Food and Drug Administration

The 8 Most Ridiculous Products Marketed For Men

Did you know there was once a time when products were just products? Of course, now products are powerful things that decide your gender for you. Why else would companies spend so much of their time making "Men's" versions of even their most basic items? For the chance to sell twice as many of them ... More >>

5 Ways to Have the Flu in New York City

The only way you haven't heard about the flu outbreak is if you are still indoors fighting last year's flu. It's here, it's disgusting, and it's a big fan of the film Contagion. While a new flu vaccine called "Flublok" was just approved today an FDA spokesperson told the NYTimes that the timing of ... More >>

White House Announces Obama Will Skip International AIDS Conference Same Day FDA Approves Historic HIV Prevention Drug

Lots of big news from the White House yesterday about HIV/AIDS. In the morning, the White House blasted out a press release with some historic news from the Food and Drug Administration: the FDA had approved Truvada, "the first drug -- to reduce the risk of HIV infection in uninfected individuals w ... More >>

Food Prices to Increase; Rayon McIntosh Gets Bail Fund

​Predictions loom that the next corn harvest will disappoint, and analysts predict the meager crop yield will inflate food costs.[Business Week]The FDA has sent warning letters to 1,200 tobacco retailers in 15 states, finding that many still sell cigarettes to minors as well as offering loosies (t ... More >>

Pulque a Big Hit With Mexican Hipsters; Congress Makes Cuts to Food Safety Program

​Young Mexico City hipsters are reviving an old Aztec drink called pulque, made by fermenting the heart of the blue maguey plant. [Washington Post] Produce can be certified organic by the USDA even if it's sprayed with pesticides, as long as the chemicals are derived from nature. [NPR] Small ... More >>

Papa John's Big Super Bowl Pizza Giveaway; Taco Bell Counter Sues Over Fake Meat Claim

​Papa John's is offering a free pizza to everyone in America if the Super Bowl goes into overtime. But there's a catch: You have to register for the chain's customer loyalty program, "Papa Points," before 11:59 p.m. ET on February 5. [USA Today] The Flying Pig food truck in L.A. is now suing ... More >>

100 People Get Staph Infections from Gingerbread; Fast-Food Chains Try to Top the Double Down

​At least 100 people have contracted staph food poisoning from eating tainted gingerbread houses sold at Whole Foods, according to the FDA. [TopNews] After finding traces of cooked food on the fossilized teeth of Neanderthals, scientists now believe the Ice Age diet included cooked plants and ... More >>

Senate Finally Passes Food Safety Bill

workthething.com​ Following delays of more than a year, and recalls of everything from eggs to gorgonzola cheese to cilantro, the Senate has finally passed the Food Safety Modernization Act, a bill that will, if passed by the House, fundamentally alter the government's role in ensuring the saf ... More >>

David Burke to Open New Resto in the James; Brad Farmerie Gives Turkey Tips

​The Senate has voted to consider a bill that would give greater power to the FDA to deal with food safety issues. [NY Times] Alec Baldwin is shilling for Wegmans in a couple new ads. Apparently, his mother really is a fan of the supermarket chain. [Democrat & Chronicle] David Burke has con ... More >>

Calorie Posting Laws Like New York's to Expand Country-Wide

​Thanks to President Obama's health care reform bill, calorie-posting laws similar to the ones we already have in New York will soon expand nationally: Chain restaurants and vending machines will be required to post calories in a "clear and conspicuous manner." The rules apply to any chain wit ... More >>

Are Doctors Testing a Drug to Prevent Lesbianism?

​A Time magazine article came out earlier this month discussing a steroid called dexamethasone, which Maria New, a pediatric endocrinologist and researcher at Mount Sinai Medical Center -- and one of the world's foremost experts in congenital adrenal hyperplasia, or CAH -- has advised pregnant ... More >>

Froot Loops Recalled; Kids Say Food in Shrek Packaging Tastes Better

​Kellogg's has voluntarily recalled millions of boxes of Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Froot Loops, and Honey Smacks breakfast cereals following reports of "an uncharacteristic off-flavor and smell" from the box liners. [Reuters] A number of New Yorkers have started ordering their bagels with the i ... More >>

Booze News: Introducing Wine in Plastic; Beware Coffee in Booze

​Awatere Valley, N.Z. winemaker Peter Yealands bottles his wine in plastic bottles, which he's sure will become the convention, just as Coca-Cola went from glass to plastic. He's not the first to sell wine in plastic -- Wolf Blass in Australia does it, as do British supermarket chains Tesco an ... More >>

FDA Questions How Smart 'Smart Choices' Is; Matchboxes Make a Comeback

​Salman Rushdie is, allegedly, still obsessed with ex-wife, Padma Lakshmi, according to his ex-girlfriend, actress Pia Glenn. She said he could talk about the Top Chef host "day and night." [NY Post] Mill Basin Kosher Deli is celebrating its 36th year in business with discounts through the en ... More >>

Flavored Tobacco Ban, Stronger Than FDA's, Gets Council Vote Today

The city council is going to vote today on a bill that will ban all kinds of flavored tobacco products in the city -- with a big exception made for the biggest category of flavored tobacco, menthol and wintergreen cigarettes. It's the latest in a round of bad news for smokers, who are already bann ... More >>

Airlines Turn to 'Haute' Cuisine; Ben & Jerry's Celebrates Gay Marriage With 'Hubby Hubby'

​The remnants of a frog or toad were found in a Diet Pepsi can, according to the FDA. A Florida couple discovered a disintegrated blob at the bottom of the can when one of them gagged on it. [CNN] Airlines are revamping their on-board meal offerings, following years of cutbacks on free meals ... More >>

Death of the Kool? Senate Passes Tobacco Control "Family" Bill

The U.S. Senate just passed a bill to give the Food and Drug Administration regulatory power over tobacco products marketed in the U.S. Among the innovations expected when this bill is reconciled with the House version and signed by President Obama is larger warning labels on cigarette packs (of the ... More >>

NOT NATURAL

A new documentary on how our food gets made

More Food Recalls--Watch Out for Frozen Pasta and Alfalfa Sprouts

Another food product recall has been announced. Frozen meat and poultry pasta from Mucci's Food Products were prepared without federal inspection and sold in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio. No illnesses have been reported. [AP via Google] Meanwhile, the FDA is n ... More >>

Crack For Cows in Kansas

The artificial growth hormone rBST is sometimes referred to as "crack for cows" because it kicks the bovines into overdrive, making them produce 10-25% more milk than they would otherwise--leading to more profit per cow. Aside from any animal welfare implications (reportedly, cows injected with the ... More >>

Peanut Board Funds Subway Ads; Food Safety Regs Remain Unsatisfactory

Spotted on the D train: one of the National Peanut Board's ads bearing its new slogan, "Peanuts: Energy for the Good Life." The ad could be for cell phones or anti-depression medication. It depicts a young man in a suit slumped on what appears to be a New York subway bench, clutching his phone as h ... More >>

Many Young Veggies are Anorexic

A study conducted in Minnesota suggests that many young people who claim to be vegetarians actually suffer from eating disorders. Researchers advise parents to talk to their teens about vegetarianism. [LA Times] Ben & Jerry of ice cream fame have launched a food-tracking campaign. Since the FDA ok ... More >>

Food Bloggers Rock SXSW

Now that everyone and his mother has a food blog, it comes as little surprise that the talk of the SXSW Interactive Festival this year was food. SXSWi hosted its first ever panel on the secrets of successful food blogging, featuring speakers from Cupcakes Take the Cake and Midtown Lunch. [Gourmet] ... More >>

Federal Judge: Give Plan B to 17-Year-Olds

Good news, youngsters. A judge in Brooklyn has ruled that if a 17-year-old girl thinks she may be knocked up, she should have Plan B, the so-called morning after pill, without going through the hassle of obtaining a prescription. Federal Judge Edward Korman gave the FDA 30 days to revise its regs so ... More >>

"21" Club Stealing Tips?

More than 30 employees of the "21" Club filed a class action suit against their employer on Tuesday, claiming that the restaurant has been illegally withholding their tips. The amount in question could be more than $1 million. [NY Times] Kellogg CEO, David Mackay, calls for an overhaul of the coun ... More >>

'This Is Why You're Fat' Looking for Book Deal

A lit agent is shopping around a book proposal for an offline version of the popular website This Is Why You're Fat.[Eat Me Daily]McDonald's President and COO Ralph Alvarez says it's a misnomer that the company is doing well because of the economic downturn; McD's is preparing for a challenging year ... More >>

Health Commissioner Going After Salt

The city's health commissioner, Dr. Thomas Frieden, is now waging a war against salt. After that, puppies. [NY Times]A Newcastle University study finds that cows that are given names and treated with a "personal touch' produce more milk. No word yet on girlfriends. [The Guardian]As the recession lea ... More >>

Top Chefs Get Down With Beer

Top chefs from Daniel Boulud to Thomas Keller are deigning to add beer to their menus as their customers look to spend a bit less.[Crain's]Minneapolis and St. Paul are the latest American cities to consider banning trans fats and requiring restaurants to list calorie counts on their menus.[Star Trib ... More >>

Giuliani "Advises" Pillmaker Banned by FDA, Opposes Needle Program

Daily Flog: The Dow of panic; stocks and bondage; U.S. snatches gold

Shock and Awe

The stunning comeback of electroshock and other harrowing treatments for the mentally ill

Meat Puppets

Eat your greens: chewing over the history and politics of vegetarianism

Is He Spongeworthy?

The return of a popular contraceptive

The Stalling of Plan B Forces Personal Plan C

Talking with Susan Wood, so formerly of the FDA

Hillary's Plan B

Clinton calls Bush's bluff on science, women's rights, and the morning-after pill

The Crowning of Bush

The lavish inaugural will cost you a lot—as if it's any of your business

Warning: Mad Cow Crossing

NyQuil, Yes. Morning-After Pill, No.

Bush welcomes next wave of teen mothers

A Crime of Compassion

Activists Break the Law in Support of the Morning-After Pill

Mook Back in Anger

Risky Chickens

Bayer Refuses to Withdraw Animal Antibiotic That Causes Drug Resistance in Humans

Magnets Unplugged

Is the force field for real?

Abortion's New Choice

Doctors Question the Limits on RU-486

RU Pissed Off Yet?

After 10 Long Years, American Women May Finally Get the Abortion Pill—With Restrictions that Could Obliterate All It Has to Offer

Nation

An Unscientific Method?

Activists and Legislators Urge Safeguards for Human Subjects in Experiments

Nation

Shape Shifter

How a Butt-Boosting Silicone Injector Got Busted