Food products that advertise their lack of high fructose corn syrup are flying off supermarket shelves. But it's no sign people are buying healthier food. The author explains why HFCS is the new trans fat: a calorie distractor that lets us forget how bad a food may be for us. More »
Food companies are trying to make ice cream and sugary cereals "healthy" by adding fiber and calcium. The author asks why we don't just eat foods that are naturally high in those nutrients. More »
Experts disagree on whether plastic bottles used to feed babies contain unsafe amounts of a harmful chemical. The author tries to make sense of the conflicting messages and offers one item of advice: better safe than sorry. More »
The author goes out to a restaurant in her New York City neighborhood this weekend. Much to her surprise, she ends up dining a table away from Barack and Michelle Obama. More »
Rich countries are buying up farm land in poor nations to secure their own food and water supply. The arrangement may help improve nutrition and fight hunger in Third World countries, but it also sounds suspiciously like colonialism. The author explains why she feel uneasy. More »
Procter & Gamble tries to convince a British court that Pringles aren't potato chips to avoid being taxed as junk food. But if they aren't chips, then what are they? More »
Research shows that even if healthy food is out there, it's not affordable--especially for those who need it most. And now that health care, housing, transportation costs are higher than they were 30 years ago, people are having more trouble than ever getting high-quality food on the table. More »
Vitamin and dietary supplement producers, still not properly regulated by the FDA, get to make all kinds of unsubstantiated health claims, with sometimes risky results. Remember ephedra? More »
After years of complaints from nutritionist experts, the Food and Drug Administration finally cracks down on the health claims on cereal boxes, saying Cheerios cannot tell customers it helps lower cholesterol unless it wants to be regulated as a drug. More »
The author explains why nutrition advocates must remain independent from big food companies in a letter turning down an invitation to join a board involved in the Smart Choices food labeling program. She also makes the case for clear, sensible labels that indicate how healthy a food is. More »
Oprah raised eyebrows recently by giving away coupons for KFC's "healthier" grilled chicken. But, in letting people believe that fast food can be healthy, has she done more harm than good? More »
A new study says buying local food doesn't help climate change. The author asks: does that miss the point? More »
Scientists have been warning us about swine flu for years, but nobody did anything about it. Now the flu is here, and farms are fighting a publicity battle as experts struggle to figure out where and how the disease originated. More »
A Web game from the Food and Water Watch shows where your food comes from. Turns out that one in four pears are imported, 14 percent of which from China. It gets worse: imported fruits and vegetables are more than three times as likely to carry disease-causing bacteria than domestic produce. More »
Flavor companies are working like mad to find substances that block Stevia's bitter taste, mask its off flavors, and extend its sweetness, while staying within the scope of what the FDA allows as "natural." More »
A state-owned Chinese firm was in talks to buy American-owned Smithfield Farms, the world's largest pork producer, and also the reported originator of swine flu. How will the outbreak of swine flu effect the sale and the future of factory-farmed pork? More »
Turning to some of fast food's biggest bargains may be one way to stretch your dollar in this recession. But it may be one belt-tightening measure that could end up forcing you to loosen your buckle by a couple of notches too. Fast food might seem cheap, but a look at the cost per calorie shows it's not. More »
Recent investigative reporting has shown that salmon from Chile and British Columbia contain banned pesticides--and the FDA knew about it. More »
Why did this mysterious group rank Kellogg's, PepsiCo, and others among the "world's most ethical" businesses? More »
Every year 300,000 Americans are hospitalized and 5,000 die. Recently, stunning indifference on the part of some public health officials has been exposed. We should demand proper FDA regulation for once. More »
