food

Can the Anti-Aging Secret Be Found In ... Red Wine?

3:04pm March 21, 2013

Can red wine slow down the aging process? According to a new study published in Science, a compound found in the skin of grapes activates an anti-aging gene in mice that promotes longevity. Harvard Medical School's David Sinclair discusses the research findings.

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Craft beers for sale in Chicago. Craft beer has about a 6 percent market share in the U.S. beer market, which is dominated by Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors.

Craft Brews Slowly Chipping Away At Big Beer's Dominance

1:36pm March 20, 2013

by NPR Staff

Beer is a $200 billion a year business in the U.S., with most of that money going to two companies: Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors. But smaller "craft" breweries are challenging that dominance in a battle that's being waged on grocery store shelves and in local pubs.

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Villagers gather dead pigs in Jiaxing, in eastern China's Zhejiang province, on Wednesday. The number of dead pigs found in Shanghai's main river had doubled in two days to more than 6,000, the government said.

Shanghai's Dead Pigs: Search For Answers Turns Up Denials

10:08pm March 14, 2013

by Frank Langfitt

The discovery of thousands of dead pigs floating in the waters around Shanghai has turned up disturbing reports: of pig dumping and the sale of meat from diseased animals among pig farmers. In the village where some of the pigs came from, we found serial denials.

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Health & Safety

Soda Wars Backlash: Mississippi Passes 'Anti-Bloomberg' Bill

5:11pm March 13, 2013

by Jeffrey Hess

A bill now on the governor's desk would bar Mississippi counties and towns from enacting rules that require calorie counts to be posted, that cap portion sizes, or that keep toys out of kids' meals.

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Dunkin' Donuts plans to go green by committing to purchasing all of its palm oil from sustainable sources.

Can Dunkin' Donuts Really Turn Its Palm Oil Green?

7:13pm March 12, 2013

by Ilya Marritz

Under pressure from the New York state comptroller — who oversees one of its largest shareholders — the doughnut chain has agreed to set a goal of using only 100 percent sustainable palm oil to make its doughnuts. Production of palm oil has caused serious deforestation in Indonesia.

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Hannari Tofu is a character who shows up on a range of plush merchandise.

World News

In Japan, Food Can Be Almost Too Cute To Eat

11:49am March 11, 2013

In Japanese culture, how food looks can be as important as how it tastes — a lesson children learn from a very early age. From children's television and toys to school lunches, the visual delights of food are never far from sight.

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Washington Post food editor Joe Yonan has made the decision to go vegetarian.

Career Suicide Or Lifesaver? Why A Professional Foodie Went Vegetarian

5:53pm March 09, 2013

by Lydia Zuraw

Washington Post food editor Joe Yonan took a bit of a professional risk this week by publicly declaring his vegetarianism. He's not alone: Many Americans say they've cut back on meat in recent years, and like Yonan, they cite health as a primary concern.

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Genetically modified to be enriched with beta-carotene, golden rice grains (left) are a deep yellow. At right, white rice grains.

In A Grain Of Golden Rice, A World Of Controversy Over GMO Foods

10:44am March 08, 2013

by Dan Charles

A rice enriched with beta-carotene promises to boost the health of poor children around the world. But critics say golden rice is also a clever PR move for a biotech industry driven by profits, not humanitarianism.

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A promo image depicting a bee at a coffee flower.

If Caffeine Can Boost The Memory Of Bees, Can It Help Us, Too?

6:13pm March 07, 2013

by Allison Aubrey

Feeding on flowers with caffeinated nectars gives bees a memory boost, new research shows. Turns out, other studies have found humans can get a similar boost in short-term memory with caffeine — if they're exhausted.

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Good advice, but strict rules at mealtime may backfire.

Health & Safety

Selling Kids On Veggies When Rules Like 'Clean Your Plate' Fail

5:14pm March 06, 2013

by Patti Neighmond

Involving kids in preparing dinner may be a better way to get kids to eat their vegetables than strictures like "no dessert until you eat your vegetables." But health experts say there's nothing wrong with an occasional treat.

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