Is the USDA's New Food Plate Better Than the Pyramid?


Updated 06/09/11 9:25 AM · Posted by · 8 comments

USDA Reveals New Food Plate Icon

We waited with bated breath, and now that the USDA has unveiled its new food icon, what do you think? Replacing the 20-year-old pyramid, the plate is said to simplify all of the mixed information out there by breaking down nutrition requirements as a framework. The basic message is this: "make sure what is on your plate is balanced and healthy." Balanced meals should consist of servings of Read more

USDA Replaces Food Pyramid With Dinner Plate


Updated 06/01/11 2:21 PM · Posted by · 3 comments

The USDA to Debut a New Food Icon to Replace the Current Food Pyramid

On Thursday, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a big unveiling. It's swapping out the 4-year-old Food Pyramid (shown here) with a new icon that is said to offer simple, easy-to-understand cues to prompt healthy choices. The new logo will be a circular plate that consists of four colored sections for fruits, vegetables, grains and protein. It will also include a smaller plate for dairy, Read more

Yummy Links: From Bacon to Muskrat


Updated 02/02/11 6:29 PM · Posted by YumSugar · 1 comment

Le Cirque Expands to India, and Other Food News

The history of bacon in civilization, illustrated. — Voracious New editor Adam Rapoport has big Bon Appétit changes in store. — Eater All about Foodily, an ad-free recipe search engine. — Slashfood 10 lucky foods to devour on Chinese New Year. — Chow Yes, you can: buy great cheese on a budget. — Serious Eats New York's famed Le Cirque is expanding to India. — Grub Street NY The Read more

Will a Food Safety Bill Improve the USDA's Tainted Reputation?


Updated 08/04/11 11:51 PM · Posted by · 2 comments

Senate Passes Food Safety Measure to Enforce Safety Standards For Food Processors

In response to a shocking number of recalls in the past couple of years, the current administration has taken a number of steps to reform food safety. The latest measure toward policy change: a Senate bill that passed over the weekend, giving the FDA authority to recall food, as well as access to internal records at farms and food production facilities. It's expected to be signed into law both Read more

USDA Proposes New Dietary Guidelines to End Obesity


Updated 06/16/10 3:17 PM · Posted by FitSugar · 4 comments

USDA Proposes New Dietary Guidelines For 2010

The new dietary guidelines proposed by the Department of Agriculture seem a lot like Michael Pollan's mantra: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." The proposed guidelines — which are updated every five years — seem to take aim at America's obesity crisis. Current figures indicate that one-third of all Americans are obese, with even more individuals being considered overweight. The Read more

USDA Report Monitors Food Trends Over the Last 100 Years


Updated 03/18/10 1:41 PM · Posted by YumSugar · 9 comments

USDA Report Monitors Food Trends Over the Last 100 Years

Sure, macarons, chicharrones, and street food are big right now, but what's been trending over the past 100 years? To answer that question, the USDA has just published a report on food trends that have occurred over the last century. The USDA tracked 100 years' worth of food products based on information about imports, exports, and production and inventory levels. Changes include a shift from Read more

"Organic" Means Nothing When It Comes to Beauty


Updated 12/19/09 8:19 AM · Posted by BellaSugar · 7 comments

What Organic Beauty Terms Mean

Did you know that no government agency regulates use of the term "organic" when it comes to makeup and skin care? Yup, it's true. Although the USDA enforces a strict standard when it comes to food labeled as organic, the same isn't true for makeup and skin care, which are notoriously poorly regulated. So what does this mean for you? Well, mostly that if you pick up a product that says it's Read more

Do You Know How to Handle Meat Properly?


Updated 12/05/09 5:02 PM · Posted by FitSugar · 7 comments

Do You Know How to Handle Meat Properly?

I was alarmed to read the results of a Consumer Reports study that said two-thirds of store-bought chickens were contaminated with harmful bacteria. The study tested 382 birds from 100 stores from 22 states around the country. Tyson and Foster Farms chickens scored the poorest — salmonella was found in 80 percent of those samples, while air-chilled chickens fared the best, with only 40 percent Read more

Are Rejected Melons the Next Form of Renewable Energy?


Updated 08/27/09 2:00 PM · Posted by YumSugar · 0 comments

Study Finds Rejected Watermelons Could Be Source of Renewable Energy

A colossal food fight is one way to use up the season's supply of subpar produce. But scientists have discovered another: convert rejected fruits into biofuel. The study, conducted by USDA researchers and published in the journal Biotechnology For Biofuels, found that the 360,000 tons of fruit rejected by US retailers each year could be converted into roughly two million gallons of biofuel. Read more

Could America Be Facing a Sugar Shortage?


Updated 08/17/09 9:53 AM · Posted by YumSugar · 8 comments

Could America Be Facing a Sugar Shortage?

If you've got a sweet tooth, you may be forced to reckon with a bitter truth. In a letter sent to US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, several of the country's largest food companies, including General Mills, Kraft, Hershey, and Mars, said the United States could "virtually run out of sugar" if the government doesn't let up on sugar import limits. To keep prices within reason for domestic Read more