A French woman scammed thousands of Chileans by selling them kits of what was claimed to be “magic cheese.” The scam-artist claimed that the end-product of these kits could be sold to high-end cosmetics companies for use in shampoos and moisturizers. However it ended up being a pyramid scheme. Read more…
We shouldn’t consume any more than a teaspoon of salt a day, but salt seems to be hidden in everything! So much, that we’re getting more than double of the recommended daily amount.
“Chances are you’re getting almost twice that–and don’t even know it–because so much sodium is “hidden” in processed foods from spaghetti sauce to canned soup to frozen dinners, reports The Associated Press.”
A massive recall of Lean Cuisine brand frozen chicken dinners has resulted in 879,565 pounds of poultry being pulled off shelves. “Foreign objects” identified as small pieces of hard plastic found in the dinners have resulted in one injury and various consumer complaints.
According to MSNBC.com, the following products are subject to recall:
- 9.5-ounce packages of “Lean Cuisine Pesto Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta” brand frozen meals. Printed on each side of each a use-by date of “Best before NOV 2009.”
-10.5-ounce packages of “Lean Cuisine Chicken Mediterranean” brand frozen meals. Printed on the side of each package is a production code of “8231595912” or “8241595912,” as well as a use-by date of “Best before SEP 2010”; a production code of “8263595912,” “8269595911” or “8274595912,” as well as a use-by date of “Best before OCT 2010”; or, a production code of “8291595912” or “8301595912,” as well as a use-by date of “Best before NOV 2010.”
- 12.5-ounce packages of “Lean Cuisine Chicken Tuscan” brand frozen meals. Printed on the side of each package is a production code of “8234595911” and a use-by date of “Best before SEP 2009”; a production code of “8253595911” or “8269595912” as well as a use-by date of “Best before OCT 2009”; or, a production code of “8292595911” or “8296595911” as well as a use-by date of “Best before NOV 2009.”
Each package also bears the USDA mark of inspection, as well as the establishment number “EST P-9018.” The frozen chicken meals were produced on Aug. 18, Aug. 21, Aug. 28, Sept. 9, Sept. 19, Sept. 25, Sept. 30, Oct. 6, Oct. 17-18, Oct. 22 and Oct. 27 and were distributed to grocery stores nationwide.
Consumers concerned about an injury from consumption of the products should consult a medical professional. Consumers with questions should contact Nestlé Consumer Services Center at (800) 227-6188. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline is 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854).
When you think of “dangerous” food, it probably conjures up images of eating slugs and bugs on “Survivor.” But most of the estimated 76 million Americans who experience food borne illnesses each year are sickened by nothing more exotic than fruit, vegetables, grilled chicken or coleslaw at a summer picnic.
Here, the top 10 foods you want to consume with caution.
1- Alfalfa Sprouts - the danger
2- Eggs - the danger
3- Rare Burgers - the danger
4- Packaged Greens - the danger
5- Sushi - the danger
6- Chicken -the danger
7- Mayonnaise - the danger
8- Cantaloupe - the danger
9- Unpasteurized Cheese - the danger
10- Salad Bar Fixings - the danger
According to MSN health
WOODBURY, N.Y., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ — ESE Foods, a division of East Side Entrees, announced it is partnering with teen music phenomenon, the Jonas Brothers, for a national campaign to raise awareness about the importance of eating breakfast and the availability of Breakfast BREAKS, a nutritious grab-and-go breakfast kit for kids. The new retail version of Breakfast BREAKS is currently available in stores and is modeled after the popular school version being used by hundreds of thousands of students across the country.
Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas kicked-off their new Breakfast BREAKS campaign today by surprising 750 Kimball Middle School students in Elgin, Illinois with a concert. The brothers discussed the benefits of eating a nutritious breakfast and announced a new national contest in which the winner will appear with the Jonas Brothers in the next Breakfast BREAKS television commercial. The contest encourages kids to create a video about why breakfast is important and submit it to www.BreakfastBREAKS.com. Select entries will be chosen from across the country to be posted and shared with other Jonas Brothers fans online.
“Breakfast BREAKS is an awesome product that is a nutritious way to make sure kids eat breakfast every morning so we are really excited to be working together with them on this initiative,” said Kevin Jonas on behalf of his brothers, Joe and Nick. “Our fans always surprise us with how creative they are, so this contest will be awesome. We can’t wait to meet the winner.”
To support their Breakfast BREAKS awareness campaign, the Jonas Brothers will be involved in events and initiatives taking place throughout the year with updates being posted on www.BreakfastBREAKS.com. The website is also the exclusive home for the Breakfast BREAKS Jonas Brothers video initiative and includes information on how to enter the contest. Entries will be accepted beginning March 1, 2008 and kids will be able to regularly check the site to see which videos have been selected to be featured. All viewers will have the chance to rate their favorites. One winning video will be chosen and the winner will join the Jonas Brothers for an appearance in the next Breakfast BREAKS commercial to be aired nationally.
Kevin, Joe and Nick are featured on specially marked Breakfast BREAKS boxes that are currently available in stores. They also shot a commercial and print ad for the product with their parents, Denise and Kevin, Sr., and little brother, Frankie, that will be aired on national television and featured in magazines.
“The Jonas Brothers musical success has made them superstars, so having them partner with Breakfast BREAKS is a great opportunity for us to reach teens across the country with the message that eating breakfast is critical to starting the day right,” said Gary A. Davis, CEO, East Side Entrees. “Studies show that children who eat breakfast perform better in school and have overall better health than those who skip morning meals so Breakfast BREAKS was created to serve breakfast quickly and conveniently so that busy families never miss out on a nutritious breakfast everyday.”
The retail version of Breakfast BREAKS is sold in a convenient single-serve box that contains a Bowl Pack(TM) cereal from General Mills, a 100% fruit juice box from Minute Maid®, a division of The Coca-Cola Company, a nutritious snack and utensils. Each box has a handle and easy-to-open flip-up lid so that Breakfast BREAKS can be eaten at home or on-the-go. The retail version has a suggested retail price of $2.49 and is available in an array of kid-friendly varieties, including Cheerios®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch®, Honey Nut Cheerios® and Lucky Charms®.
Breakfast BREAKS History
In 2005, ESE Foods’ parent company, East Side Entrees, developed Breakfast BREAKS for schools in response to the startling fact that millions of children across America who are eligible for a free or reduced-price breakfast through the national School Breakfast Program were still not receiving them. Out of 55 million children who attend school in the United States, 30 million eat federally funded lunch at school, yet only 9.6 million eat federally funded breakfast. The school version of Breakfast BREAKS was an instant hit, helping thousands of schools overcome obstacles that prevented them from serving breakfast because the kits required no heating or refrigeration, could be served quickly with little staffing and contained quality branded products that kids love to eat.
In the first year alone, Breakfast BREAKS were purchased by schools in more than 40 states, helping them serve hundreds of thousands of kids a nutritious breakfast. In response to an overwhelming request from parents to have the Breakfast BREAKS product available for home use, the company developed the new retail version and launched it this year. ESE Foods is working closely with GMR Entertainment who initiated and negotiated the partnership with the Jonas Brothers and is assisting in managing the strategy for the launch.
Nukes, of course, being a slang term for microwaves.
Read on.
VAN NUYS, Calif., Oct. 30 /PRNewswire/ — Every year thousands of holiday meals are needlessly stressful because of unidentified problems with the oven; from incorrect temperatures, to uneven cooking. Most common problems can be easily fixed by the owner at a minimal cost.
The repair experts at AppliancePartsPros.com receive many requests for advice during the holiday season from people whose oven has stopped working while preparing the meal. Preventative maintenance is not only easy to do, but can mean the difference between an expensive service call, and a wonderful holiday dinner.
“Nothing is worse than an undercooked turkey or ham,” according to Roman Kagan, CEO of Appliance Parts Pros. “Apart from the health concerns of a malfunctioning oven, there is the added stress of trying to find a repair person or appliance part at the last minute to save the family meal.”
Tips to keep your oven in top condition:
— If your oven temperature is off, the most likely cause is a bad oven
sensor. The sensor is mounted to the back wall inside the oven cavity
and looks like a metal rod about 3-6 inches long and 1/4 inch thick.
Replacing the sensor is easy. Two screws hold it to the back wall and
there is a quick disconnect harness plug on the other side.
— When baking takes too long it is typically due to a weak oven igniter.
The igniter comes on several times during the baking cycle to fire up
the oven burner. If the igniter is too weak, it won’t start up every
time. Replacing an oven igniter is simple and inexpensive.
— If uneven cooking is an issue it is usually the result of not
preheating enough. After your oven tells you it is done preheating, let
it preheat for another 5 to 7 minutes. The oven sensor heats up and
signals the oven to shut off the preheat cycle. The oven inner walls
however are still not hot enough and will keep on absorbing the heat,
thus lowering the temperature inside the oven.
— Do not use the self cleaning cycle on or before a major holiday like
Thanksgiving. The oven may overheat and damage a key component such as
the fuse or the main control board.
For more helpful tips and advice to keep your oven performing like new, visit AppliancePartsPros.com Repair Blog and Forum (http://forum.appliancepartspros.com/).
The best steak I had was in Detroit, a joint called Carl’s Steakhouse. It wasn’t 72 ounces though. Thank God.
Intrigued by the possible consequences of the task ahead — consuming 72 ounces (2.04 kg) of red meat in one go — I sought advice from my brother-in-law, a South African doctor.
“Your cholesterol level will shoot through the roof and you’ll probably get gout. Humans are just not built to eat that much meat at once,” was his response.
With this in mind, I entered the Big Texan Steak Ranch, home of the free 72-oz steak — free, that is, if you can eat it all in one hour, plus the trimmings: baked potato, bread roll, side salad and shrimp cocktail.
Read more.
What’s really scary is that the sight of rats in Taco Bell only made the stock go down 1%.
Really? Read more.
DAVIS, CA — (MARKET WIRE) — January 18, 2007 — When Californians step out their door, they are four times more likely to find fast food than they are to come across a grocery or produce store. This according to “Searching for Healthy Food: The Food Landscape in California Cities and Counties,” an analysis of the distribution of retail food outlets in large cities and counties throughout the state, released today by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA).”Ready access to healthy foods like fruits and vegetables is critical to Californians struggling to address the state’s out-of-control obesity crisis,” said Dr. Harold Goldstein, executive director of CCPHA. “Sadly, fast-food outlets and convenience stores far outnumber healthier food outlets in major cities and counties throughout California, making the hunt for nutritious options a daunting challenge.”
With growing evidence that what people eat — and their likelihood of being obese — is influenced by the food environment in which they live, the CCPHA study looks at the distribution of retail food outlets. An inventory of supermarkets, produce vendors, convenience stores and fast-food restaurants was gathered in California cities and counties with populations greater than 250,000. By contrasting the number of outlets likely to offer healthier food options like fruits and vegetables (grocery and produce stores) to the number of fast-food and convenience stores, the study creates a local Retail Food Environment Index (RFEI). The higher the RFEI index, the more likely consumers will find unhealthy food options.
Statewide, California is home to 14,823 fast-food restaurants and 6,659 convenience stores. By contrast, the state has 3,853 supermarkets and 1,292 produce stands (including farmers markets), giving it an RFEI of 4.18. This disproportionate access to fast-food outlets and convenience stores is, according to the study’s authors, especially alarming in light of the growing obesity epidemic.
“There is growing evidence that a community’s food landscape has a potent influence on the health of its residents,” Goldstein said in explaining the value of the study. “For the first time, California cities and counties have a way to compare their communities with others in the state.”
San Bernardino County, home to America’s first McDonald’s, had the dubious distinction of having the highest ratio among California counties at 5.72. Other counties with more than five times the number of unhealthy retail food options as healthy options include Sacramento (5.66), Fresno (5.34), Orange (5.13) and Solano (5.03). Santa Cruz County recorded the state’s lowest RFEI (1.84).
Cities offered even more localized and alarming findings. Of the 13 cities analyzed, two (Bakersfield at 6.63 and Fresno at 6.23) have at least six times the number of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores as supermarkets and produce vendors, and two (Long Beach at 5.80 and Riverside at 5.58) have at least five times the number. Only two large cities have retail food environment indices less than the statewide average: Oakland (3.81) and San Francisco (3.85).
“The study released by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy illustrates why a key component in my comprehensive health care reform proposal is an obesity prevention initiative. Obesity is a leading cause of preventable deaths and an economic drain on the state. With everyone — families, schools, the public and private sectors — teaming up on innovative strategies to provide more nutritious food options and increase access to physical activity, we can lead the nation in tackling the obesity crisis by creating healthier communities,” said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“It is time for California to shift the balance,” says Goldstein. “We need state and local leaders to take a closer look in their own backyard and enact policies to make it as easy for Californians to find healthy foods when they walk out their doors as it now is to find unhealthy foods.”
CCPHA is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization leading efforts in California to understand and address the state’s growing obesity crisis. The RFEI by county and city is available on the CCPHA Web site at: http://www.publichealthadvocacy.org/searchingforhealthyfood.html.
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