Diet and nutrition

FDA eyes mandatory tracking program for food

A mandatory traceability system in the United States would help improve the safety of food, such as produce, a health official told lawmakers on Wednesday, three weeks after the government declared an end to the worst foodborne outbreak in a decade. Some produce firms, including many in the tomato i...

Exports tested as China milk scandal spreads

BEIJING - China’s latest product safety scandal — tainted milk formula blamed for killing two Chinese babies and sickening 1,200 — expanded to include more foods Tuesday, with state media reporting some formula produced by companies involved was exported. State broadcaster CCTV reported on its e...

Snacks overpower our best intentions

Despite our best intentions to eat something healthy, we often choose sugary snacks. Dutch researchers asked 585 participants to pick between four snacks: an apple, a banana, a candy bar and a molasses waffle. About half of the participants indicated they would choose the apple or banana. But whe...

Few safeguards found for Mexican produce

ALLENDE, Mexico - At the end of a dirt road in northern Mexico, the conveyer belts processing hundreds of tons of vegetables a year for U.S. and Mexican markets are open to the elements, protected only by a corrugated metal roof. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration suspects this packing plant, its...

Faith inspires women to lose weight

They ate when they were stressed. They ate when they were lonely or frustrated. Then the guilt set in — for breaking the latest attempt at a diet, for losing the power struggle with a craving. It's an unhealthy pattern familiar to the women below, and one to which many of us can relate. So what ma...

Early ear infections may pack on pounds later

Adults who struggle with a sweet tooth or battle a lifelong craving for bacon may have something more than weak willpower to blame — at least those with a history of chronic childhood ear infections. A series of new studies presented this month by taste and hearing experts suggests that repeated ...

Over 200,000 pounds of Hot Pockets recalled

Nestle Prepared Foods Company is recalling about 215,660 pounds of frozen stuffed pepperoni pizza sandwich products, known as Hot Pockets Pepperoni Pizza, because the product might contain small pieces of hard red plastic and other foreign material, which pose a risk of serious injury to consumers. ...

Salmonella outbreak wanes; questions linger

The nationwide salmonella outbreak is finally winding down but federal health officials can't yet say how the few tainted Mexican peppers they've found could explain such widespread illness. The outbreak isn't considered over yet, Food and Drug Administration food safety chief Dr. David Acheson c .....

Former half-ton man endures hard times

Times are tough for a man who once weighed more than 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms), but Patrick Deuel says he's trying to keep a positive outlook. "Oh, I'm still breathing," the 46-year-old Deuel sighed before suddenly letting out a hearty laugh. Deuel weighed 1,072 pounds (486 kilograms) in 2004, ...

Beef recall expands to 1.4 million pounds

A review of Nebraska Beef Ltd.'s records prompted Thursday's recall expansion because USDA investigators determined the company's practices couldn't effectively control E. coli bacteria on June 24. About 1.36 million pounds of beef is now included in the recall that began Aug. 8 after the compan ......

Nebraska Beef recalls 1.2 million pounds of beef

Federal authorities last month assured consumers that a meat plant linked to nearly 50 illnesses caused by tainted ground beef had made enough changes after a recall to ensure that its products were safe. Less than a month later, the same processor has recalled 1.2 million pounds of other beef produ...

L.A. may force restaurants to post calories

Los Angeles residents are notorious for worrying about their waistlines and if two Los Angeles County Supervisors have it their way, calorie counting while dining out in the city may get easier. Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Michael Antonovich will present a proposed ordinance to the Los Angeles B...

California firm recalls beef due to E. coli

The U.S. Agriculture Department said S&S Foods is recalling about 153,630 lbs of frozen ground beef products because they may be contaminated with E. coli. USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said the Azusa, California-based company was recalling the beef products that were shipped to distrib ...

If trends continue, we’ll all be fat in 40 years

If the trends of the past three decades continue, it’s possible that every American adult could be overweight 40 years from now, a government-funded study projects. The figure might sound alarming, or impossible, but researchers say that even if the actual rate never reaches the 100-percent mark, ...

France considers raising tax on fatty foods

Cheese, pastries, foie gras — France’s culinary delights are full of dietary sins. Now child obesity is rising and the myth is fading that French people can eat anything and stay thin. So the government is fighting back. The latest anti-fat idea being presented to French officialdom: an increase ...

Swap this! 11 satisfying foods to flatten you faster

Want to drop a pound a week? You’ll need to cut about 500 calories a day. Don’t despair! Even if you’re addicted to snacking, all it takes is a few simple food swaps and you can enjoy a flatter belly — without a growling tummy. If you make these substitutions, you’ll not only look slimmer, you...

Restaurant kids’ meals loaded with calories

Parents looking for healthy meal choices for their children are likely to find slim pickings on the menus of the nation’s top restaurant chains, according to a report released Monday by a nonprofit public health group. Nearly every possible combination of the children’s meals at Kentucky Fried Chi...

Cancer chemicals to be reduced in chips, fries

Snack lovers, rejoice: Munching on potato chips just got a little healthier. Four food manufacturers agreed to reduce levels of a cancer-causing chemical in their potato chips and french fries under a settlement announced Friday by the state attorney general's office. California sued H.J. Heinz Co. ...

Exercise in a pill? Drugs show promise in mice

Here's a couch potato's dream: What if a drug could help you gain some of the benefits of exercise without working up a sweat? Scientists reported Thursday that there is such a drug — if you happen to be a mouse. Sedentary mice that took the drug for four weeks burned more calories and had less f...

Salmonella outbreak tied to irrigation water

The salmonella strain linked to a nationwide outbreak has been found in irrigation water and in a sample from a batch of serrano peppers at a Mexican farm, federal health officials said Wednesday. Dr. David Acheson, the Food and Drug Administration’s food safety chief, called the finding a key bre...