A Big Mac by Any Other Name Is Not as Tasty

Congress wants data on childhood obesity

(NEWSER) - The FTC dealt out 44 subpoenas yesterday to food companies, including McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Kraft, seeking information on how much they spent on advertising to kids. The businesses have until November 1 to comply for a report the FTC is preparing for Congress on marketing practices and child obesity. More»

40% of kids ask to go to there every week

(NEWSER) - The US remains a fast-food nation: 84% of parents polled in a Yale nutrition study said they serve their kids fast food at least once a week; 66% said they had gone to McDonald's in the past week, the Consumerist reports. The Rudd Center's study paints an ugly picture of an aggressive industry: Compared to 2007, kids saw 26% more ads for McDonald's in 2009. More»

That sub may have less fat than a Big Mac—but not with that cookie

(NEWSER) - Choosing Subway over McDonalds doesn't help if you eat more when you're there. A new study shows that people underestimate calories when eating relatively healthier food, leading them to eat more and get just as fat. "We have to move away from thinking of food in 'good food/bad food' (terms) and think also about 'how much food," says a researcher. More»

Cereal giant plans voluntary nutrition, marketing changes

(NEWSER) - Averting a threatened lawsuit, Kellogg will reformulate its cereals and snack foods to make them more nutritious—or keep them as is and stop targeting advertising at children under 12. The plan affects about half of the company's offerings, meaning that fans of Pop-Tarts and Rice Krispies may be getting a little healthier whether they want to or not. More»

Care for some fertilizer with your burger?

(NEWSER) - Duck feathers, human hair, fertilizer: These are among the ingredients you may be ingesting every time you chow down on fast food. That's because the FDA has deemed certain additives to be "generally recognized as safe," even though it may creep you out to learn of them. On Mother Nature Network , Melissa Breyer runs down eight of the most disturbing:

• Duck feathers and human hair: These two unappealing things are the most common sources for an amino acid, l-cysteine, used to make dough easier to process. McDonald's uses l-cysteine, the duck feather kind, in its apple pie.
• Fertilizer: Ammonium sulfate is also commonly used, as "yeast food for bread," in fast food bakery products. But it can also act as a fertilizer for alkaline soils.