News on Health and Nutrition from the Americas

Pepsico is a company pulled in two different directions. Chief executive Indra Nooyi has vowed to turn the maker of Fritos, Cheetos, Lay’s and Pepsi into a health juggernaut. But while consumers say they want to eat healthy, often what they really want is chips.

After further investigation of the food tampering report of this weekend, Halifax Police concluded it can not be determined where the needle originated. This additional reporting caused a sigh of relieve among Canadian Potato Packers.

Consuming high amounts of four major saturated fatty acids - found in red meat, dairy fat, butter, lard, and palm oil - may increase risk of coronary heart disease, according to a new study.

Earlier today, the Halifax Regional Police announced they received a report of a needle being found in potatoes at a home in Halifax, NS Canada.

Can the nutritional value of potatoes be improved? That is the question USDA research geneticist Kathy Haynes has been asking for nearly 30 years. Her quest for the answer has led her to breeding a more nutritious potato, similar to the papa criolla types found in South America.

A new potato variety that’s genetically modified to withstand bruising has been cleared for commercialization without undergoing USDA’s deregulatory process for biotech crops.

PepsiCo, Inc. has announced an ambitious global sustainability agenda designed to foster continued business growth in a way that responds to changing consumer and societal needs.

En Ciudad Bolívar (Cundinamarca), se dio la primera cosecha de papas criollas más nutritivas en el departamento, gracias a un trabajo conjunto entre la Universidad Nacional de Colombia (U.N.), la Universidad McGill de Canada y los agricultores de la zona.

Earthfresh Farms introduces a first to North America: The Carisma, a Low Glycemic Response potato variety.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it has started a public process to redefine the “healthy” nutrient content claim for food labeling.

Shearer's Foods, LLC of Massillon, OH is recalling Meijer brand 8.5 ounce packages of No Salt Added Kettle Cooked Potato Chips because they may contain undeclared soy and milk

Scientists have found evidence that humans can pick up a sixth taste associated with carbohydrate-rich foods. The findings might explain why we love such starchy foods so much.

Op-Ed by the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas J. Vilsack, on the developments in rural America.

During the Potatoes USA Summer Meeting held in Seattle August 10, it was announced that the Alliance for Potato Research and Education (APRE) has been restructured in an effort to minimize overhead costs and expand research on potato nutrition.

Good Health, a creator of better-for-you savory snacks, today announced the launch of Organic Black Bean & Rice Tortillas, the first tortilla chips to join the brand’s portfolio of savory snacks.

Snack company Good Health® has launched two new savory snack varieties: Veggie Pretzels and Gluten Free Pretzels

Snyder's of Hanover has transitioned its main pretzel bakery in Hanover, Pennsylvania, to a peanut-free production facility to accommodate consumer demand for snacks free of the allergen.

There is good news for potato salad lovers just as the season for chilled potatoes officially heats up. New research published in the scientific journal Food Chemistry adds to the growing body of evidence that shows that cooking and cooling potatoes can significantly increase the amount of Resistant Starch (RS).