar la calidad y explorar la diversidad genética de este tubérculo, para maximizar el uso de sus recursos genéticos y económicos. Con el análisis de los compuestos nutricionales y a...

June 06, 2012

Frito-Lay announces initiative to validate and label products as gluten free

PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America division recently announced a multi-year initiative to validate many of their products as gluten free, with package labeling to follow.

June 06, 2012

Colored potato chips slow snacking, researchers find

Researchers found that inserting colored potato chips at regular intervals in stackable potato chips caused people to eat fewer chips overall.

May 25, 2012

Conoces el proyecto “Innovación para la seguridad y la soberanía alimentaria en la región andina”?

El proyecto “Innovación para la seguridad y la soberanía alimentaria en la región andina”, (en siglas, IssAndes), empezó sus actividades en setiembre del 2010 en Bolivia, Ecuador y Perú, con el financiamiento y apoyo técnico de la Unión Europea (UE) y ...

Are healthy foods really more expensive?

May 17, 2012

Are healthy foods more expensive than junk food? No, it depends...

Most Americans consume diets that fall short of the recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010. A common perception is that diets consistent with the recommendations are not affordable. This perception may be influenced by studies th...

May 17, 2012

Pipe failure likely cause ammonia leak Lamb Weston potato processing plant

A pipe failure in the refrigeration system caused the ammonia leak that resulted in a potato-processing plant evacuation Tuesday and 11 people being treated by medics, the Boardman fire chief said. The incident occurred at around 9.30 pm tuesday in th...

May 15, 2012

'The Weight of the Nation' draws fire from US potato industry

National potato industry leaders have taken exception with the four-part HBO documentary 'The Weight of the Nation'because of data it includes describing the role of spuds in the mounting U.S. obesity crisis.

May 10, 2012

Food manufacturers rush to create 'Natural' recipes

With their soft, mashed potato insides and crispy exteriors stamped in the shape of a happy face, McCain Foods’ frozen Smiles are marketed as a fun-to-eat children’s snack. They’re not supposed to explode.

May 07, 2012

Sweets and Snacks Expo not just sweet

Later this week starts in Chicago the Sweets &Snacks Expo, conveniently co-located with the NRA Show. There is a lot of "sweet"at the Sweets &Snacks Expo, but increasingly there is also place for (savory) snacks. Four years ago the A...

May 02, 2012

McDonald's revamped Happy Meal still doesn't make Canadian nutritionists happy

McDonald’s Canada tweaked the mood of the Happy Meal last week, shortly before the fast food giant’s annual charity fundraiser linked to the children’s meal.

May 01, 2012

Tratamiento de males cardiacos con cáscara de papa

Reducir la hipertensión arterial y la agregación de plaquetas, a través de la corteza del tubérculo, es un hecho comprobado gracias a un estudio de la ciencia farmacéutica.

April 30, 2012

McDonald’s introduces new mini-sized french fries portion (31 g) as choice in new Canadian Happy Meal

McDonald’s Canada is giving its iconic Happy Meal a makeover and introducing a new automatic offering of yogurt and the choice of apple slices or new mini-sized French fries. The move is part of the company’s commitment to provide customers - especiall...

Mountain Rose in the White House kitchen garden

April 28, 2012

Colorado State University potatoes well represented in White House Garden

You say potato. I say Colorado. When First Lady Michelle Obama and a passel of schoolchildren recently planted vegetables in the White House kitchen garden, three of five potato varieties plunked into the soil were developed by Colorado State University.

April 26, 2012

Burger King's goal: Use cage-free eggs and pork products by 2017

The movement by U.S. food corporations toward more humane treatment of animals experienced a whopper of a shift Wednesday when Burger King announced that all of its eggs and pork will come from cage-free chickens and pigs by 2017.