food

A mock-up of a warning label for sodas and sugary drinks proposed in California by public health advocates in 2015.

Warning Labels Might Help Parents Buy Fewer Sugary Drinks, Study Finds

6:39pm January 14, 2016

by Eliza Barclay

A few cities and states have proposed a health warning label on sugary beverages to inform consumers of their risks. A study finds such a label might have a significant impact on parents' purchases.

The Cargill beef processing plant in Fort Morgan, Colo., advertises openings in early January. Some 150 Muslim workers were fired in late 2015 after a dispute over prayer breaks at the plant.

National

Dispute Over Prayer Breaks Divides Muslim Meatpacking Workers

5:21pm January 14, 2016

by Luke Runyon

The conversation about religious accommodation in the workplace is playing out in a rural Colorado meatpacking town where Muslim workers at a Cargill plant were fired over prayer breaks.

A dish featuring antibiotic-free beef from Strauss Beef served at Overlake Medical Center in Bellevue, Wash.

Health & Safety

More Hospitals Are Ditching Antibiotics In The Meat They Serve

4:35pm January 12, 2016

by Eliza Barclay

Hospitals are on the front lines of the battle against antibiotic resistance. Increasingly, they're trying to walk the talk by purchasing meat from animals raised without antibiotics.

One of the banana plants in the collection at the USDA's Tropical Agriculture Research Station in Puerto Rico. It's just one of many banana collections around the world that might just hold the key to stopping a fungus's deadly reach.

Our Favorite Banana May Be Doomed; Can New Varieties Replace It?

9:11pm January 11, 2016

by Dan Charles

The Cavendish banana and other beloved varieties are threatened by a fungus that's spreading around the world. Scientists are trying to find new varieties that will be resistant to the disease.

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Maryann Frazier, a researcher at Penn State's Center for Pollinator Research, checks on one of her experimental honeybee hives. Frazier is testing the effects of pesticides on honeybee colonies.

Science

A Hardier Honeybee That Fights Back By Biting Back

4:28pm January 11, 2016

by Lou Blouin

The parasitic varroa mite has been wiping out honeybee colonies globally since the late '80s. Now scientists and beekeepers have teamed up to selectively breed bees with a unique, mite-fighting trait.

Our Favorite Banana May Be Doomed. Can New Varieties Replace It?

4:08pm January 11, 2016

by Dan Charles

The Cavendish banana and other beloved varieties are threatened by a fungus that's spreading around the world. Scientists are trying to find new varieties that will be resistant to the disease.

Campbell Soup has announced it supports federal legislation requiring labeling of genetically modified ingredients.

National

Campbell Soup Switches Sides In The GMO Labeling Fight

7:10pm January 08, 2016

by Dan Charles

The Campbell Soup Co. has announced that it now supports a federal law requiring labeling of genetically modified ingredients. It's the first major food company to endorse such a law.

The MyPlate icon is the visual centerpiece of the USDA's advice for healthy eating aimed at the general public. Scientists and other public health advocates had called for adding a water symbol to the icon, but that didn't happen.

Health & Safety

Uncle Sam Just Told Us To Drink Water, Not Soda. You Might've Missed It

5:52pm January 08, 2016

by Maria Godoy

Scientists had asked the USDA to add a water symbol to MyPlate when it updated the Dietary Guidelines. It didn't happen. Instead, there's language to opt for H20 instead of soda — if you can find it.

French Restaurants Now Required To Offer Doggy Bags

6:58am January 08, 2016

The French have long pooh-poohed doggy bags. As of Jan. 1, a new law in France requires restaurants serving more than 150 meals a day to reduce food waste. Doggy bags are showing up on French tables.

Queue Listen Now

New Dietary Guidelines Call For Limits On Sugar, Red Meat

7:37pm January 07, 2016

by Allison Aubrey

There's new diet advice out Thursday from the federal government. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines, which are updated every five years, serve as the government's official advice on what we should be eating. New this year: a recommendation to limit sugar to no more than 10 percent of daily calories. The guidelines also call for a shift to alternative sources of protein such as seafood, nuts and beans.

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