YumSugar

FDA: Packaged Foods' Health Claims Make Them Drugs

YumSugar — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:00:19 -0700

Could the breakfast staple, Cheerios, be classified as a drug? That's what the Food and Drug Administration is claiming, based on the product's labeling that it's "clinically proven to help lower cholesterol." On May 5, the FDA sent a warning letter to General Mills, the maker of Cheerios, charging that the cereal's cholesterol-lowering health claims violate federal law. It stated:

Based on claims made on your product's label, we have determined that your Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease.

According to The Wall Street Journal, if General Mills wishes to keep the statements on the Cheerios box as is, the company has to file a new-drug application for the cereal. In a statement issued this morning, General Mills expressed that it will "look forward to discussing this with the FDA and to reaching a resolution."

While I agree that the FDA should be closely involved with health claims in consumer products, I can't help but wonder whether this is taking resources away from a larger problem in the FDA's hands: improving food safety in our country. Should packaged foods be able to make health claims, or does that render them drugs?

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Let's Dish: What Was Your Favorite Cereal as a Child?

partysugar — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:50:06 -0700

In a special ad campaign that gears towards a consumers need for comfort, General Mills has brought back its old cereal box designs. Target shoppers may have noticed that Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms, and Trix are sporting retro boxes taken directly from the company's archives.

The promotion has made me nostalgic and I can't help but think of the cereal I enjoyed as a child. While I consumed Cheerios on a regular basis, my absolute favorite was Lucky Charms. How about you reader? What cereal did you devour as a child? Do you still eat it today?

All the News That's Fit to Eat - Jan. 7, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:30:31 -0800

Try your hand at Gordon Ramsay's pineapple soufflé with Thai curry ice cream. - Los Angeles Times
Top 20 wine leaps to take in 2009. - Wall Street Journal
Due to the shortage of bluefin tuna, a 282-pound premium tuna sold for $104,700. - Associated Press
In Britain, squirrel is the newest protein to come to the table. - New York Times
How two young men plan to convince our new president to grow a garden on the White House lawn. - Washington Post
In the thick of Winter, turn to citrus to brighten your palate. - San Francisco Chronicle
Keeping inexpensive staples around is the key to eating gourmet on a budget. - Chicago Tribune
Just in time for the Inauguration, Ben & Jerry's has named on of its flavors "Yes Pecan!" - New York Daily News
In a taste test of toasted O's cereals, Cheerios didn't come in first. - Boston Globe

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Yummy Links: From Spanish Tours to Sandwich Showdowns

partysugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:00:57 -0700

Check out this sneak peek of Spain...on the Road Again. It looks like so much fun! - People
Bon Appétit has made over their website to feature their top 100 recipes. - The BA Blog
Update the classic rice krispie treat by using Fruit Cheerios instead of rice cereal. - Erin Cooks
Love chocolate? Be sure to read these tips for storing your beloved chocolate bars. - Candy Blog
How well does the pancake puff pan work? - The Kitchn
Get the 411 on which containers are best for storing food. -Culinate
Tyler Florence, Curtis Stone, and Ingrid Hoffmann battle to make the best sandwich on Oprah's Sandwich Showdown. Padma provides her two cents and announces the winner. - Oprah

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Vintage Cereal Chic

YumSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:13:11 -0800

I was at my local Target - I know, it seems like I go there an awful lot - when I noticed this display of vintage cereal boxes. For a limited time, General Mills has released vintage-styled boxes of five of their top selling cereals. The promotion is part of their Vintage T-Shirt Offer. These vintage boxes of Golden Grahams, Kix, Lucky Charms, Honey Nut Cheerios, and Wheaties each contain a box code that will give you access to their specially priced vintage tees. The tees cost $5 each and you can order up to 5 of them each day.

And if you can't find the vintage boxes, don't worry you can still get your hands on vintage shirts. Just use the boxcode "retrotee" and you'll be able to get in.

Discover Your Napastyle With Michael Chiarello

partysugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 12:58:32 -0700

Last Thursday evening, YumSugar and I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with one of my favorite Food Network chefs and the creator of Napastyle, Michael Chiarello. Michael specializes in homey Italian influenced Northern California cuisine and has been the host of many television shows including Season by Season on PBS, Easy Entertaining on FN, and Napastyle on Fine Living. I love Michael for his friendly, easy going approach toward food and his fresh, delicious, recipes. In October of last year Michael opened his first store, Napastyle, in Berkeley - which is where Yum and I spoke with him. The event was a private party, tasting, and demonstration. In person, Michael is a lot like his TV personality: charming, welcoming, laid back and surprisingly he's more charismatic, incredibly personable, and quite funny.

Before the demonstration began, guests were invited to taste wines from his wine club (if anybody wants to surprise me and get me a subscription to it I would be ecstatic), sample homemade sausages and dips from his store, and to mingle with Michael. Once everyone had passed by the sample table (my favs: the parmesan dip & the rosemary garlic salami), the demonstration began.

For Michael's philosophy on food and life, the difference between taste and flavor in a dish, what he has to say about fellow Food Network celebrity chefs and our interview (including a video with a fantastic Julia Child impersonation), read more.

Growing up, Michael learned at a very young age the importance of sustainability, seasonality, and eating locally. He was raised on a farm in the California Central Valley where his mother taught him about the love that is put into making a meal. He doesn't believe in fast food - which he defines as any meal that is not worth remembering and has jokingly told Rachael Ray, "I can't even clean the kitchen in under 30 minutes."

Michael enjoys turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, being a guest at his own parties, and gray salt. Although his life is beyond busy, he inserts self-imposed speed bumps or meditation time to spend time with his 14 month old baby boy (maybe we should set him up with KatieSugar), 3 older daughters, and his wife (whom he lovingly refers to as his girlfriend because it "sounds better").

Afterwards Michael took a moment to chat with us and even set me up on a date with his sous chef! Here's how it went:

PartySugar/YumSugar: What did you eat today?
Michael Chiarello: For breakfast I had organic cheerios, mangoes, and strawberries. For lunch my wife made me asparagus soup with Point Reyes blue cheese and I drank dinner.

P/YSugar: What are you inspired by?
MC: My mother. That little girl in the crowd, Samantha, who watches my show every Saturday. The fact that food can open your heart and bring people into your life. One time a woman came up to me and told me that she had never gotten along with her mom and when she asked her mom why she had never tried making pasta, the mother answered it was because she didn't have anyone to help her, so the daughter offered. Cooking brought them back together as a family. The best food is like gospel music, it makes you feel good.

P/YSugar: What's your advice to the everyday hostess?
MC: The Greeks set aside time while building the Parthenon to eat, so eat well even while busy. Set aside the time to eat well.

P/YSugar: A successful party is…
MC: Spending half as much time at the table as your guest do. When somebody else cleans up. When the wine is wonderful.

P/YSugar: What’s in your fridge?
MC: Organic Greek yogurt. Mango and papayas. Organic milk. Lots of cooked and ready to go protein.

P/YSugar: What is your guilty pleasure food?
MC: Ruffles.

P/YSugar: Is your show filmed in your house?
MC: No, my first show that aired on PBS was but not anymore.

P/YSugar: Did you read the Omnivore's Dilemma and if so what did you think of it?
MC: Yes, I read it twice. Michael Pollan is an amazing writer and he presents the facts as good as he can. He is conventional and brilliant.

Michael jokes about being upset by the fact that he rarely gets invited out to a friend's house for dinner and dislikes that his favorite organic milk is available only in glass bottles. And while his style is definitely different, he loves that his buddy Emeril has brought millions of people back into the kitchen.

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