News on Health and Nutrition from the Americas

Trans fats: We've been told that they're worse for our hearts than saturated animal fats. Now, as consumers increasingly turn to food that's trans-fat-free and manufacturers pull them from more and more processed foods, comes a twist. Some trans fats,...

Pedro Padierna Bartning, presidente de PepsiCo Región Sabritas, dijo que no colocarán etiquetas en sus productos que adviertan sobre efectos de obesidad al ser consumidos, "porque no existe una relación entre la obesidad y el consumo de nuestros p...

Consuming large amounts of acrylamide, a chemical commonly found in French fries, cakes, snacks and even coffee, appears to raise the risk of kidney cancer, especially in smokers, Dutch researchers report. "Ours is the first report of a positiv...

Being an ex-refugee didn’t stop Dr Mai Tran from getting her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in chemical and material engineering. For her PhD thesis, Mrs Tran chose the humble spud;the subject of her main experiment was to reduce the oil content in potato...

Frito-Lay is getting a reputation for being a world-class facility for its safety record and operations.The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has recertified Beloit-based Frito-Lay Inc. as a “star” site in...

Students in Ontario will be getting healthier because the food and beverages sold in schools will need to be free of trans fat.Levels of obesity among young Canadian children have nearly tripled over the last 25 years. Providing healthier options and ...

Promoting workplace safety at her dad's workplace – McCain Foods in Florenceville – has earned a 13-year-old Perth-Andover student a trip to the American capital and $1,000. Meghan Baker, a Grade 8 student at Perth-Andover Middle School, won first pla...

Trans-fats, which are being phased out of food because they clog arteries, may raise the risk of getting breast cancer, European researchers reported on Friday.They found that women with the highest blood levels of trans-fats had about twice the risk ...

PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America business unit announced today the launch of Pinch of Salt, a low-sodium version of some of its most popular brands – Lay's potato chips, Tostitos tortilla chips, Fritos corn chips and Ruffles potato chips. While Frito...

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday unleashed a proposed consumer safety bill that could force food manufacturers in the country to improve tracking of suppliers and processes. Spurred on by a crisis in consumer confidence last year follo...

As the price of fossil fuels and commodities like grain climb, nutritionally questionable, high-profit ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup will, too. As a result, Cokes are likely to get smaller and cost more. Then, the argument goes, fewer peopl...

According to a public opinion survey commissioned by the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD), 82 percent of Americans think food companies should be making a greater effort to reformulate for more better-for-you products.Although this is a high perc...

Local counties can't require restaurants to post nutrition information about their menu items under a bill that easily passed the (Georgia) Senate Thursday. The bill, which sailed through the House earlier this session, now goes to the governor's desk...

Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon signed a bill Thursday that bans restaurants from serving foods make with trans fats. The mayor's anticipated signature makes the bill a law. The Baltimore City Council unanimously voted March 18 to approve the bill,...

More than 50 consumer groups have launched a worldwide campaign to reduce the marketing of unhealthy food to children. Among other things, the new voluntary code calls for tight restrictions on both television and Internet advertising, prohibits the ma...

Boston has joined others cities in banning artery-clogging trans fats from food served in restaurants and grocery stores. Businesses, as well as schools and hospitals, will have to stop using oils and spreads that contain trans fats. Prepackaged foods...

Acrylamide, that surprised scientists when it was discovered in certain foods might not be as big a concern after all, an Augusta researcher said. Dale Sickles, a neurotoxicologist and vice chairman of Cell Biology and Anatomy at Medical College of Ge...

Dr. David McKeown, Toronto's medical officer of health, is calling on Canadian politicians to address the country's growing obesity rate by banning junk food advertising to children under 13. Last week, acting on a recommendation by Dr. McKeown, the To...