Wendy's on Block as Stale Sales Sink Earnings

But those salads still aren't good for you, says blogger

(NEWSER) - Burger King overhauled its menu this week and is selling smoothies, wraps, and new salads as part of a push to woo women and families. The makeover comes after Burger King dropped to third place in the fast-food rivalry last year, trailing McDonald's and—for the first time ever—Wendy's, reports the Wall Street Journal . "I think all of the players are looking at ways they can compete more effectively with McDonald's," says an analyst. 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.

It's the first change in the fast food chain since 1969

(NEWSER) - Goodbye, Burger King. Hello, Burger Queen. Wendy’s is about to overtake Burger King as the No. 2 fast food chain in US sales, according to a new report from market research firm Technomic. If that doesn’t sound momentous to you, consider that it’s the first time the big three burger chains have switched order since Wendy’s was founded in 1969, the Wall Street Journal points out. What’s more impressive: Wendy’s sales—expected to be $8.42 billion this year—will come from around 5,800 restaurants, compared to roughly 7,200 for Burger King. How far behind will Burger King be? About $53 million. More»

Nate Silver finds the KFC monstrosity is really only average

(NEWSER) - So by now you've heard of—or God help you, sampled—the gluttonous monstrosity known as KFC's Double Down , but how does it stack up in the less-than-healthy world of fast food? Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight runs the numbers, creating an index of fat, cholesterol, and sodium in which the Double Down rates a 1. He finds worse chicken gut-busters:

• Panera Chipotle Chicken: 1.49. It's not even considered true fast food, but it runs about 50% more of "the bad stuff."

From the Arch Deluxe to the Wendy's buffet and beyond

(NEWSER) - Taco Bell is debuting its new shrimp tacos, a decision that seems destined to go down in the annals of fast food failures. But it won’t be alone. Marcus Leshock recalls the 15 biggest fast food product disasters at Chicago Now. Here's a sampling:

• McLobster: For some reason, McDonald’s—at least in select northeastern cities—sees itself as the kind of classy place that should serve lobster, on a bun.
• Burger King table service: BK also tried to make itself classier in the early ‘90s when the chain introduced table service—“you know, like a real restaurant!”
• Wendy’s Superbar: Instead of going for the “fancy” vibe, Wendy’s introduced a buffet—and it had everything from salad to Mexican food to pizza.