News on Health and Nutrition from the United States

ConAgra Foods, Inc., announced today new research indicating that a daily snack of Orville Redenbacher's 94 percent fat-free SmartPop!(R) popcorn can help dieters maintain reduced calorie eating plans while still feeling full and satisfied.

Research just released by the University of California, Davis and the National Center for Food Safety and Technology, Illinois Institute of Technology demonstrates that people can include potatoes in their diet and still lose weight.

New York City and Los Angeles County are among five jurisdictions that have won a $1.9 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for sodium-reduction initiatives involving restaurants and schools.

October 1 marked the launch of Chris Voigt’s 20 Potatoes a Day Diet, but it was already making news all over the country—and on Facebook. “It certainly has people intrigued,” says Voigt, who has heard from doctors and dietitians as well as fans.

OECD has published a new report that examines the scale and characteristics of the current obesity epidemic, the respective roles and influences of market forces and governments, and the impact of interventions to tackle obesity.

Experts from more than 75 FAO Member States agreed today that while there were no grounds for complacency, there was no indication of an impending world food crisis.

Potatoes are good for you, and Chris Voigt wants to prove it with an all-spud diet for the next two months.Starting Oct. 1, the Washington Potato Commission executive director will eat only potatoes -- 20 a day -- to let people know just how healthful ...

A new commercial meant to link heart disease to fast food debuted Thursday on television in and around the nation’s capital, and it targets all of its criticism at the world’s largest quick-service chain, McDonald’s.

Products made from soy oil stand to benefit from two new germplasm lines that produce high levels of oleic acid, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and university scientists.

First lady Michelle Obama called on restaurateurs to help put an end to childhood obesity in an address made Monday to the National Restaurant Association’s board of directors at their fall meeting in Washington, D.C.

Organic foods are making a larger impact in consumers’ shopping choices in 2010, according to the results of Whole Foods Market’s annual Food Shopping Trends Tracker survey, conducted online in June by Harris Interactive.

Product developers are responding to public health concerns about the sodium content of processed foods. What sodium-reduction tactics are they using?The methods food companies use to reduce sodium vary. Some plan simply to reduce the amount of salt in...

Wendy’s/Arby’s Group is taking the Wendy’s restaurant slogan “Quality is Our Recipe” to a new level – this time, with all-natural French fries in test markets.And interestingly, the new recipe comes at a time when Wendy’s French fries are already popul...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today released two documents that outline steps to help chain restaurants comply with new federal nutrition labeling requirements. “One of the most important things we can do when it comes to the nation’s health i...

Trans fats have been showing up less often in fast-food restaurant meals.Research from the University of Minnesota's Nutrition Coordinating Center has shows major chains have significantly reduced their use of oils that contain trans fat in French frie...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that it is inviting the public to submit comments and information to help the agency implement a new federal law that requires the posting of calorie content and other nutrition information on menu ...

PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America business unit announced the introduction of two new Lightly Salted varieties of chips. Fritos Lightly Salted corn chips and Ruffles Lightly Salted potato chips join Lay’s Lightly Salted potato chips, which were launche...

The Center for Science in the Public interest (CSPI) has announced it will take McDonald's to court if the fast-food chain continues to use toys to promote Happy Meals. According to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, using toys t...