McDonald’s puts calories on menus
This week McDonald’s has become one of the first fast food restaurants to show the calories on its menu. Paul Gately, a professor of exercise and obesity, suggested it would help those who “were trying to make healthy choices”. Surely if you were trying to make healthy choices, McDonald’s wouldn’t be your first port of call at lunchtime, would it Paul?
Eat insects for cheap protein
Experts in Brussels have urged people to eat insects as a vital source of nutrition during a food shortage. The EC has put £2.6m into a project to get locusts and scorpions into our diet. Professor Marcel Dicke (really) told the Sunday Times that by 2020 there will be insects in supermarkets. I know Stefan Gates will be thrilled – will you?
No more gastropubs
The Good Food Guide has banned the use of the word ‘gastropub’ in its latest edition because it is “too commonly used”. Consultant for the guide Elizabeth Carter said that “customers are getting bored” of the term after too many chains jumping on the bandwagon. Granted it’s not a great word, but this seems rather brutal treatment of what can be a useful term.
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Other food news this week:
* Desire for healthier ice cream feeds gelato obsession.
* A third of EU eggs breaks rules.
* Attack of the takeaway.
* Richard Corrigan buys 30-acre estate in Ireland to grow produce for his restaurants.
* Scotland’s ‘larder’ makes £33m a day.
* Google buys Zagat.
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Piece of the week:
* A brilliant argument in favour of boxed wine, by Oliver Thring.
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Calling all Londoners!
* The talented and might I say rather lovely Rosie Hogg is running Saturday workshops at Books for Cooks. First one tomorrow.
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Calling all food writers!
* If you fancy making some films about food, have a look here.
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Calling all wannabe chefs!
Apply for the Cordon Bleu scholarship.
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Calling all philanthropists/celeb stalkers!
* A charity gives people the opportunity to meet their heroes one-to-one. Read more here.
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Video of the week:
* Is farming the way forward in a recession?