food

Feeling blue? That may not be a great excuse to tuck into some mac and cheese.

Eating Comfort Foods May Not Be So Comforting After All

5:01pm October 08, 2014

by Maanvi Singh

It's tempting to seek out the mac and cheese or a pint of ice cream after a terrible, horrible, no good day. But fresh research suggests such comfort foods might not be mood boosters after all.

Labels on bags of snack foods indicate they are non-GMO food products. This fall, Colorado and Oregon will be the latest states to put GMO labeling on the ballot.

Voters Will Get Their Say On GMO Labeling In Colorado And Oregon

2:24pm October 08, 2014

by Luke Runyon

Similar measures calling for labeling genetically modified foods have failed in recent years in California and Washington, and Vermont is being sued for the labeling law it enacted earlier this year.

Queue Listen Now

A sign displaying calorie counts is seen in a Subway restaurant in New York City in 2008. A yet-to-be-finalized federal rule requiring big chain restaurants to post calorie counts has likely led eateries to tweak their menus.

Restaurants Shave Calories Off New Menu Items

12:22pm October 08, 2014

by Allison Aubrey

New menu items introduced by chain restaurants in 2013 contained 60 fewer calories, on average, than items on the menu in 2012. And that could be enough to make an impact on the obesity epidemic.

Queue Listen Now

The roots of your hankering for hoppy beers and cruciferous vegetables may be genetic.

From Kale To Pale Ale, A Love Of Bitter May Be In Your Genes

4:02pm October 07, 2014

by Allison Aubrey

Researchers have found a gene that affects how strongly you experience bitter flavors. And those who aren't as sensitive eat about 200 more servings of vegetables per year.

Queue Listen Now

More convenient than a PB&J, unless you're eating them on an incline.

Arts

Sandwich Monday: PB&J Balls

3:59pm October 06, 2014

by Ian Chillag

For this week's Sandwich Monday, we try a new take on a brown-bag lunch classic. Welch's has re-engineered the PB&J in ball form.

Tokens representing $1, which can be used specifically for fresh fruits and vegetables, are displayed at a Electronic Benefits Transfer, or food stamp, station in the GrowNYC Greenmarket in Union Square on September 18, 2013 in New York City.

Two For One: Subsidies Help Food Stamp Recipients Buy Fresh Food

8:14am October 06, 2014

by Allison Aubrey and Dan Charles

There a big new pot of government money available for programs that boost the buying power of food stamps. But there's a catch: The cash has to spent on local fruit and vegetables.

Health & Safety

Mobile Oasis Delivers Fresh Produce to Food Deserts

5:26pm October 03, 2014

Fresh fruits and vegetables are now more accessible to people living in some of Greensboro's food deserts.

A man picks up an etrog, one of four plant species used during the celebration of Sukkot, in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak in central Israel in September, 2012.

World News

The Birth And Afterlife Of Israel's Precious Etrog Fruit

11:09am October 03, 2014

by Emily Harris

An odd, beautiful and persnickety citrus fruit has its big moment during the Jewish fall festival of Sukkot. But then what do you do with it?

In one study, people who were in a buffet line served themselves a lot more of an unhealthful pasta dish if they were next to or behind a person perceived to be overweight.

Science

Your Fellow Diners' Size May Affect How Much You Eat

4:20pm October 02, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

In one study, people who ate near a heavier dining companion served themselves lots more food. Researchers say a fellow diner's weight is just one of many subconscious cues influencing what we eat.

A customer shops for produce at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco in March.

National

California Cracks Down On Farmers Market Cheaters

4:06pm October 02, 2014

by Dan Charles

Did your local farmer really grow that heirloom apple he just sold you? California wants to know, so it's sending more inspectors out to make sure the produce sold at markets really is local.