Is Chicken Feed Causing Cancer?

Author and journalist David Kirby wrote a piece for The Huffington Post discussing the possibility that arsenic in chicken feed may be causing "cancer clusters," or areas of the country that have significantly more instances of cancer than the rest of the nation. Arsenic is often used in chicken feed to make chickens grow faster.

Photo by Gavin Schaefer

Subscribe to Food Manufacturing's FREE daily e-newsletter!

'Healthifying' Junk Foods

Everyone loves a good "unhealthy" snack like chips and soda once in a while, but according to the Food Politics blog, "junk" food companies may be in trouble due to the new trend of healthy foods. In fact, many companies, including Pepsi and Kraft are "healthifying" their products by adding whole grains and converting products to natural ingredients. But Marion Nestle raises a good question about the new health trend: Can processed food ever really be healthy? What makes a food healthy? What do you think?

Photo source: flickr user sayamindu

FDA Crackdown On Raw Milk Cheeses Was Exaggerated

According to The Atlantic, speculations by The Washington Post and The New York Times that the FDA was planning on limiting or banning the manufacture of raw milk cheeses were greatly exaggerated. This is good news for artisan cheese makers, who are estimated to make up to 10 times the amount from manufacturing raw milk cheeses than by selling raw milk alone.

Photo source: flickr user quinn.anya

The Impact Of Science On Food

Nathan Myhrvold, author of Modernist Cuisine, discusses how using meticulous science can improve the quality of food.

Vintners Try Out New Wine Pouch

Slashfood has reported that Indulge Wines, a California company, is now selling wine in a pouch. Each pouch equals two 750mL wine bottles, and apparently, it's eco-friendly. Fewer fossil fuels are needed to transport the product in a pouch versus in a bottle, and the wine is drinkable up to 30 days after opening.

Photo source: Indulge Wines

Burrito Price Dispute Leads To Shootout

According to My San Antonio, a man became slightly more than agitated after he found out that Taco Bell's Beefy Crunch Burritos were no longer 99 cents. In fact, he decided to shoot an air gun at the restaurant's manager, and displayed an assault rifle and pistol in the parking lot before fleeing when police were called.

Eventually, the chase led to a local hotel, where the man refused to come out until a SWAT team used tear gas to clear the room. In the end, the fight was over a $3.50 price difference.

Photo source: Flickr user jugglerpm

Click here for more Food Manufacturing news

Follow Food Manufacturing On Twitter

Banning Happy Meal Toy Bans

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the city's ban on Happy Meal toys has led to other states taking legislative action to ban their cities from banning the fast food toys. Legislation recently passed by Arizona's House prevents cities from banning any incentive offered by restaurants, including toys, contests and coupons.

Photo source: Flickr user me and the sysop

Japan Tests Food For Radiation

According to Slashfood, the damaged nuclear power plant in Japan has several countries fearing that Japan's food may be contaminated with radiation. Italy has banned all Japanese food imports, and Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Singapore and China have begun screening Japanese food for radiation. At risk foods include fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as meats and animal byproducts like milk and cheese.

Photo source: DigitalGlobe/AP Photo

Who's Second To Coke? Diet Coke, Of Course

According to Chicago Breaking Business, Diet Coke has officially unseated Pepsi as the No. 2 soda behind Coca-Cola. This is a huge blow to Pepsi in the Cola Wars, as Pepsi and Coke been fighting each other for the "king of cola" title for years.

Photo source: Flickr user computerjoe

NFL Lockout Could Hurt Chicken Wing Industry

According to Yahoo!, a long-lasting NFL lockout would be "devestating" to the chicken wing industry. Chicken wings are one of the more popular items at sports bars and restaurants, and prices for the wings typically increase during football season. However, this year there is an abundant chicken supply, and the possibility of no NFL season, or a shorter season, is a scary thing for the poultry industry.

Photo source: Kham Tran

Delicious Ideas: Portion-Controlled Packaging

According to GOOD, A British student has designed a portion-controlled spaghetti package that allows you to make just the right amount of pasta for up to six people.

Photo Source: Lovely Package

Iowa Man To Drink Only Beer For Lent

A newspaper editor in Corning, Iowa plans to celebrate the season of Lent by drinking only water and four pints of beer per day. According to Today, the man is trying to recreate the way Franciscan monks observed Lent centuries ago. He plans to blog about his journey here.

Photo By Strom Carlson (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-2.5], via Wikimedia Commons

Couple Arrested For Smuggling Contaminated Cheese

According to the Miami New Times, a couple has been arrested for importing cheese known to be contaminated with bacteria like salmonella. After suspecting that the imported cheese was contaminated, the FDA took away the couple's authorization to import the products, but the husband and wife continued to import the spoiled food without agency inspection. Now the FDA has caught wind of the illegal activities, and the couple could face jail time for conspiracy and smuggling.

Photo source: christmasstockimages.com

Fish Armageddon: A Million Dead Sardines Wash Ashore In California

According to the Wall Street Journal, a million dead sardines washed ashore in a Southern California harbor, the largest fish kill known in the state. Scientists tested the surrounding waters for oil and chemicals, but found nothing. It's theorized that the fish may have died due to massive overcrowding in the harbor, causing the oxygen to deplete and the fish to suffocate.

Photo source: Reuters

Cereal Boxes Could Cause Cancer

According to the Daily Mail, the recycled cardboard used in some food packaging like cereal boxes often contain harmful mineral oils. The oils, which come from the ink from recycled newspapers used to make the packaging, can seep through to the food, even passing through protective plastic packaging. These oils can cause harmful health effects, including inflammation of the organs and cancer. Because of this risk, companies like Kellogg have announced plans to stop using recycled cardboard in their packaging.

Photo source: Flickr user mroach

Lady Gaga Sues Over Breast Milk Ice Cream

According to the London Evening Standard, Lady Gaga is suing the ice cream company responsible for the ice cream made from human breast milk. The celebrity says that the ice cream, named Baby Gaga, is "nausea inducing" and "intended to take advantage of [her] reputation and goodwill."

A McDonald's Terrorist Group And The Future Of Ronald McDonald

A Finnish food activists group recently kidnapped a Ronald McDonald statue, holding it hostage, while demanding that McDonald's answer it's demands to answer questions regarding quality and ethics. When the fast food chain failed to answer, the group beheaded the icon in a terrorist-style video.



In a bit of related news, McDonald's appears to be phasing out the 48-year-old mascot. According to Bloomberg, Ronald has not appeared in commercials for a while now, and McDonald's is now focusing on marketing its coffee beverages, rather than its high-fat burgers.

Jimmy Fallon Breaks Food World Records, Gets His Own Ice Cream

Jimmy Fallon has broken two food-related world records on his show: "The most fast food items tasted in 30 seconds" and "The most hot dogs stuffed into a t-shirt in 30 seconds." Also, in honor of the show's 2nd anniversary, Jimmy got his own Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor.

Video: The most fast food items tasted in 30 seconds



Video: The most hot dogs stuffed into a t-shirt in 30 seconds



Video: Jimmy gets his own Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor

The Zero-Second Rule

According to Dr. Roy M. Gulick, the five-second rule for food should probably be renamed "the zero-second rule." In the New York Times, he said that bacteria clings to food almost on immediate contact, so the amount of time food remains on the floor makes no difference.

Photo source: flickr user William'sProjects

Chicken Lays Giant Egg

An Australorp chicken in Iowa has laid a 4.1 oz. egg, according to the Des Moines Register. The egg measures 3.5 in. long and 6.5 in. in circumference, making it twice the size of a large egg, said an Iowa State University professor.

Photo source: © Sarah Klockars-Clauser