News on Health and Nutrition

June 02, 2008

EFSA Acrylamide risk opinion remains unchanged

Efforts to reduce acrylamide remain a priority as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concludes risk assessments regarding the carcinogen will stay the same. EFSA organised a scientific colloquium in Italy last month, to debate how the current po...

June 02, 2008

Fast Food Outlets In New York Go Against Rule To Publish Calorie Count

Since May 5 when New York City mandated restaurants to print the calorie count of the meals on menus 81 dining establishments have been served notice by the city Health Department for violation of the law. Among those found guilty were Dunkin' Donuts...

May 28, 2008

Taste test of Frito-Lay's Pinch of Salt snacks

Frito Lay launched lower-sodium versions of some of their popular salty snacks. Lay's and Ruffles potato chips, Tostitos tortilla chips and Fritos corn chips now have 30%-50% less sodium. Regular Lay's classic chips have 180 milligrams of sodium per ou...

May 22, 2008

McDonald's switches to transfat free frying oils

The McDonald's Corp. has completed its changeover to cooking oil with no trans fat at its restaurants in the U.S. and Canada The world's largest restaurant chain is now cooking French fries, hash browns, Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and chicken in a blend ...

May 22, 2008

Too little salt may pose CVD risk, suggests study

Low sodium levels may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, say researchers in an observational study, contradicting recent evidence from intervention trials indicating the dangers of too much salt. The observational study was carried out by res...

May 19, 2008

Found in milk and yogurt, vaccenic acid -- a naturally occurring trans fat -- lowered cholesterol in rats

Trans fats: We've been told that they're worse for our hearts than saturated animal fats. Now, as consumers increasingly turn to food that's trans-fat-free and manufacturers pull them from more and more processed foods, comes a twist. Some trans fats,...

May 10, 2008

No hay relación entre Sabritas y obesidad. La empresa no colocará advertencias a sus productos

Pedro Padierna Bartning, presidente de PepsiCo Región Sabritas, dijo que no colocarán etiquetas en sus productos que adviertan sobre efectos de obesidad al ser consumidos, "porque no existe una relación entre la obesidad y el consumo de nuestros p...

May 10, 2008

Acrylamide may raise kidney cancer risk

Consuming large amounts of acrylamide, a chemical commonly found in French fries, cakes, snacks and even coffee, appears to raise the risk of kidney cancer, especially in smokers, Dutch researchers report. "Ours is the first report of a positiv...

May 08, 2008

Dr Mai Tran completes PhD research on fat content of french fries

Being an ex-refugee didn’t stop Dr Mai Tran from getting her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in chemical and material engineering. For her PhD thesis, Mrs Tran chose the humble spud;the subject of her main experiment was to reduce the oil content in potato...

May 05, 2008

EU, Ukraine take action against contaminated sunflower oil

All necessary measures have been taken to remove the contaminated Ukrainian sunflower oil imported into Europe in recent weeks from the market, says the European Commission. Most of the oil, which was contaminated with a lubricant mineral, has been d...

April 25, 2008

Beloit-based Frito-Lay Inc. recertified as a 'star' site in its prestigious Voluntary Protection Programs

Frito-Lay is getting a reputation for being a world-class facility for its safety record and operations.The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has recertified Beloit-based Frito-Lay Inc. as a “star” site in...

April 16, 2008

Ontario Schools To Be Trans Fat Free

Students in Ontario will be getting healthier because the food and beverages sold in schools will need to be free of trans fat.Levels of obesity among young Canadian children have nearly tripled over the last 25 years. Providing healthier options and ...

April 15, 2008

McCain Rustic oven chips Advert: 'Eat your greens'

"Not for a minute,"insists a spokesman from McCain's ultra-slick PR agency, "are we suggesting a portion of oven chips might be as good for you as a portion of fresh veg, or part of your five-a-day or anything. That's not the idea at all...

April 11, 2008

McCain employee's daughter wins American Kids' Safety-on-the-Job Poster contest

Promoting workplace safety at her dad's workplace – McCain Foods in Florenceville – has earned a 13-year-old Perth-Andover student a trip to the American capital and $1,000. Meghan Baker, a Grade 8 student at Perth-Andover Middle School, won first pla...

April 11, 2008

Study links trans fats to breast cancer

Trans-fats, which are being phased out of food because they clog arteries, may raise the risk of getting breast cancer, European researchers reported on Friday.They found that women with the highest blood levels of trans-fats had about twice the risk ...

April 10, 2008

Frito-Lay launches 'Pinch of Salt', low sodium versions of its best selling Chips and Snacks

PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America business unit announced today the launch of Pinch of Salt, a low-sodium version of some of its most popular brands – Lay's potato chips, Tostitos tortilla chips, Fritos corn chips and Ruffles potato chips. While Frito...

April 10, 2008

Canada proposes crackdown on food safety

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday unleashed a proposed consumer safety bill that could force food manufacturers in the country to improve tracking of suppliers and processes. Spurred on by a crisis in consumer confidence last year follo...

April 08, 2008

Some good News on Food Prices

As the price of fossil fuels and commodities like grain climb, nutritionally questionable, high-profit ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup will, too. As a result, Cokes are likely to get smaller and cost more. Then, the argument goes, fewer peopl...