junk food

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Hold On Tight to That Burger at the Beach

Coastal towns are trying everything (even googly eyes on takeout boxes) to stop snack-swiping birds

(Newser) - Lunch by the British seaside comes with a warning: Watch out for gulls. These birds have made a name for themselves as opportunistic snack thieves, swooping in on everything from churros and burgers to discarded festival leftovers. Experts say gulls' ability to digest just about anything has been giving...

In Mexico's Schools, It's 'Farewell, Junk Food!'

Government says one-third of the nation's children are overweight

(Newser) - A government-sponsored junk food ban in schools across Mexico took effect on Saturday, officials said, as the country tries to tackle one of the world's worst obesity and diabetes epidemics. The health guidelines, first published last fall, take a direct shot at salty and sweet processed products that have...

Porridge, Yogurt Make UK List of Banned 'Junk Food' Items

Slew of food products, drinks will be barred from online and TV ads before 9pm, starting next October

(Newser) - In efforts to tamp down on childhood obesity, the UK government has instituted a crackdown on junk-food ads shown online and on TV before 9pm. Some of the items on the list, however, are unusual ones, and although some praise the move, others are pushing back. The usual suspects make...

Risks of Processed Foods Apply to Plant-Based Ones, Too

Study issues a cardiovascular warning

(Newser) - With studies warning of the dangers of highly altered, industrially formulated foods, some consumers might feel inclined to move toward plant-based ultra-processed foods as a better option. There are, after all, numerous health benefits to a plant-based diet. Unfortunately those benefits appear to go out the window when industrial manufacturing...

Ultra-Processed Foods Aren't as Appealing as We Thought

When people rated foods, UPFs weren't as 'hyperpalatable' as commonly believed

(Newser) - If you'd never say no to a bowl of ice cream, you're certainly not alone. But that doesn't make whole foods like apples any less appealing, according to new study from Bristol University's Nutrition and Behaviour Group. There, researchers decided to test the assumption that people...

Big Tobacco Made Junk Food Addictive, Too
Big Tobacco Made
Junk Food Addictive, Too
new study
Sep 24, 2023 8:10 AM CDT

Big Tobacco Made Junk Food Addictive, Too

Study says food brands owned by tobacco companies were made to hook us

(Newser) - We've long known why junk foods are addictive (hello, sugar, salt, and fat), but researchers are now saying that big tobacco companies were behind strategically filling grocery store shelves with highly processed products when they owned food brands like Kraft and Nabisco. And importantly, they may have manufactured junk...

Who Needs Burger in Its Cheeseburgers? Not Burger King
Burger King, Why
Are You Doing This?
in case you missed it
Jul 15, 2023 4:25 PM CDT

Burger King, Why Are You Doing This?

Thailand division is hawking a cheeseburger with no burger meat, up to 20 slices of American cheese

(Newser) - If your favorite part of a cheeseburger is the cheese, Burger King has just the meal for you. You'll have to travel to Thailand to sample it, but "this is for real!" the fast-food giant says of its burgerless cheeseburger, which features the usual sesame-seed bun but...

School Plans to Search Students for Excess Snacks

Pennsylvania district faces backlash over 'lunch police' plan

(Newser) - A Pennsylvania school district's plan to strictly enforce limits on snacks has divided parents, with some praising the move and others denouncing the "Lunch Police." In a Facebook post last week, the Aliquippa School District said students at Aliquippa Junior/Senior High School would have their bags searched...

Book on Trump Spills Details of His Bad Habits

Related to diet and language, at least while on the campaign trail

(Newser) - Let Trump Be Trump is the title of a book on the president written by two men who advised his campaign, Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie. The Washington Post got an early look at the book, which will be released Tuesday, and cobbles together anecdotes on what "being Trump"...

First US Junk Food Tax Coming to Navajo Nation

Tax will fund healthy-eating projects

(Newser) - The Navajo Nation has some of the highest obesity and diabetes rates in America, and advocates are aiming to turn that around with a return to older ways—and America's first junk food tax. The initiative, which will go into effect next month, slaps a 2% tax on food...

Michelle Obama Stars in 'Funny or Die' Video

'Snackpocalypse' is fake horror movie trailer about junk food

(Newser) - No, “Snackpocalypse” is not a real movie—though it sure looks like one. The mock trailer features Chloe Grace Moretz in a world where junk food has turned people into zombies, Politico reports. It's the latest in Michelle Obama's campaign to get US schools to offer fruits...

US Is Losing Its Taste for Chewing Gum

Especially the sugary kind

(Newser) - It's a sticky situation for chewing gum makers: US customers are buying 11% less of the stuff than they were in 2009, research firm Euromonitor finds. Forecasts say sales will keep dropping by another 4% over the next half-decade, Quartz reports. Sugary gum is faring particularly badly. While sugarless...

Petitioners to M&Ms: Ditch Those Artificial Dyes

They're linked to hyperactivity, says group

(Newser) - Just in time for Halloween: a Change.org petition calling for M&Ms to get rid of its artificial dyes—especially the yellow and red ones—in favor of natural coloring, reports the International Business Times . The group behind the petition, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, says...

Mexico Could Soon Tax Junk Food

5% tax on high-calorie food and drink passes lower house

(Newser) - Proposed soda taxes have been shot down in the US, but in Mexico, that bottle of Jarritos could soon cost more. Legislation that will tax high-calorie food and sugary drinks was approved by Mexico's Chamber of Deputies yesterday. Now it's headed to the Senate, where it's also...

Feds Crack Down on Junk Food in Schools

New rules call for 'real food' snacks: fruits, veggies, whole-grains

(Newser) - School snacking is about to get a lot healthier. Starting in the 2014-2015 school year, treats like candy bars, fatty chips, and doughnuts won't be sold to kids during school hours; instead, they'll see choices like peanuts, granola bars, and fruit cups, USA Today reports. The new "...

South Carolina Budget May Limit ... Junk Food

It's a slap at Gov. Haley's push to restrict what food stamps can buy

(Newser) - Lawmakers in South Carolina are trying to keep junk food out of the governor's mansion. State senators inserted a clause in the 2013-14 budget plan that would bar Gov. Nikki Haley's office from buying junk food with public money, whether for employee treats or entertaining. The move was...

Scientists Lighten Up Chocolate Using ... Diet Cola

...and fruit juice, and vitamin C water

(Newser) - Finally, a way to gorge on chocolate without feeling totally guilty: Chemists say they have successfully replaced as much as half the fat normally found in chocolate via a liquid infusion—and said liquid can be fruit juice, vitamin C water, or even diet soda, LiveScience reports. If your instinct...

Food Stamps Shouldn't Pay for Junk Food

Congress needs to change the rules: Charles Lane

(Newser) - The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, you'll notice, has the word "nutrition" in the title. So why is it that SNAP debit cards, aka food stamps, can be used to purchase such decidedly non-nutritious items as Cheetos and Fanta orange soda? The Agriculture Department itself states, on its website,...

How Scientists Get You to Love Junk Food

Cadbury, Kraft, Frito-Lay hire the experts

(Newser) - The makers of American junk food have your personal taste—but not your personal health—down to an exact science, the New York Times Magazine reports. With Americans plagued by obesity and type 2 diabetes , companies like Cadbury Schweppes, Kraft, and Frito-Lay are hiring experts to conduct lengthy studies on...

Quick, Name the Surgeon General ... Didn't Think So
Quick, Name the Surgeon General ... Didn't Think So
mark bittman
Feb 21, 2013 1:30 PM CST

Quick, Name the Surgeon General ... Didn't Think So

Mark Bittman on why we need a strong one again

(Newser) - With Americans' terrible diets responsible for millions of premature deaths along with soaring health-care costs, the country needs a strong surgeon general more than ever to fight "the obfuscation and confusion sown by Big Food," writes Mark Bittman in the New York Times . But, sadly, the essential job...

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