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“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"
Hippocrates,the father of medicine
Live to Eat....
.... Eat to Live

Food: One of the basic physiological needs, as outlined according to Maslow's theory of needs, that have to be satisfied before higher needs like social needs and esteem can be recognised.

Today, food has taken on a new image. People no longer consume foods to fufil their basic physiological needs...

Welcome to the world of Food Fads! Yes, fads that not only happen on the catwalk platform of fashion capitals like Milan, Paris and New York but on the plate and shelves around us today!

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Monday, December 27, 2010

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Wednesday, December 15, 2010

FDA warns of cough drug effects on young children

The Food and Drug Administration warned consumers on Tuesday that the accidental ingestion of Tessalon liquid cough capsules pose a serious risk of side effects or death to children under 10 years old.

Tessalon is approved by the agency to treat cough symptoms in patients older than 10. But, the agency said, the capsules may attract children because of their candy-like appearance. Brand name Tessalon is sold by Forest Pharmaceuticals Inc., though the product has been on the market for decades and several generic companies make versions of the product, also known as Benzonatate.

"Benzonatate (Tessalon) should be kept in a child-resistant container and stored out of reach of children," said Carol Holquist, director of the FDA's division of medication error prevention and analysis, in a statement. "The FDA encourages health care professionals to talk with their patients and those caring for children about the risk of accidental ingestion or overdose."

The agency has identified seven cases of accidental ingestion between 1982 and 2010. Five of those cases resulted in death in children 2 years of age and younger.

Common side effects include heart attack, coma, and convulsion. Signs and symptoms can occur within 15 minutes of ingestion and some of the deaths reported in children occurred within hours of accidental ingestion.

Monday, December 13, 2010

‘Botanical’ drink from eel extracts


MELAKA: The word ‘eel’ elicits various reaction from many but quite a number also realise that this fish constitutes several delicacies particularly from the east coast and northern part of the peninsula.

Known to locals as ‘belut’ or ‘ikan linang’, the eel is a familiar part among the rice and soup dishes in Kelantan such as eel soup and eel tom yam rice apart from nasi kerabu eel.

These rice dishes are common within the town and district

of Tumpat in Kelantan.

In the northern states of the peninsula, it is common for cooks to use the flesh of eels as the main composition of the gravy for laksa (rice noodles).

The eel or Monopterus Albus is a long slimy fish that resembles the snakehead and has gills.

Despite the fact that many refrain from eating eels, it is also a known statement that this fish exhibits a number of ‘nourishments’.

It is believed that eels can improve the body’s resistance to diseases, stabilise the blood pressure, smoothens the skin, inhibits eye infection, improves memory and prevents hepatitis. The eel is also rich in fatty acids, calcium, vitamins and iron.

Many say that eating eels helps to have healthy kidneys, prevents asthma and palpitations, erectile dysfunction and hastens wound healing.

Rancak Niaga, a Bumiputera firm based in Melaka has introduced the botanical drink with eel extracts under the brand name ‘Hibaat’. There is also a lotion under the same brand.

It is the company’s initiative for those who shy away from consuming eels due to their slimy character.

Rancak Niaga marketing director A Razak Kamis said the two products have been in the market for two months and received warm response from the public.

He said the botany drink with eel extracts was specially formulated to enhance the ‘male strength’ and stamina apart from stabilising the blood pressure and easing joint pains.

Among the constituents of the drink are eel extracts, herbs such as Tribulus terrasteris, Ginkgo biloba, Guarana and other spices.

The company markets the drink in two forms — 390 ml bottles and boxes of five 30 ml sachets each.

A Razak said the eel extract lotion was specially formulated to enhance facial beauty and skin care.

The lotion is enriched with extracts from white rose and chamomile believed to be good for the skin.

He said initially the focus of the products is in Melaka before being expanded to other states next year.

“In the first phase, the company produces 5,000 units of each product and in January next year the figure will be scaled to 10,000 units for each product,” he told Bernama here.

“This is only until December. Our turnover target is RM200,000 but for next year we expect RM5 million,” he said adding that RM70,000 was used as the initial outlay for both products. — Bernama

A Razak said the firm plans to produce another two items — the eel botany extract drink for women and massage oil from eel extracts.

A Razak said the idea to produce both items came about after he met a friend by the name of Zulkifle Ahmad at a restaurant in Duyong near here.

They were enjoying eel soup then.

“I actually did not have a taste for eels but my friend has and at that moment it crossed my mind why not make drinks and massage oil from eels,” he said.

He said the eel extracts were processed at a mill in Negeri Sembilan.

A Razak said the firm sourced the eels from local suppliers.

It plans to breed eels commercially in the future. — Bernama

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

North Korea 'creates super drink'

North Korea has claimed it has developed a "super drink" that can multiply brain cells and stop skin ageing.


The anti-oxidation drink contains 60 kinds of "microelements" extracted from more than 30 species of plants, according to the communist state's official news agency KCNA.

"It, with effects of both preventive and curative treatment, helps improve mental and retentive faculties by multiplying brain cells," KCNA said.

The drink can also protect skin from wrinkles and black spots, and prevent common conditions such as heart disease by removing "acid effete matters", it said.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Man charged with eat and run at top restaurants

LONDON - An unemployed man has been charged with wining and dining at a series of London's top restaurants, running up massive bills and then disappearing without paying, police said on Wednesday.

Latvian Janis Nords, 27, is accused of carrying out the scam on three occasions between October 14 and November 15.

He is accused of running off after amassing a 349-pound bill at the Glass House restaurant in Richmond, southwest London, and a 965-pound bill at the Connaught Hotel in central London.

The largest unpaid bill was at L'Oranger French restaurant in central London where he is accused of failing to pay for 1,021 pounds worth of food and drink.

Nords was due to appear in court later on Wednesday.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

China milk campaigner 'forced to sack lawyers'

HONG KONG (AFP) - – A Chinese father jailed for "inciting social disorder" after campaigning for victims of melamine-tainted milk may have been forced to sack his lawyers, a rights group said Monday.

Zhao Lianhai, whose child was one of 300,000 sickened in the scandal in 2008, when six died, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison earlier this month.

The China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, a Hong Kong-based organisation, said his two lawyers had tried to visit him at the Daxing detention centre, near Beijing, on Monday, but were not allowed to meet him.

In a statement the CHRLCG said his pair "suddenly received a note, with Zhao's signature and fingerprint, indicating to dismiss them as his lawyers" from the chief of the detention centre.

Pointing out that Zhao had stated his intention to appeal and Monday was the last day for him to do so, the CHRLCG said it was "strange" for him to sack the lawyers at that point and the note "might not represent Zhao's own wish".

"It was suspected that the Chinese government has been aggressively applying every measure to stop Zhao from lodging an appeal," the group said, adding that the move was "seriously violating the two lawyers' right to represent their client.

"We are very concerned whether Zhao has been coerced and faced any torture in the detention centre," it said, adding that Zhao's wife had given them a similar note.

The development came as state media said that authorities in central China were searching for a batch of dairy products containing high levels of melamine, the chemical involved in the scandal.

The government in Hubei province's Xiangfan city has asked all local businesses to look for 50 packages of a corn-flavoured dairy drink, the official China Daily newspaper reported.

Tests showed the melamine levels in the drinks were high, suggesting that the chemical -- which is normally used in making plastics -- was deliberately added during the production process, the report said.

It was not clear how many individual drinks were in one package.

The report said the company that made the drinks being sought in Hubei had bought milk powder as a raw material from a supplier in another province without knowing it was tainted with melamine.

China's dairy industry was rocked in 2008 by revelations that melamine was added to powdered milk to make it appear higher in protein content, sickening babies and causing worldwide recalls of products containing Chinese dairy ingredients.

The government said at the time it had destroyed all tainted milk powder and gave the all-clear, but reports of melamine-laced products have regularly re-emerged since then.

In July, authorities in China said they found 25,000 tonnes of milk powder tainted with melamine earlier this year.

The human rights group Amnesty International has condemned Zhao's conviction and imprisonment, saying it was "appalled".

Sunday, November 21, 2010

High-caffeine energy drinks linked to alcohol abuse: study

WASHINGTON (AFP) - – Regularly consuming high-caffeine energy drinks significantly increases the risk of becoming alcohol-dependent and engaging in bouts of heavy drinking, a study published Tuesday found.

The study of more than 1,000 students at a US university found that those who consumed the caffeinated drinks on a weekly or daily basis drank alcohol more often and in greater quantities, and were more likely to become alcohol dependent than students who used energy drinks occasionally or not at all.

High consumers of energy drinks also had greater risk for alcohol-related problems such as blackouts or missing class because they were hung over, and were more susceptible to self-injury than non- or light users of energy drinks, said the study led by University of Maryland researcher Amelia Arria.

The study, which was released online ahead of publication next year in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, adds to earlier research that found links between heavy energy drink consumption and substance abuse and high-risk behavior.

The energy drinks, including Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar, deliver the equivalent caffeine dose of a cup and a half of brewed coffee but do not have to disclose their caffeine content on their label, which could lead to consumers of the drinks taking in more caffeine than they realize.

The researchers also noted that youngsters are tending more and more to mix energy drinks with alcohol, thinking that the caffeine, which keeps them awake, is counteracting the effects of the alcohol.

"They're under the misguided notion that they're not impaired when they are just as impaired as a person with the same blood-alcohol concentration. It's their subjective perception of drunkenness that is impaired," Arria told AFP.

Arria and her co-authors on the study called for greater regulation of caffeine-containing beverages to safeguard public health, and for consumers to be more aware of the dangers of the drinks.

"These drinks are distributed widely and the consequences of using them cost everyone, economically and socially. This doesn't affect a minority -- these things are pretty popular," Arria told AFP.

Nearly two thirds of the more than 1,000 students interviewed for the study used energy drinks at some time in the past year, and 10 percent consumed them on a weekly or daily basis.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Italian giant truffle sold for 105,000 euros


ALBA, Italy (AFP) – A giant white truffle was sold off on Sunday to a Hong Kong buyer for 105,000 euros (144,000 dollars) at a lavish auction near the town of Alba in northern Italy, organisers said.

The truffle weighed 900 grammes and the auction was held at the medieval Castello di Grinzane in a part of Italy famous for its wine and truffles.

The price per gramme for the truffle was therefore 117 euros -- lower than the rate of 133 euros per gramme paid at the same auction last year.

Last year's truffle also went to a buyer from Hong Kong.

Proceeds from the auction will go to scholarships for Italian students, a children's charity in Hong Kong and local charities in Alba.

"Truffle allows gourmets and gourmands from around the world to meet up in this corner of the Piemonte region to give life to an event with a big following," said Tomaso Zanoletti, a senator and one of the organisers.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Supermarket blasted for selling reindeer meat in UK

LONDON (AFP) - – A supermarket chain was under fire on Monday for selling reindeer meat in its British stores in the run-up to Christmas.

German discount chain Lidl is selling frozen Siberian reindeer leg steaks at six pounds (9.60 dollars, seven euros) for a 350-gramme pack as part of its deluxe range.

Reindeer are traditionally associated with the festive season -- the story going that Father Christmas travels around the world delivering presents on a sleigh pulled by a team of flying reindeer.

Animal rights campaigners blasted Lidl, which defended its decision to sell the unusual meat by saying the reindeer had been well treated.

"Lidl is destroying the magic of Christmas by selling dead reindeer," said Justin Kerswell, the campaigns manager for Vegetarians International Voice for Animals.

"What they term 'luxury cuisine' belies the truth behind an industry that exists to exploit wild animals," he told trade magazine The Grocer.

Siberian reindeer were often herded by snowmobiles and in some cases by helicopters and motorbikes, Kerswell said.

"This and lassoing them cause huge stress. They can become so distraught their muscle can waste away."

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said: "The idea of 'Rudolph' being slaughtered and sliced into steaks for a novelty Christmas dinner is revolting.

"Christmas is supposed to remind us of peace and goodwill -- and the rest of the animal kingdom could do with a taste of it, rather than being tasted."

Lidl, which has more than 530 stores in Britain, said the reindeer were fed on "local aromatic herbs and grass.

"They live in their natural habitat and have plenty of space to move around," a spokeswoman said.

The supermarket is also selling pheasant, venison and springbok in the Christmas build-up.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Non-stick cookware may boost cholesterol: study

WASHINGTON (AFP) - – Exposure to chemicals used to make non-stick cookware and which are found in microwave popcorn may raise blood cholesterol levels in children, a study says.

Researchers led by Stephanie Frisbee of West Virginia University School of Medicine assessed blood lipid levels in 12,476 children and teens aged one to 18 years for the study published in Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, a journal of the American Medical Association.

The children who took part in the study were part of a health project that began after a lawsuit was settled in 2002 after perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was found in the water supply in the mid-Ohio River Valley.

To be part of the project, children had to have been exposed for at least a year to the contaminated drinking water.

For the study, believed to be the first to look at the link between perfluoroalkyl acids and serum lipids in youngsters, blood samples were taken from the children and teens in 2005 and 2006.

The average PFOA concentration in their blood was found to be 69.2 ng/mL and the average perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) concentration was 22.7 ng/mL -- both much higher than the national median.

PFOA and PFOS are part of the family of manmade compounds called perfluoroalkyl acids, which humans are exposed to through everything from dust to food packaging to microwave popcorn and non-stick pots and pans.

Among 12- to 19-year-old study participants who had drunk water from the contaminated supply for at least a year, PFOA concentrations were found to be substantially higher than those found nationally in kids -- 29.3 ng/mL for the study group and 3.9 ng/mL for the others.

Kids with higher PFOA levels had higher total cholesterol -- the most common measurement of blood cholesterol -- as well as increased levels of LDL or "bad" cholesterol.

Higher levels of PFOS, meanwhile, were associated with increased total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL, or "good," cholesterol.

"PFOA and PFOS specifically, and possibly perfluoroalkyl acids as a general class, appear to be associated with serum lipids, and the association seems to exist at levels of PFOA and PFOS exposure that are in the range characterized by nationally representative studies," the authors of the study said.

High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming more than 600,000 lives a year, and stroke is the third-biggest, killing 136,000 people a year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Total cholesterol levels should be less than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), according to the American Heart Association.

The study found an average difference of 8.5 mg/dL in total cholesterol levels between the one-fifth of participants with the highest and the fifth with the lowest PFOS levels.

Up to now, few studies have been conducted into the effects of long-term exposure to perfluoroalkyl acids and how they might affect health and development in humans, and the authors of the study called for more research into exposure to the family of chemicals.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Controversy over meal packs for YOG volunteers


By Republic Polytechnic’s Fann Sim
Local internet forums are buzzing over the sub-standard food being served to the volunteers at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG).

The issue surfaced after a volunteer snapped a photo of the meal and uploaded it onto his Facebook page.

According to the volunteer, a typical lunchbox consists of a piece of meat (fried chicken in this case), long beans, corn and white rice. Debate has raged on since the photo was posted on Tuesday.

Netizen Chris Liew, 33, an investment banker said, “Even if the meal was an isolated incident, such a logistics oversight of providing sub-standard meals to our volunteers should have been avoided at all costs.”

Another full-time NS man Leslie Wong, 20, who was stationed at the Marina Bay floating platform, was quoted on The Straits Times as saying, “One of the meals was a dry, tasteless piece of chicken with a few slices of carrot and soggy rice. I ended up throwing most of it away.”

Online socio-political website The Temasek Review even had an anonymous volunteer comparing the bland meals to “dog food”.

Food for the volunteers is provided by Singapore Food Industries (SFI), a subsidiary of the Singapore Airport Terminal Services (Sats). Sats has confirmed that the meal in the picture above was indeed part of a meal that was provided to the YOG volunteers.

“We have received feedback from the workforce regarding the meals served. We take their feedback very seriously and have promptly taken action to improve and ensure that the portions and variety served will provide the workforce with a balanced meal,” said the Sats spokesperson.

YOG’s organising committee have also been quick to respond: “We are aware of the feedback (on the meal) and have taken immediate action. We will work with the caterers to continually improve the meal standards.”

YOG volunteers Yahoo! Singapore spoke to had a mixed experience.

20-year-old Audrey Ng, a volunteer at the National Sailing Centre had a better dining experience.

Ms Ng said volunteers there are given meal coupons they can redeem at various food vendors.

When asked if she’s been given lunch like the one pictured above, she said ‘no’.
“The food at the other venues seems lousy. Ours is not that bad and we have free flow of drinks here. I’ve heard from my friend that the food provided was quite bad on the first day of rehearsal but it’s getting better,’’ said Ms Ng.

But 21-year-old Md Raziman Sani, a full-time NS man activated to volunteer at the YOG floating platform, agreed that the food he’s being served is similar to the lunchbox pictured above.

“Our meal consists of rice that’s cold, vegetables and a meat usually chicken or fish. It’s nice and generally enough to fill us,” he said.

For dinner, volunteers are given free drinks such as a can of Coca-Cola, green tea or ice lemon tea. On top of that, they get a packet of wet wipes and dry tissue and once a week, they get ice cream.

“We also got vouchers from McDonald’s and some Old Chang Kee vouchers,” said Raziman.

Monday, August 9, 2010

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Friday, July 16, 2010

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Sushi-hungry Japan sells monster tuna

TOKYO (AFP) - – A monster tuna caught off Japan turned heads at a Tokyo fish market Friday, where the 445 kilogram (981 pound) bluefin -- the biggest caught here since 1986 -- sold for 3.2 million yen (36,700 dollars).

"Many of the people who work at the market have never seen a tuna that big," said an official of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which runs the Tsukiji fish market, the world's biggest seafood market.

The fish, which was auctioned at 7,200 yen per kilogram, had already been gutted and cleaned of its gills, meaning it must have weighed more when it was caught off Nagasaki prefecture this week, the official said.

"It is extremely rare to see a tuna heavier than 400 kilograms," he said.

The biggest Japanese tuna sold at Tsukiji was a 496-kilogram beast caught in April 1986 -- but the biggest tuna from the world's oceans to be sold here was a Canadian fish caught in 1995 weighing 497 kilograms.

Decades of overfishing have seen global tuna stocks crash, pushing some Western nations to call for a trade ban on endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna.

Japan consumes three-quarters of the global bluefin catch, a highly prized sushi ingredient, known in Japan as "kuro maguro" (black tuna) and dubbed by sushi connoisseurs as the "black diamond" because of its scarcity.

A piece of "otoro" or fatty underbelly can cost 2,000 yen (22 dollars) at high-end Tokyo restaurants.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Giant burgers cause jaw injuries in Taiwan


TAIPEI (AFP) – Taiwanese dentists have urged fast food chains to drop over-sized hamburgers from their menus following a growing number of jaw injury cases, a report said Thursday.
Patients have developed sore jaws or had difficulties opening their mouths after consuming giant burgers, the China Post quoted professor Hsu Ming-lung of the School of Dentistry at National Yang-Ming University as saying.

Problems can arise when fast-food fans tuck into hamburgers larger than eight centimetres (three inches) high, Hsu said according to the paper.

A human mouth is designed to gape over objects measuring up to four centimetres, and overextending can hurt the joint between the jawbone and the temporal bone in front of the ears, Hsu said.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

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Saturday, June 19, 2010

Suppressing your appetite


Do you always seem to be enticed by rich and sinful food?

Instead of taking what most people would recommend to curb your waist line like fat burners and other weight loss pills that make you lose weight by losing water from your body.

Why not try appetite suppressants?

These genre of weight loss aids are often overlooked aspect of weight loss, as they are usually overshadowed by such parts as exercise and fad diets. But you might be suprised to know that appetite suppression is an indeed effective approach to losing weight, as long as one uses the proper supplements combined with an ideal diet and excercise.
UniqueHoodia hoodia weight loss pills are one such supplement. Made of nothing less than the finest quality pure hoodia gordonii powder, carefully formulated for maximum potency with each dose!

Aussie man jailed for blowing bubble in court

SYDNEY (AFP) - – An Australian man was jailed for 30 days for blowing a bubble in court, reports said Friday.

Mirza Zukanovic, 20, was up an assault-related charge when he blew his gum into a bubble and popped it as he looked at magistrate Rodney Crisp, News Limited newspapers said.

Instead of demanding an apology or fine, an incensed Crisp issued a jail term and sent Zukanovic down to the cells for scandalising the court and challenging its authority.

He was later freed by Melbourne's Supreme Court pending an appeal against the sentence, which his lawyer described as too harsh.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Cafe claims world's biggest burger

SYDNEY patty that took 12 hours to cook and four men to flip.

The monster burger cooked up by Sydney cafe owners, Joe and Iman El-Ajouz, weighed in at 90 kg in total, eclipsing the previous record of 84 kg, set in Michigan in the United States.

"Just flipping the patty was the main challenge for us, but it all went well," Iman El-Ajouz told Reuters.

"My husband had to prepare special metal holders and a metal plate, he had one at the bottom one at the top, locked them together and they flipped the burger with that," she added.

The giant burger contained the giant beef patty, 120 eggs, 150 slices of cheese, 1.5 kg of beetroot, 2.5 kg of tomatoes and almost 2 kg of lettuce all topped off with a special sauce on a giant sesame seed bun. It was eaten by employees at the cafe.

The variety of burger will be on the menu at the cafe for the next year in order to meet the conditions for a Guinness world record, but will set hungry patrons back around A$1,500 .

Monday, June 14, 2010

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Wednesday, June 9, 2010

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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Cafeteria next to S'pore Pavilion offers local food at Shanghai Expo

SINGAPORE : A cafeteria has been set up next to the Singapore Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo to highlight the republic's unique food.

On offer are local delights like Hainanese chicken rice and laksa.

But the dishes are a little more expensive because the ingredients cost more than in Singapore.

The owner said her chefs, half of whom are from Singapore, work 12-hour shifts to ensure the food sold is fresh.

She expects to sell more than a thousand meals a day, with laksa forming the majority

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Recall raises questions about promotional glasses

MILLVILLE, N.J. (AP) -- A recall of 12 million cadmium-tainted "Shrek" drinking glasses sold by McDonald's raises questions about the safety of millions of similar cheap promotional products that have been sitting in Americans' kitchen cabinets for years.

Only glasses produced for the latest "Shrek" movie are included in the voluntary recall announced Friday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, but they were made by a company that McDonald's has worked with for 15 years. And many other companies make similar glassware with cartoon characters or other designs baked in.

"It could have been any glass company," said Ron Biagi, an executive with Arc International, which made the glasses. "We all do the same thing using materials from the same suppliers."

McDonald's said the U.S.-made glasses met federal guidelines for cadmium under testing conducted by a CPSC-approved lab. CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson, however, said the glasses fall short of standards for the toxic metal that the agency is in the process of developing.

The CPSC warned consumers to immediately stop using the glasses McDonald's sold as part of a promotional campaign for the movie "Shrek Forever After." The fast-food giant said it issued the recall "in an abundance of caution" and "in light of CPSC's evolving assessment of standards for consumer products."

"We believe the Shrek glassware is safe for consumer use," McDonald's USA spokesman Bill Whitman said. "However, again to ensure that our customers receive safe products from us, we made the decision to stop selling them and voluntarily recall these products effective immediately."

On its website, McDonald's said customers can learn how to return the glasses and request a refund by visiting http://www.mcdonalds.com/glasses or calling McDonald's toll-free number, 1-800-244-6227. It also said previous promotional gimmicks and Happy Meal toys are not involved in the recall.

Cadmium is a carcinogen that research shows also can cause bone softening and severe kidney problems. Research also suggests that it can, like lead, hinder brain development in the very young. The CPSC said in its recall notice that long-term exposure to the element "can cause adverse health effects."

In the case of the Shrek-themed glassware, the potential danger would be long-term exposure to low levels of cadmium, which could leach onto a child's hand and enter the body if the child puts that unwashed hand to his or her mouth.

Michael Wilcox is among those concerned about the recalled glasses and similar items in their homes. The Winston-Salem, N.C., man said his wife collects the glasses and bought the last three Thursday night to complete the set.

"Obviously, if there's a carcinogen involved, I'm wondering, too, if the ones we've been using for the past three years, if we've got the same problem going on, if we've been exposed to something," Wilcox said.

He said the recall also makes him "a little more curious" about other McDonald's items such as the toys in Happy Meals. "I don't know what's going on with some of this stuff," he said.

Concerns about cadmium exposure emerged in January, when The Associated Press reported that some items of children's jewelry sold at major national chains contained up to 91 percent of the metal. Federal regulators have recalled many pieces of jewelry containing cadmium, concerned that kids could ingest it by biting, sucking or even swallowing contaminated pendants and bracelets.

All the recalled jewelry was made in China. The drinking glasses are the first American-made products to be recalled.

Wolfson said the recalled glasses have "far less cadmium" than the recalled jewelry. He would not say how much cadmium leached from the glasses in tests, only that it was "slightly above the protective level currently being developed by the agency."

Arc is a French company with a plant in New Jersey; its origins as a glassmaker date to 1825. The company said that it has been making glasses for McDonald's for 15 years and that levels of cadmium used in the enamel baked into the glass were within current federal safety guidelines.

Biagi, Arc's vice president of North American sales, said the company was surprised and confused when it got word of the recall Thursday night.

"Our feeling is these glasses are safe," Biagi said.

Biagi said the images on the glasses were made with enamel baked into them rather than paint, a common process. He did not identify Arc's suppliers.

The 16-ounce glasses were sold for about $2 and were available in four designs depicting the characters Shrek, Princess Fiona, Puss in Boots and Donkey. "Shrek Forever After," the latest installment of the successful DreamWorks Animation franchise, has been No. 1 at the box office since its May 21 release.

Cadmium can be used to create reds and yellows on glassware. Whitman, the McDonald's spokesman, said a pigment on the glasses contained cadmium.

"A very small amount of cadmium can come to the surface of the glass, and in order to be as protective as possible of children, CPSC and McDonald's worked together on this recall," said Wolfson, the CPSC spokesman.

Whitman said about 7 million of the glasses had been sold since the promotion began May 21, and another 5 million or so were in restaurants or had not yet been shipped.

Associated Press reporters tried unsuccessfully to buy the glasses late Thursday at McDonald's in New York, Los Angeles and northern New Jersey but were alternately told the merchandise was sold out, no longer available or "there'll be more tomorrow."

Federal scrutiny of the glasses began last week. The Washington office of U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, a California Democrat who has proposed strictly limiting cadmium in jewelry, received what a spokesman described as an anonymous tip that the glasses contained cadmium.

Speier's office said the tipster tested the glasses with an X-ray gun that estimates how much cadmium an item contains. Speier's office requested samples of the glasses from the tipster, and upon receiving them May 27 sent them to the CPSC for further investigation.

"Our children's health should not depend on the consciences of anonymous sources," Speier said in a statement Friday. "Although McDonald's did the right thing by recalling these products, we need stronger testing standards to ensure that all children's products are proven safe before they hit the shelves."

The Associated Press National Investigative Team can be reached at investigate(at)ap.org. Justin Pritchard reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press Writer Jamey Keaten in Paris contributed to this report.A "Shrek"-themed glass distributed in McDonald's Happy Meals featuring the character, Donkey, is displayed at Cindy Matta's home on Friday, June 4, 2010, in West Hollywood, Calif. Cadmium has been discovered in the painted design on "Shrek"-themed drinking glasses being sold nationwide at McDonald's, forcing the burger giant to recall 12 million of the cheap U.S.-made collectibles while dramatically expanding contamination concerns about the toxic metal beyond imported children's jewelry.(AP Photo/Adam Lau)

Friday, June 4, 2010

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Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Recall of specialty coffee in 100g glass jar


From AVA:
20 May 10: Nestle Singapore Pte Ltd has notified the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) of the voluntary recall of Alta Rica, Alta Rica Decaff, Cap Colombie, Suraya, Espresso soluble coffee range speciality variety of Nescafe manufactured in the United Kingdom. The products are contained in a specific type of 100g glass jar with distinctive plastic sleeve. Some of these jars may be susceptible to breakage during delivery process to the customers and subsequently may contain small pieces of glass.

Following this notification, AVA has directed the importers and retailers to recall the affected product from the market immediately.

AVA advises consumers who have bought the implicated products to return them to the retail outlets.

AVA will monitor the situation to ensure that the affected products are not available for sale in the market.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Cool Dry Food Dispenser

Is your kitchen always in a mess full of opened cornflakes, candies and other stuffs like rice, cereal and beans??

Fret not, as this retro looking dry food dispenser will come to your rescue!

Designed with a capacity of 1 gallon per canister, this handy food dispenser dispenses approximately 1 ounce with one quick twist, and it is airtight to preserve freshness of your foods!

Great for weight watchers!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Pork test to bust cheats

Reuters - Tuesday, May 4

ALMATY - Scientists in mainly Muslim Kazakhstan have come up with an instant test for the presence of pork in food, a popular newspaper reported on Monday.

The plastic-stick test detects food molecules that are found only in pork, which is forbidden by Islam but is easily found in the Central Asian state, Megapolis weekly said.

"It's no secret that some chefs cheat and add pork to beef to make the dish cheaper," the newspaper wrote on Monday, saying the practice was widespread in Kazakhstan.

"When you get your beef patty, cut off a couple of small pieces and drop them in a glass of water. Stir, shake, put the test stick in ... In a minute or two you will see the result."

Megapolis said it was unclear when the test, in which the stick changes color as in a pregnancy test, would become widely available.

Friday, April 30, 2010

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Sunday, February 14, 2010

Fish floss recalled

Fragrance Foodstuff has taken steps to recall some packets of expired fish floss after these were mistakenly delivered to customers.

Part-time workers at Fragrance's factory in Woodlands East Industrial Estate had unintentionally packed the fish floss, which expired on 31 Dec last year, for delivery.

A spokesman for Fragrance, known for its barbecued meat (bak kwa), told The New Paper: "Fragrance has carried out a thorough investigation and found that the expired fish floss was set aside for disposal in our head office in Woodlands."

"These were placed in a box and part-timers made a mistake of packing the goods for delivery."

She could not give numbers but said at least 12 packets were delivered to customers.

She added: "At the present moment, affected customers are being contacted and we're allowing them to exchange the packets of expired fish floss for new ones."

Friday, January 8, 2010

Recall of Bonsoy Soy Milk in Singapore

From: AVA

The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has issued an alert on the recall of a soy milk product, Bonsoy Soy Milk (1 Litre). This is due to the presence of unusually high levels of iodine in this product.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has conducted tests on the Bonsoy soy milk products that have been imported into Singapore and confirmed similarly high levels of iodine in these products. AVA has therefore required the importer and retailers to recall the implicated product from the market.



Excessive consumption of high levels of iodine may affect the thyroid gland, leading to thyroid disorders. It is strongly advised that individuals who have consumed the above product and feel unwell should seek medical attention immediately. All pregnant women who have consumed BonSoy Soy Milk should inform their obstetrician so that the appropriate tests can be conducted for their babies at birth.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Make up for food

Ever wondered why food seen on TV appears to be much more appetizing compared to what you see in real life?

Here's why:



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SG Food Fads focuses on current food trends and interesting food products available on the market. While reimbursements received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog, the owner of this blog provide straightforward and honest opinions on products, services, websites and various other topics. Such content may not always be identified.