fast food
Fast-food chains don’t trumpet removal of the ‘yoga-mat chemical’
In the more than two years since Subway was called out by a blogger for using azodicarbonamide, a chemical found in yoga mats and other non-food items, to make its bread dough lighter and stronger, a slew of fast-food chains have followed Subway’s lead and removed the chemical—but unlike Subway they’ve done it quietly, with little or no publicity, says Bloomberg.
Endorsing junk food, pop stars add to teen obesity
Sodas, sweets and fast food are the most common choices when pop music stars endorse foods and beverages, says a study by New York University researchers, who blame the advertisements for contributing to teen obesity. "The vast majority of the food and beverage products ... are unhealthy," says the NYU Langone Medical Center, "Equally alarming, none of the music stars identified in the study endorsed fruits, vegetables or whole grains."
Iowa teacher no longer tells students about his McDonald’s diet
Fast-food giant McDonald's "has ended a controversial practice of giving nutrition advice to students in schools, pulling back on a program that critics said was a subtle form of fast-food marketing that could imperil kids' health and understanding of nutrition," reports the Washington Post.
Taco Bell to use only cage-free eggs by 2017
Fast-food chain Taco Bell said its “more than 6,000 U.S. corporate and franchise-owned restaurants will exclusively serve cage-free eggs by December 31, 2016."
Kids get 12 percent of daily calories from fast food
Children and teenagers get an average 12.4 percent of their daily calories from fast food, said the National Center for Health Statistics, a part of the CDC.
‘Breakfastarians’ drive shift to all-day breakfast menus
"The dining tribe that craves breakfast morning, noon and night" is behind the switch by companies from McDonald's to Golden Corral to experiment with all-day breakfast, says Reuters.
Obesity rates rise despite ban on new fast-food outlets
A ban on opening or expanding stand-alone fast-food restaurants in low-income neighborhoods of Los Angeles has failed to curb obesity, says a RAND Corp study.
Children eating less fast-food burgers, pizza and chicken
Children are eating less frequently at fast-food restaurants and consuming fewer calories from burgers, pizza and chicken sold at the outlets, say two researchers from Tufts and the University of Washington.
Fat, salt and calories stay high at fast-food outlets
Forget about super-sizing. Portion size at three major fast-food chains changed little from 1996-2013, say researchers at Tufts. In a pair of reports, they say sodium, fat and calorie totals "stayed relatively constant albeit at high levels," according to a Tufts release.
Ban on school vending machines can backfire
A ban on vending machines in schools can lead to increased soda and fast-food consumption if its the only change in a school's food policy, say researchers at the UI-Chicago.
Fast-food or full service, people eat more at restaurants
People consume more calories, sugar, fat, and salt when they go to a restaurant, whether it's full service or a fast-food outlet, says a study in the journal Public Health Nutrition.