Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com Slashfood http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.slashfood.com/media/feedlogo.gif Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Thieves Prey on Starbucks Customershttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/05/02/thieves-prey-on-starbucks-customers/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/05/02/thieves-prey-on-starbucks-customers/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/05/02/thieves-prey-on-starbucks-customers/#commentsFiled under: ,

laptops temp thieves at starbucksPhoto: Andrew*, Flickr


Starbucks has done just about everything it can to make you as comfortable as possible and to turn its ubiquitous coffee shops into your home away from home--but maybe it's made you too comfortable.

One important difference between your living room and your local Starbucks is (presumably) you don't have an army of strangers traipsing through your living room as your kick back with your iPad and your morning cup of coffee. It seems obvious enough, but apparently, according to the New York Times, it's a distinction that's increasingly lost on a number of people -- and they're losing their purses, wallets and laptops, too.

Continue reading Thieves Prey on Starbucks Customers

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>starbucksstarbucks stolen laptopsstarbucks theftJason BestMon, 02 May 2011 13:00:00 ESTSugar Industry to Sue Over "Corn Sugar" Labelhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/29/sugar-industry-to-sue-over-corn-sugar-label/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/29/sugar-industry-to-sue-over-corn-sugar-label/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/29/sugar-industry-to-sue-over-corn-sugar-label/#comments

corn commercial commercialPhoto: YouTube


The battle over sweeteners just got a whole lot more bitter.

As the Associated Press reports, a group of sugar farmers and refiners, including big names like C&H Sugar, have filed suit against the makers of high-fructose corn syrup. Their beef? They want the corn industry to stop trying to hawk their souped-up sweetener as "corn sugar."

As the country has watched its collective waistline get bigger and a generation of kids turn into outsized roly-polys, perhaps no product has come to be as maligned as high-fructose corn syrup. Indeed, among certain members of the Bugaboo-stroller set, feeding your kids anything that contains the super sweetener might as well be the equivalent of letting them snack on crack.

Faced with an image crisis (American consumption of high-fructose corn syrup fell to a 20-year low last year), the corn industry went on the offense, running golden-hued ads of bucolic American farmscapes that essentially touted high-fructose corn syrup as nutritionally the same as sugar and asking the federal government for permission to market the stuff accordingly as "corn sugar."

Continue reading Sugar Industry to Sue Over "Corn Sugar" Label

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>HFCShigh fructose corn syrupSugarJason BestFri, 29 Apr 2011 13:00:00 ESTGovernment Wants Companies to Limit Marketing to Kidshttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/28/government-wants-companies-to-limit-marketing-to-kids/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/28/government-wants-companies-to-limit-marketing-to-kids/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/28/government-wants-companies-to-limit-marketing-to-kids/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: Paul Sakuma / AP Photo


Is the federal government about to put Tony the Tiger out of a job?

In the face of a national epidemic of childhood obesity, a collection of federal agencies has been working for two years now to come up with a set of voluntary guidelines that would restrict what foods can be marketed to kids. Food companies and marketing groups rejected a set of proposed guidelines last year, and the government has repeatedly postponed releasing new ones.

But as the Associated Press reports, the feds may finally pull the trigger as soon as today. Apparently, the AP reporter got a sneak peek at the new guidelines and writes that "companies would be urged to only market foods to children ages 2 through 17 if they are low in fats, sugars and sodium and contain specified healthy ingredients."

Continue reading Government Wants Companies to Limit Marketing to Kids

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>advertisingfeaturedmarketing to childrenJason BestThu, 28 Apr 2011 16:00:00 ESTChipotle Facing Natural Chicken Shortagehttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/27/chipotle-facing-major-chicken-shortage/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/27/chipotle-facing-major-chicken-shortage/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/27/chipotle-facing-major-chicken-shortage/#commentsFiled under: ,

Chipotle chicken burritoPhoto: Eric M. Martin, Flickr


Ay, caramba! Chipotle is running low on natural chicken, particularly at its restaurants in Southern California, reports the Orange County Register. This is a pretty big deal. After all, the chain likes to tout that its ingredients are a cut above your average fast-food fare, and let's be honest: to a certain crowd, part of the appeal of Chipotle is the side dish of sanctimony you get to enjoy as you imagine the chicken that's now the star of your burrito clucking around some bucolic barnyard somewhere while its KFC-destined kin were shivering in a cage waiting for their next mega-dose of antibiotics.

A spokesman for Chipotle told the Register that the chain had experienced a "disruption" in its supply of naturally raised chicken but that it's working to resolve the problem. There was no explanation as to why, all of a sudden, naturally raised chickens are in short supply. Alas, apparently the country doesn't keep a strategic reserve of the cluckers like it does for oil.

Continue reading Chipotle Facing Natural Chicken Shortage

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>chipotlechipotle chicken shortagechipotle mexican grillchipotle natural chickenJason BestWed, 27 Apr 2011 11:00:00 ESTCan Virtual Reality Make Foods Taste Better?http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/26/can-virtual-reality-make-foods-taste-better/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/26/can-virtual-reality-make-foods-taste-better/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/26/can-virtual-reality-make-foods-taste-better/#commentsFiled under:

Photo: YouTube


Call it the Keebler elf meets Bladerunner.

As MSNBC reports, researchers at the University of Tokyo in Japan have unveiled what is probably the coolest, wackiest and, hands down, most impractical high-tech diet contraption ever: "Meta Cookie."

Here's how it works: Users put on a ridiculously unwieldy virtual reality helmet that's outfitted with a camera, screen and seven pump-driven tubes filled with scented air. Then they reach for what is, in actuality, a dry and relatively tasteless cookie. But that's not what they see or smell. Instead, the helmet shows them, say, a delicious chocolate cookie, and the air-pump system gives them a whiff of cocoa beans.

Researchers say that the system regularly fools users into believing that they are eating a more delectable cookie than they really are, in part because the camera tracks the cookie as it gets closer to the user's mouth, allowing the system to adjust the sensory input.

It's obvious, though, that this is still in the development phase. Imagine peeking over your cubicle only to find your coworker salivating over an ordinary rice cake and outfitted to look like a creature from Aliens. Not only that, but it's clear the outsized gadget hasn't been through the marketing department yet.

"Enjoy augmented gustation with 'Meta Cookie'!" the promo video proclaims.

We'll give it a (virtual), yum!

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>featuredvirtual reality cookievirtual reality technologyJason BestTue, 26 Apr 2011 15:00:00 ESTHow Dieters Get Fooled Into Eating Morehttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/26/how-dieters-get-fooled-into-eating-more/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/26/how-dieters-get-fooled-into-eating-more/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/26/how-dieters-get-fooled-into-eating-more/#comments

jelly beans trick dietersPhoto: Roxanne Cooke, Flickr


Bad news for dieters: According to a new study, you may be eating less healthy than you think you are -- all because you're on a diet.

Huh?

It's simple, really. If you're watching your weight, you're more likely to be conscious of how food is labeled and to pick foods that sound healthier. A "smoothie" is better than a "milkshake," right? "Veggie chips" are healthier than "potato chips."

Except when they aren't.

In a recent study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, researchers served up a plateful of vegetables, pasta, salami and cheese on a bed of romaine lettuce. To some study participants, the dish was presented as a "salad," and to others it was called "pasta." Dieters were wary when it was called "pasta," but presumably gobbled it up when it was identified as "salad."

Researchers also labeled the same candy (jelly beans, it seems) either "fruit chews" or "candy chews." So which one do you think dieters rated as more nutritious (and thus were willing to scarf down more of)? You guess it: the "fruit chews."

Continue reading How Dieters Get Fooled Into Eating More

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>Jason BestTue, 26 Apr 2011 11:00:00 ESTE la Carte: Restaurants' Electronic Menus Revolutionize Orderinghttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/21/e-la-carte-restaurants-electronic-menus-revolutionize-ordering/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/21/e-la-carte-restaurants-electronic-menus-revolutionize-ordering/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/21/e-la-carte-restaurants-electronic-menus-revolutionize-ordering/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Photo: E la Carte

Technology has managed to make all manner of service employees practically obsolete -- bank tellers, travel agents, grocery store checkers. Are waiters next?

When you think about it, the newfangled gadget that tech startup E la Carte released this week has been sort of a long time coming. It's basically a more rugged version of an iPad that allows you to touch-screen your way through a restaurant menu, order and even pay.

The crotchety misanthrope might ask, "How is it that I've been able to scan and bag my own groceries for years, but still I have to make chit-chat with the waiter at Applebee's?"

Right now, reports our our sister site TechCrunch, only about 20 eateries have the device, mostly in San Francisco and Boston. But E la Carte says it has a long waiting list of restaurant owners eager to try the thing. One reason is because restaurants that have tested it have reported a 10 to 12 percent spike in overall revenue, since E la Carte is great at up-selling. ("Would you like a side salad with that for only $3 more?" Here's a lovely picture of the side salad. All you have to do is press this button.)

Continue reading E la Carte: Restaurants' Electronic Menus Revolutionize Ordering

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>e la carteelectronic menumenusJason BestThu, 21 Apr 2011 16:00:00 ESTChocolate Seder: New Tradition or Bad Idea?http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/19/chocolate-seder-new-tradition-or-bad-idea/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/19/chocolate-seder-new-tradition-or-bad-idea/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/19/chocolate-seder-new-tradition-or-bad-idea/#commentsFiled under: ,

chocolate milk at sederPhotos: Getty Images


The Old Testament talks about a promised land filled with milk and honey. Apparently, they forgot about the M&Ms.

While in preparation for Passover, the most observant Jews will painstakingly remove all traces of leavened grain (chametz) from their homes (an ancient custom that commemorates their forebears' hasty flight -- they left so quick that they didn't have time to wait for the bread to rise). But one temple has gone in a pretty unorthodox direction. They've organized a "chocolate seder" for its youth group, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Gone are the regular staples of the traditional Passover meal, like matzo, parsley dipped in saltwater, and bitter herbs. Instead, the kids scarfed down green M&Ms and graham crackers slathered in marshmallow fluff after reciting an opening prayer: "Blessed art Thou, Eternal our God, Ruler of the Universe, creator of cocoa beans of the tree." Jugs of chocolate milk replaced the traditional wine.

"People get so caught up with the food and all the rules of what you are and aren't allowed to eat," the temple's rabbi, Amy Feder, told the Post-Dispatch. "What's neat about the chocolate is it's a reminder that the foods that we eat at Passover are symbols."

To which a ghost chorus of ancient elders replied: "Oy, vey!"

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>chocolate sederpassover sederJason BestTue, 19 Apr 2011 12:00:00 ESTPassover Recipes from a Book of Remembrancehttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/18/passover-recipes-from-a-book-of-remembrance/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/18/passover-recipes-from-a-book-of-remembrance/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/18/passover-recipes-from-a-book-of-remembrance/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: Amazon

Passover begins tonight, and before heading out to your first Seder, you might check out this article in the New Jersey Star-Ledger to get into the spirit of things (and to remind yourself of the rich traditions of Jewish cooking, way beyond matzo).

The Jewish festival, of course, commemorates the release of the ancient Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Everything that's served at a traditional Seder is steeped in symbolism -- which doesn't always make for the type of dish that you might dream about eating all year (celery with vinegar, anyone?).

But what about creamy noodle kugels, piquant cold borscht or the perfect marriage of warm potato dumplings topped with brisket? These and a host of other recipes culled from the memories of Holocaust survivors have been collected by June Feiss Hersh in a soon-to-be-released cookbook, Recipes Remembered: A Celebration of Survival.

The Star-Ledger profiled the work of Hersh and talked to some of the survivors she features in her book, which apparently also showcases some surprising recipes, like a tres leches cake and gnocchi alla romana, collected from Jews who fled the Nazis for places like the Dominican Republic or Italy.

Continue reading Passover Recipes from a Book of Remembrance

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>cookbooksJewish foodpassover recipesJason BestMon, 18 Apr 2011 16:00:00 ESTCoffee Drinkers More Loyal to McDonald's Than Starbuckshttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/14/coffee-drinkers-more-loyal-to-mcdonalds-than-starbucks/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/14/coffee-drinkers-more-loyal-to-mcdonalds-than-starbucks/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/14/coffee-drinkers-more-loyal-to-mcdonalds-than-starbucks/#commentsFiled under: ,

McDonald's coffeePhoto: Old Shoe Woman, Flickr

It looks like America's favorite place for burgers may be on its way to becoming America's favorite place for cappuccinos.

Master strategists overseeing the nation's coffee wars will likely be pouring over the results of a recent independent study that finds those who get their (ever fancier) morning cup of joe from McDonald's are more loyal to the Golden Arches than coffee drinkers who visit rivals Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts.

As the Wall Street Journal reports, an independent market research firm surveyed 15,000 customers. Of those that frequent either Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts most often for their daily brew, 53 percent said that they also sneak off to other competing chains during the course of a month, while only 29 percent of respondents who identified McDonald's as their primary source of hot java said the same.

Continue reading Coffee Drinkers More Loyal to McDonald's Than Starbucks

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>Dunkin DonutsMcDonaldsMcDonalds coffeeStarbucksJason BestThu, 14 Apr 2011 14:00:00 ESTThe Truth Behind Olive Garden's "Tuscan" Cooking Schoolhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/14/the-truth-behind-the-olive-gardens-tuscan-cooking-school/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/14/the-truth-behind-the-olive-gardens-tuscan-cooking-school/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/14/the-truth-behind-the-olive-gardens-tuscan-cooking-school/#commentsFiled under: ,

Olive Garden Culinary InstitutePhoto: YouTube


Sorry to burst your bubble, Olive Garden fans, but that "cooking school" in Tuscany, the one where the chain's chefs supposedly go to learn the secrets of Italian cuisine from the source? It's pretty much a sham.

This according to a former Olive Garden manager, who's causing a flurry of discussion at Reddit (much of it oddly trading on obscene jokes about breadsticks-you've been warned). The manager, posting as FIDELIA079, claims that he scored a lucky, all-expense-paid (except souvenirs) trip to the chain's Tuscan "culinary institute" in 2007.

It seems the Olive Garden doesn't even own the place. They just book all the rooms at some hotel in the off-season, close the place to the public, and take over the restaurant. Sporadic "classes" lasted "maybe an hour here or there" where they would "talk about spices or fresh produce for a minute" before taking the group site-seeing for the day. Lots of drinking ensued.

Continue reading The Truth Behind Olive Garden's "Tuscan" Cooking School

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>olive gardenolive garden cooking schoolJason BestThu, 14 Apr 2011 11:00:00 ESTDetails Emerge About ShopHouse, Chipotle's New Chainhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/13/details-emerge-about-shophouse-chipotles-new-chain/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/13/details-emerge-about-shophouse-chipotles-new-chain/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/13/details-emerge-about-shophouse-chipotles-new-chain/#commentsFiled under: ,

Chipotle and Shophouse KitchenPhoto: Chipotle Mexican Grill


Chipotle fans who've come to love the chain's whole "fast-food made fresh" approach will soon be able to satisfy their on-the-go cravings with more than just burritos. May we introduce ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen.

As Slashfood reported last year, the restaurant world has been abuzz with rumors about what Chiptole founder Steve Ells was going to tackle next. News leaked out that Ells was thinking of going Asian -- but that was pretty much all anyone knew.

Now Nation's Restaurant News offers up the inside scoop on the new concept. And, basically, it seems like it's more or less Chipotle -- but serving up noodles and rice instead of rice and beans. Customers will move along the line customizing their meals, and execs confirmed that the pricing would be about the same.

Continue reading Details Emerge About ShopHouse, Chipotle's New Chain

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>chipotleShophouseJason BestWed, 13 Apr 2011 15:00:00 ESTGlowing Blue Pork Found in Chinahttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/13/glowing-blue-pork-found-in-china/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/13/glowing-blue-pork-found-in-china/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/13/glowing-blue-pork-found-in-china/#commentsFiled under: ,

glowing blue pig porkPhoto: Getty Images


So this story on ChinaSMACK, which offers English-language translations of odds and ends found on the Chinese internet, caught our attention: "Blue Glowing Pork Meat Found in Shanghai."

For one, the story itself is sort of priceless: Apparently, one "Miss Chen" gets up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and notices a faint blue light coming from her kitchen, only to discover that the source of this ghostly glow is none other than the slab of pork that she'd purchased the day before and left on the table (left on the table!?).

Second, there's a tone of eager, earnest amazement that runs throughout the article which makes it feel less like a digitized dispatch from a teeming megatropolis on the other side of the globe and more like something you'd find in the dusty archives of, say, the Walnut Grove Gazette. To wit, "In order to be sure she wasn't seeing things, Miss Chen woke up her family to look at this piece of strange meat together. The pork glowed in the dark but returned to 'normal' in the morning. Both astonished and afraid, Miss Chen's family did not dare to eat from this piece of pork again. Yesterday afternoon, this reporter rushed to Miss Chen's home and saw this piece of glowing pork."

Continue reading Glowing Blue Pork Found in China

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>blue porkGlowing porkpork in ChinaJason BestWed, 13 Apr 2011 13:00:00 ESTPublic School Bans Lunches from Homehttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/12/public-school-bans-lunches-from-home/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/12/public-school-bans-lunches-from-home/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/12/public-school-bans-lunches-from-home/#commentsFiled under:

school cafeteria lunchPhoto: Getty Images


How do you raise a generation of libertarians? Take away their Lunchables.

In what's sure to become fodder for those who decry the overweening excesses of the nanny state, a number of Chicago-area schools have banned (yes, banned) parents from packing their kids' own lunches, according to the Chicago Tribune. Educators say that they're trying to protect children from all the salty, sugary, fatty foods that have been blamed for America's burgeoning crisis of childhood obesity.

"Nutrition wise, it is better for the children to eat at the school," the principal of one west-side Chicago school told the Tribune. "It's about the nutrition and the excellent quality food that they are able to serve [in the lunchroom]."

Continue reading Public School Bans Lunches from Home

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>chicago schoolsfeaturedschool ban lunchesschool lunchJason BestTue, 12 Apr 2011 13:00:00 ESTCraving Coffee? It Might Be in Your Geneshttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/08/craving-coffee-it-might-be-in-your-genes/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/08/craving-coffee-it-might-be-in-your-genes/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/08/craving-coffee-it-might-be-in-your-genes/#commentsFiled under: ,

coffeePhoto: askmir, Flickr


Turns out there's another thing you can blame your parents for: your need for a Starbucks fix.

Yes, like receding hairlines and pendulous earlobes, it seems your daily 3 o'clock caffeine craving can also be traced back to your genes, according to new research released this week.

As USA Today reports, scientists have identified two genes that decide whether you're a double-shot-of-espresso sort of gal or a "one-cup-gives-me-the-jitters" kind of guy. Essentially, depending on whether you carry a "high-consumption" variant or "low-consumption" variant of either gene determines just how fast or slow you metabolize caffeine, and thus, just how much java juice it takes to get your motor running in the morning.

(We imagine that if you carry the "high-consumption" variant of both genes then you're probably something of a pit bull before 8 a.m.)

Continue reading Craving Coffee? It Might Be in Your Genes

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>caffeinecoffee geneJason BestFri, 08 Apr 2011 14:00:00 ESTMcDonald's to Hire 50,000 in One Dayhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/07/mcdonalds-to-hire-50-000-in-one-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/07/mcdonalds-to-hire-50-000-in-one-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/07/mcdonalds-to-hire-50-000-in-one-day/#commentsFiled under: ,

McDonald's national hiring day, April 19 2011Photo: Scott Olson / Getty Images


For millions who have ever faced unemployment, or even the prospect of losing their job, it's the thought that lingers as the last-resort fallback option in the back of your mind, inspiring as much dread as comfort: You could always work at McDonald's.

But before you send out your next batch of resumes, McDonald's wants you to know two things: One, working under the Golden Arches isn't all about flipping burgers. And two, the company is hiring--big time.

As Nation's Restaurant News reports, Mickey D's is looking to take its own big bite out of the nation's stubborn unemployment rate. The company has announced a one-day hiring bonanza: 50,000 new employees on April 19, or what it has declared "National Hiring Day."

Continue reading McDonald's to Hire 50,000 in One Day

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>McDonaldsMcDonalds National Hiring DayJason BestThu, 07 Apr 2011 15:00:00 ESTDiamond Foods Buys Pringles for $2.3 Billionhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/06/diamond-foods-buys-pringles-for-2-3-billion/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/06/diamond-foods-buys-pringles-for-2-3-billion/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/06/diamond-foods-buys-pringles-for-2-3-billion/#commentsFiled under: ,

PringlesPhoto: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images


How many Pringles does $2.35 billion buy you? Apparently, all of them.

Like the slogan says, it seems like once to folks at Diamond Foods popped open a can, they just couldn't stop until they'd gobbled up the whole darn brand. The company is acquiring Pringles from its previous owner, Procter & Gamble.

As P&G's hometown paper, the Cincinnati Enquirer, reports, the American mega-company that's home to a variety of household name brands has lost its appetite for the food business over the years. Whereas it was once home to a range of grocery-store icons, from Duncan Hines and Jif to Folgers and Sunny Delight, P&G has sold off all of them, opting instead to focus on its less-than-edible brands, like cleaning products and toothpaste.

By selling Pringles, P&G takes itself out of the food business altogether.

Continue reading Diamond Foods Buys Pringles for $2.3 Billion

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>diamond foodfeaturedpringlesproctor and gambleJason BestWed, 06 Apr 2011 15:00:00 ESTUSDA Introduces New Regulations for Safer Meathttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/06/usda-introduces-new-regulations-for-safer-meat/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/06/usda-introduces-new-regulations-for-safer-meat/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/06/usda-introduces-new-regulations-for-safer-meat/#commentsFiled under: ,

meat food safetyPhoto: Charlie Neibergall / AP Photo


Hoping to significantly reduce the number of the most serious food-related recalls, the U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed new regulations this week aimed at the nation's meat processors.

As often happens in these sorts of situations, it's not until new regulations are proposed that the rest of us (a.k.a. the happy-go-lucky meat-buying public) start to understand just how unprotected we'd been up until now, kind of like that cartoon character that sleepwalks onto a tightrope, only to wake up and see the Grand Canyon yawning beneath him.

Currently, meat processors large and small are required to test their products for nasty bugs like E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella, but seemingly contrary to common sense, they can go ahead and send their tested meat to market without waiting for the test results.

Huh?

Continue reading USDA Introduces New Regulations for Safer Meat

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>featuredmeat regulationsUSDAJason BestWed, 06 Apr 2011 14:00:00 ESTSome Food Addictions as Powerful as Drugshttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/05/some-food-addictions-as-powerful-as-drugs/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/05/some-food-addictions-as-powerful-as-drugs/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/05/some-food-addictions-as-powerful-as-drugs/#commentsFiled under: ,

addicted to chocolatePhoto: Wurth_Skidder, Flickr


We toss around the word "addicted" a lot when it comes to food: "I'm addicted to chocolate," or "I'm addicted to cheese fries." So should it really come as a surprise that maybe some of us really are addicted to our favorite foods?

This according to a study published this week in the Archives of General Psychiatry. Researchers took a sample of about 40 women ranging in weight and scanned their brains as they were tempted with the promise of either a tasty chocolate milkshake or a "calorie-free tasteless solution" (which sounds like water to us).

What they found were that parts of the brain that have previously been associated with drug and alcohol addiction were also activated in the women who were anticipating the shake. These areas were even more active in participants who scored high on tests measuring their level of "food addiction."

Continue reading Some Food Addictions as Powerful as Drugs

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>food addictionJason BestTue, 05 Apr 2011 13:00:00 ESTGenitically Modified Cows Produce 'Human' Milkhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/04/genitically-modified-cows-produce-human-milk/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/04/genitically-modified-cows-produce-human-milk/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/04/genitically-modified-cows-produce-human-milk/#commentsFiled under: ,

Dairy cowsPhoto: Toby Talbot / AP Photo


The U.S. has outsourced a lot in the past couple decades, but could breast milk one day carry a "Made in China" label?

This news comes not from the pages of the supermarket tabloids but from the online academic journal Public Library of Science ONE, where Chinese researchers have reported that they've produced human-like milk from genetically modified dairy cows.

"Our study describes transgenic cattle whose milk offers similar nutritional benefits as human milk," lead researcher Ning Li told the London Daily Telegraph. "The modified bovine milk is a possible substitute for human milk."

Continue reading Genitically Modified Cows Produce 'Human' Milk

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>genetically modified cowsGMO cowsJason BestMon, 04 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST