News on Health and Nutrition from the Americas

January 26, 2012

USDA issues new guidelines for school meals - potatoes remain unrestricted

Northwest potato growers meeting in the Tri-Cities this week at the Washington State Potato Conference will continue to see their produce on school lunch menus.

January 26, 2012

Investigación sobre “alimentos funcionales”: buscan potenciar los compuestos antioxidantes de la papa

El Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas IIB de la Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, en colaboración con INTA Balcarce, estudia cómo aumentar los polifenoles saludables en la papa, a fin de prevenir enfermedades complejas como cáncer o diabetes.

January 26, 2012

A new golden age for McDonald’s

McDonald's is fattening up on profits. The world’s largest hamburger chain reported on Tuesday that its quarterly net income jumped 11% as it continued to lure cost-conscious diners.

January 22, 2012

SaltWorks Inc unveils new state-of-the-art Gourmet Salt Facility

SaltWorks, Inc. (http://www.seasalt.com) doesn't do anything halfway, and it has a brand new, 100,000 sq. ft, state-of-the-art gourmet salt factory to prove it. With more than $3 million in upgrades, the new SaltWorks headquarters coincides with the co...

January 19, 2012

Investigación sobre “alimentos funcionales” busca potenciar los compuestos antioxidantes de la papa

Una dieta balanceada favorece la salud y previene enfermedades. Sin embargo, la dieta humana debería mejorar si queremos promover la calidad de vida, y existen varias maneras para conseguirlo. Una forma es tratar de cambiar los componentes de la dieta,...

January 18, 2012

French fries image needs work

The French fry appears to be taking sole blame of Americans being obese.

January 18, 2012

Washington-Oregon Potato conference keynote focuses on nutrition

The nutritional value of potatoes will take center stage during the upcoming Washington-Oregon Potato Conference.

January 16, 2012

Potatoes: The misunderstood vegetable

An image problem continues to trouble all sectors of the spud industry, according to the Alliance for Potato Research and Education

A J Bussan speaking on acrylamide at the Potato Expo 2012

January 15, 2012

US Potato industry focusing on acrylamide

The potato industry is behind a unified effort to learn more about acrylamide - which was discovered in food about ten years ago.

December 14, 2011

National Fry Processor Trials identify lower acrylamide clones

The first acrylamide test results have become available from the Washington and Idaho National Fry Processor Trials (NFPT).

December 05, 2011

Maureen Storey wants potato facts, not opinions

Maureen Storey wants doctors, dieticians and nutritionists singing the praises of potatoes. Storey heads the Alliance for Potato Research and Education (APRE) that was formed about one year ago in the US to combat the decline in potato consumption.

December 01, 2011

Burger King joins McDonald's in charging for kids' meal toys

Burger King is now the second national fast-food chain to announce that it will comply with San Francisco's ban on toy giveaways with kids' meals that are high in fat, sugar and salt by not offering the trinkets for free any more. Instead, just like M...

November 24, 2011

Canada's Health ministers meet to try to shake up food salt content

The debate over whether food companies should be outed for failing to reduce sodium in their products is on the table at a two-day meeting of provincial and territorial health ministers that starts Thursday November 24 in Halifax. As Health Minister L...

November 22, 2011

Maine Potato Board honors Sen. Collins for keeping spuds in school lunches

After eating a potato-plentiful lunch that she deemed both “delicious and nutritious,” U.S. Sen. Susan Collins was honored Monday afternoon for her work in assuring that schools across the nation are free to serve potatoes to students. During a lunche...

November 18, 2011

School lunch amendment signed into law

President Obama signed a government funding extension that included 2012 appropriations funding for USDA and five other agencies on Friday, November 18. The bill also included the bipartisan Senate amendment sponsored by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) ...

November 18, 2011

Compuestos antioxidantes de la papa la convierten en un alimento funcional

Los polifenoles saludables que se encuentran en las papas ayudan a evitar y tratar muchas enfermedades graves El Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas IIB-Conicet de la Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (CEI), en colaboración con INTA Balcarce, ...

November 16, 2011

Conference Committee Retains Senate Amendment Supporting Potatoes in School Meals

As the US legislation regarding school meal programs makes is way through the various stages of the approval process, a new stage has been reached and the provision that prohibits the USDA to set limits to vegetables is preserved in the current text un...

November 14, 2011

Functional Technologies Announces Next Generation Acrylamide-Preventing Yeast Technology

Functional Technologies Corp. is pleased to report the development of a third (3rd) generation of its proprietary acrylamide-preventing (AP) yeast platform, wherein various improvements made to the Company's original underlying AP technology have enabl...