March 4 (Bloomberg) — General Mills Inc., Kraft Foods Inc. and Kellogg Co. have reversed past opposition to increased food safety regulation and support U.S. legislation designed to prevent tainted food such as the contaminated peanut butter that killed nine people, the companies’ trade group said.
A bill introduced in the Senate yesterday by Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, and Judd Gregg, a New Hampshire Republican, would give the Food and Drug Administration new authority to recall products, require food-safety plans from manufacturers and impose regulations on fruits and vegetables most …

If you like to brew your own beer then chances are that you will have some potassium sorbate lying around the house. And if you don’t, you can always find some quite easily in places that sell home brewing products. Most of us think about getting our annual flu shots. Of course you can also find it in natural food stores, but it is definitely more colorful to be able to tell someone to get there potassium sorbate from a home brewing supply store!
Anyway the whole reason that you want …

In the middle of winter at Weaver’s Orchard Farm Market, Robeson Township, cool, crisp apples, kept in 33- to 34-degree F storage from last fall’s harvest are jauntily jostled along an old wooden-roller conveyor belt.
The apples – in differing varieties, shapes, sizes and hues – almost appear eager to be ground, crushed, pressed and then pumped through ultraviolet processing equipment to become all-natural apple cider.
With no sugar and no preservatives added, it’s the No. 1 Mid-Atlantic apple cider, so judged by the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention.
Ontelaunee Orchard’s cider, pasteurized …

“According to Chinese medicine, diet is the most effective way to relieve many symptoms. All heat-producing foods and substances should be eliminated. Caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar, food colouring, preservatives, and additives(including antibiotics and hormones fed to animals during the production of most meat, chicken and eggs) will cause excess heat and yin depletion. Red meat should be consumed in small quantities, but being a complete vegetarian (vegan) is not recommended. You should eat at least 2-4 ounces of meat or fish every week or two, depending upon your size and …

Which do you think has the most chemicals in it: your garage or your child’s Easter basket? The answer may surprise you, because brightly colored Easter candies are often full of synthetic food dyes and artificial flavorings.
Although these foods are colorful and fun, “parents and teachers alike attribute excessive motor activity and other disruptive behaviors to candy consumption,” cautions Anju Sharma, a pediatric dietitian with Medical City Children’s Hospital in Dallas. And, she adds, “There have been problems concerning the safety of some of these chemicals [additives and colorings], including …

Few college students have been privileged to taste the creaminess of non-homogenous milk. As a matter of fact, the current generation of college students has grown up eating supermarket industrialized foods and has rarely had the pleasure of tasting homegrown produce or locally pasteurized dairy.
The majority of the food in supermarkets is full of preservatives, and the consumer does not know where the food was produced, what chemicals were used, who has handled the goods or where or how the food has been transported. When it comes to quality and …

The Center for Food Safety of Hong Kong announced Monday that it tested 4,600 food samples in January and found 51 to be unsatisfactory.
Apart from the four unsatisfactory samples of Lunar New Year food earlier, a pickled plum and a red date sample were found to contain preservative sulphur dioxide exceeding the legal limit, the center said in a statement.
Apart from the unsatisfactory samples of 20 fresh beef and one preserved Chinese sausage earlier, 15 fresh beef samples were found to contain sulphur dioxide. Two samples of smoked pork sausage …

Recently, through the sampling inspection for 62 batches of alcoholic beverage, Guangdong related departments found that nearly one third of foreign wines were unqualified. The unqualified wines existed overdose utilization of preservative and sweetening agent.
Similarly, in 2007, Jianxing and Wenzhou Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau seized batches of unqualified wines and requested transporting the unqualified wines back to the regional places. 7308 bottles of them were French wines. And last year, Zhuhai Inspection and Quarantine Bureau captured a batch of unqualified imported dry red wine which existed overdose of lead.
The …

This recent NY Times article brings to light the potential danger of passing food fears along to our children.
In this age of nutritional enlightenment, it’s easy for parents to become hypervigilant about what their children ingest. From salt, to sugar, to food dyes and other artificial ingredients, children are more aware about what they put in their mouths and how it affects them than ever before.
This in turn, if not monitored, can lead children to avoid foods entirely and harbor irrational fears about eating “bad” foods. This is a far …

RICHMOND HEIGHTS, MO – Health magazine recently named Panera Bread the healthiest restaurant in the fast food restaurant category in the country. In the March issue, Panera was praised for offering customers the choice of apples or baked chips as a side item, Panera’s You Pick Two® half-size soups, salads and sandwiches, and antibiotic- and hormone-free chicken options. The expert judging panel also recognized Panera’s children’s items including squeezable organic yogurt, PB&J (with all-natural peanut butter) and grilled organic cheese on white whole-grain bread.
“It is truly an honor to be …