On August 8, Nebraska Beef issued a USDA Class 1 recall of 1.2 million pounds of beef because of possible E. coli 0157:H7 contamination, of which about 4 percent was destined for select Whole Foods Market stores in 23 states and D.C. As a precautionary measure, Whole Foods had already voluntarily recalled fresh ground beef [...]

When you consider the fact that half an avocado contains 4.9G fiber, 354MG potassium, 15.3MCG vitamin K, 59MCG folate, 1.5G protein and 10.7G (good) fat, what’s not to like? Creamy, buttery avocados get their taste and texture from good fats, those monounsaturated fats that help lower cholesterol. Whether it’s the base for guacamole, or diced [...]

What better way to combine two passions (environmentalism and chocolate) than through companies that make delicious chocolate treats that don’t impact the environment? First up, Endangered Species, which donates 10 percent of net profits to wildlife habitat conservation projects. Their Supreme Dark Chocolate bar has 72 percent cocoa content in 3 oz., and is gluten free [...]

  Trish?a Yearwood is the latest in along line of celebrities to lend her mug to the Got Milk? campaign. Her ad touts the nutrients in milk, which help maintain weight, as well as the protein, which helps build strong bones and muscles. Yearwood joins many other famous Milk Mustache women, including Martha Stewart, Marg Helgenberger, [...]

Mendocino, Calif., may not be the end all be all for dogs and their humans, but for those who enjoy a good meal, the town sure delivers. On a recent trip, my husband and I stayed at the MacCallum House for two nights, which included breakfast for both of us the following two mornings. But [...]

The rising cost of gasoline is leaving no industry untouched. Case in point: The Maine lobster industry is feeling the pinch as the price of gas is keeping tourists away. At peak lobster season, less demand plus a healthy haul is pushing the retail price of lobster in Maine beneath $6 a pound. (Unfortunately, outside of New England, [...]

A new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report sheds new light on food marketing to children and adolescents. The report, “Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents: A Review of Industry Expenditures, Activities, and Self-Regulation”, finds that 44 major food and beverage marketers spent $1.6 billion to promote their products to children under 12 and adolescents ages [...]

In Elk Grove, Calif., the Elk Grove Unified School District is taking lunch money online, as students’ parents have a new option to prepay online for student lunches through myLunchMoney.com. Gone are checks and paper money, as the new system allows parents to use their debit or credit cards to make payments, as well as monitor [...]

It’s about time that Ted Allen (pictured above) got his own food show, which airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m./8 c on the Food Network. After all, he is the Tim Gunn of the food world. The show, Food Network’s “Food Detectives with Ted Allen“, explores common food-related aqssumptions and myths (Is double-dipping really as bad as [...]

Beginning in early 2010, California will be the first state to ban restaurants from using trans fats, which have been linked to coronary heart disease, strokes, diabetes and obesity. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a new law, Assembly Bill 97, recently that directs restaurants to stop using trans fats by January 2010, and for bakeries to follow suit one year [...]