News on Health and Nutrition from the United States

March 15, 2012

Snacking trend an opportunity for restaurants

Consumers in the United States are snacking significantly more now than they were just two years ago. Almost half (48 percent) of consumers polled say they’re now snacking at least twice a day, compared to 25 percent in 2010.

March 12, 2012

Pepsi, Coca-Cola change caramel colouring affected by Proposition 65

Coca-Cola and Pepsi are changing how they make an ingredient in their drinks to avoid being legally obliged to put a cancer warning label on the bottle. The new recipe for caramel colouring in the drinks has less 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) - a chemical...

March 08, 2012

McDonald's Happy Meal focus of new marketing campaign

McDonald's USA will introduce a new, national Happy Meal campaign this week, including TV ads promoting nutrition and active lifestyles.

March 06, 2012

Key Technology Introduces FoodSafetyPRO™

Key Technology introduces FoodSafetyPRO™ for food processors looking to improve their recordkeeping in accordance with the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), Safe Quality Food (SQF) certification, and/or Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) cert...

March 01, 2012

Popchips doing healthy sales, expanding to Britain

Popchips CEO Keith Belling didn't want to just make and sell a new brand of the same old snack;he wanted to create a whole new category. In the five years since Belling's company started making Popchips in San Francisco, it has become one of the faste...

February 28, 2012

General Mills acquires Food Should Taste Good

General Mills announced today the acquisition of Food Should Taste Good, a rapidly-growing natural snack foods company based in Needham Heights, Massachusetts. Food Should Taste Good will become part of Small Planet Foods, General Mills’ natural and o...

February 19, 2012

Health Benefits Idaho Potatoes promoted by Denise Austin

Denise Austin, the Idaho Potato Commission’s (IPC) long-time spokesperson, celebrated American Heart Month on behalf of the IPC with two major initiatives: a 35-city satellite media tour (SMT) and an online re-release of the IPC's national television c...

February 19, 2012

Nine in 10 U.S. adults get too much sodium every day

Nearly all Americans consume much more sodium than they should, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the sodium comes from common restaurant or grocery store items.

February 18, 2012

EU and US sign historic organic trade agreement

The European Union and the United States announced today that beginning June 1, 2012, organic products certified in Europe or in the United States may be sold as organic in either region.

February 13, 2012

Restaurants' trans fat bans may have positive health effects

Reductions in restaurants’ use of trans fats may have played a role in declining levels of the fats in the blood of white American adults between 2000 and 2009, a Centers for Disease Control study found Wednesday. The level of trans fats in those who ...

February 07, 2012

Walmart Unveils 'Great For You' Icon

A year after pledging to develop a front-of-pack label that would give its customers an easier way to identify healthier food, Walmart, the largest food retailer in the United States, unveiled the “Great For You” icon at an event today in Washington, D...

February 04, 2012

US spud industry eyes a better fry

Researchers hope to find potato varieties that form less acrylamide, a naturally occurring chemical compound, when cooked.

February 02, 2012

Potatoes may offer blood pressure benefits

Purple potatoes that contain high levels of antioxidants could help to lower blood pressure in people with obesity, according to new research.

January 27, 2012

Domestic potato demand stagnant, says CEO of McCain Foods USA

The North American potato industry continues to battle a misperception about the nutritional value of potatoes, according to the CEO of McCain Foods USA.

January 27, 2012

Oregon Potato Company pays EPA penalty for failing to report ammonia release

Oregon Potato Company failed to report an anhydrous ammonia release at their facility in Warden, Washington and will pay the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a $66,235 penalty.

January 27, 2012

Nutritionist: kids like potatoes

Potatoes can be presented in kid-friendly ways and are nutritious to boot. Montana nutritionist and author Dayle Hayes showed a variety of potato dishes being served in U.S. schools to growers Wednesday at the Washington-Oregon Potato Conference.Kids l...

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 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.