What’s in the news about food choices
- The paleo diet was the most-Googled diet of 2013.
- Restaurants are getting training to safely feed guests with food allergies.
- Labels are getting cleaner as consumers look at them more closely.
- U.S. adults are consuming fewer calories.
Here are links and summaries for recent news and opinion about food choices.
Diets – popular, failures
Most Googled diets of 2013 Dec-17-13 HuffPost Food
(1) Paleo diet; (2) Juice cleanse diet; (3) Mediterranean diet; (4) Master cleanse diet; (5) Ketogenic diet; (6) Okinawa diet; (7) Omnivore diet; (8) Fruitarian diet; (9) Pescetarian diet; (10) Flexitarian diet
Is sugar addiction why so many January diets fail? Jan-9-14 NPR The Salt
Over the last few years, scientists who study the way food influences our brains and bodies have been moving toward a consensus that sugar is addictive.
Food allergies – nuts in pregnancy, foodservice education
Eating nuts during pregnancy could curb kids’ allergies Dec-23-13 HuffPost Parents
Children born to non-allergic mothers who frequently ate nuts during their pregnancies had a lower risk of developing the allergy, researchers from a number of hospitals and universities found.
Restaurants and foodservice educate themselves on food allergies Jan-10-14 SmartBlog on Food & Beverage
The online National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe program gives restaurant operators, managers and front- and back-of-the-house staffers basic training that gives them a good start for safely feeding guests with food allergies.
Clean label foods – fewer ingredients, GMO-free, organics
As food labels get closer look, ingredients vanish Dec-17-13 HuffPost Healthy Living
As Americans pay closer attention to what they eat, food and beverage companies are learning that funny sounding ingredients can invite criticism from online petitions and bloggers. The risk of damaging publicity has proven serious enough that some manufacturers have reformulated top-selling products to remove mysterious, unpronounceable components that could draw suspicion.
Original Cheerios are now GMO-free Jan-2-14 HuffPost Green
General Mills posted on its website that original Cheerios are no longer made with genetically modified ingredients. The company explains that the oats used in Cheerios were never genetically modified, but that the corn starch is now non-GMO.
Young people care more about organics Jan-9-14 PRWeb
A new study suggests more teens and adults under the age of 30 are choosing organic food options instead of unhealthy processed junk food. The study, which polled over 8,000 teens from all over the country, found 39% of teens are choosing to eat organically produced foods, as opposed to 33% two years ago.
Low-calorie eating- more options, fewer calories
Boston Market offering 100 meals under 550 calories Jan-8-14 FastCasual
Boston Market is offering more meals under 550 calories, a nutrition calculator, and an allergen menu.
U.S. adults are consuming fewer calories Jan-16-14 HuffPost Healthy Living
U.S. adults are consuming fewer calories and cutting how much they eat when dining out, according to a new USDA report, which shows that from 2005-06 to 2009-10, U.S. adults decreased the average amount of calories they consumed each day by 118 calories, a 5% decrease. (After accounting for demographic factors, the decrease in calorie intake between those two time periods drops to 3.4%).
Other – raw milk, animal cloning, and more
Docs warn against raw milk for kids, pregnant women Dec-16-13 WebMD Health
The statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics, published online Dec. 16 in the journal Pediatrics, urges parents not to let their kids drink unpasteurized milk or eat cheese made from it. The doctors also called for a ban on the sale of all raw-milk products in the United States.
EU seeks to ban farm animal cloning Dec-19-13 Food Navigator
The European Commission has proposed a ban on cloning of farm animals and the use of their meat and milk for food.
McDonald’s to purchase sustainable beef in 2016 Jan-8-14 Food Product Design
To ensure more sustainable methods in the future, McDonald’s developed a 3-part plan. The company will support development of global principles and criteria in 2014; develop targets for purchasing verified sustainable beef; and begin purchasing verified sustainable beef during 2016.
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