Food Makers Tweak Recipes to Cut Costs

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.

Home Depot and McDonald's lead the way

(USER SUBMITTED) - Most recessions end as small companies regain the capital needed to hire small numbers of workers at a time. That will most likely not happen this time around, however, because smaller companies have little capital and banks are hesitant to give out loans, reports 24/7 Wall Street . So which large companies plan to hire this year? More»

Food is too artificially cheap, argues Michael Pollan

(NEWSER) - Foodie reformer Michael Pollan continues his "pay more, eat less" crusade in an interview with the Wall Street Journal , arguing that $8 for a dozen eggs should be standard fare. It sounds absurd, "but when you think that you can make a delicious meal from two eggs, that's $1.50. It's really not that much when we think of how we waste money in our lives." More»

Put down that pack of hot dogs and try some of these

(NEWSER) - This Independence Day, don’t limit yourself to burgers and dogs on the grill. Mark Bittman offers up 101 innovative ideas for your backyard BBQ, from meat and veggies to desserts, in the New York Times :

• Tomatoes: Grill ripe tomatoes until hot and lightly charred; serve with olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh mozzarella, and grilled bread.
• Duck à l’orange: Score the duck breast skin and press with rosemary leaves, salt, and pepper; grill skin-side down over somewhat low heat, then turn. Serve with oranges.
• Chicken parmesan: Pound chicken breast thin, top with tomato, mozzarella, and parmesan; then fold in half, seal with a skewer, and grill on each side.