Dining at some restaurants will be a new experience starting today, when Californiabecomes the first state to require that chain restaurants supply calorie counts for virtually everything they serve.
“Consumers should be able to make informed decisions about their health and it will raise the consciousness of how much we eat,” said John Rogers, Sacramento County environmental health division chief.
There will be no guessing – or denial – about that double Western Bacon Cheeseburger from Carl’s Jr.: 960 calories. Side of Chili Cheese Fries to go with that? 990 calories. Maybe …

Manufacturers are being asked to cut the size of chocolate bars, confectionery and cans of fizzy drink to tackle rising rates of obesity.
By 2012, the Food Standards Agency wants chocolate-based snacks such as Mars bars to be no bigger than 50g compared with the current 58g size.
Bars of chocolate should be no larger than 40g, a draft consultation warns.
Industry representatives said they were disappointed by continued moves to set “arbitrary targets”.
The voluntary proposals also call for manufacturers to reduce the amount of saturated fat and added sugar in biscuits, cakes, …

Some iced coffees being sold on the high street contain as many calories as a hot dinner, a cancer charity warns.
The chief offender had 561 calories, others contained more than 450, and the majority had in excess of 200.
It is the combination of sugar, full-fat milk and cream which appear to push some of the cool coffees into the upper echelons of the calorie scale.
The World Cancer Research Fund, which identified the drinks’ calories, noted healthier versions were available.
The “venti” or largest version of Starbucks’ Dark Berry Mocha Frappuchino – …

Senate leaders are considering new federal taxes on soda and other sugary drinks to help pay for an overhaul of the nation’s health-care system.
The taxes would pay for only a fraction of the cost to expand health-insurance coverage to all Americans and would face strong opposition from the beverage industry. They also could spark a backlash from consumers who would have to pay several cents more for a soft drink.
On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee is set to hear proposals from about a dozen experts about how to pay for …

Joe Cohen cut both straws nearly in half so Nathan Ezrre, 5, and his sister Lauren, 4, could drink out of their cups.
The Brighton siblings were munching burgers and fries with their parents Tuesday at Cohen’s restaurant, Old School Burgers in Aurora.
The straws were an easy fix for Cohen compared with the challenges the fast-casual fresh-burger restaurant operator faces in this recession.
Although his business card says “president,” Cohen doubles as janitor, fry cook and order taker.
“Like most restaurants, as the economy has suffered, so have we,” Cohen said. “We are …

The Boston Globe, May 13, 2009
It has been a year since the nation’s biggest city became the first to order McDonald’s, Starbucks, and other restaurant chains to post calories on menu boards as prominently as prices.
 
 

 
Now, as health regulators in Massachusetts appear poised to adopt similar rules this morning, residents might want to listen to hungry, harried New Yorkers to know what is coming. From the West Side to the East Side, fast-food aficionados insist they still peek at the calorie counts and, sometimes, make healthier choices when they see, for example, …

Cheerios…the wonder drug?
That’s what the Food and Drug Administration appears to be wondering.
The FDA has sent a warning letter to General Mills, telling the company that its claims about the health benefits of eating Cheerios “would cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation and treatment of disease.”
The problem: Cheerios are a food not a drug, the FDA notes in the letter, which was sent May 5 but was posted on the agency’s website today. Thus, claims that the 68-year-old whole-grain oat cereal …

Unilever has announced plans to cut the salt content across its global range of 22,000 products with an eye on achieving the five grams daily maximum salt intake recommended by the World Health Organization.

Food companies face considerable challenges in reformulating with reduced salt, in terms of technical issues where salt plays a functional role as a preservative or to control the fermentation of yeast, and also in retaining a flavour that is acceptable to consumers. Nevertheless, salt reduction in processed foods has been a major target for manufacturers, particularly since the Food …

Chains are resorting to giveaways or less-than-$1 menu items. And they’re getting smarter about engineering lower-priced but still-profitable items, though some say the cheaper food tastes that way.

Before the recession, Andrew Puzder, who heads the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s burger chains, liked to joke about how sharp-priced competitors were “giving food away.”
As the recession deepened and the number of 79-cent taco and 99-cent hamburger offers exploded, Puzder realized it was “no longer a joke; they are giving food away.”

Literally.

On Monday, KFC gave away a free piece of its new grilled chicken just …

What exactly does it mean when a bottle of fruit juice wearing a cape declares, “I’m off to save prostates!”? What are we to think when we see the same bottle with a hangman’s noose cut from its neck and are told it can “cheat death”? And what about when it’s lying on a psychoanalyst’s couch and is declared to be in “heart therapy”?Well, for starters don’t take those things seriously, says the maker of Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice.
” ‘Cheat death’ is simply the use of puffery, tongue in cheek. It’s …