This week’s food news | 4th June 2010

Support for minimum alcohol price
A health watchdog has barked in favour of putting a minimum price per unit on alcohol. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) reckons 1 in 4 adults abuses alcohol. While there is little doubting that the UK has a drink problem, the Lib-Con coalition doesn’t support a minimum price. Would you drink less if alcohol was more expensive?

Food advertising criticised
Health experts have denounced prime time TV food advertising for being too fatty and sugary. It was estimated that following a diet based on these adverts would mean consuming 25 times more sugar and 20 times more fat than is healthy. My favourite of these adverts is the one for ‘Ristorante’ authentic Italian pizza. By Dr. Oetker. Yet to meet an Italian called Oetker but one day.

Up and at ’em? Don’t thank the coffee
Studies carried out at Bristol University reveal that caffeine doesn’t make you any more alert. Almost 400 people were given either a caffeine pill or a placebo before having their alertness levels measured (p’raps like this). It was found that those who had been given the caffeine pill were no more alert than those given a placebo.

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Other food news this week:
* Appalling, macho food-eating practices threaten to cross the Atlantic to the UK.
* A Mediterranean diet could prevent asthma, while eating too many burgers may increase the risk.
* Chinese restaurants top poll of least hygienic.
* Bilberries touted to help fight diabetes.
* Parents are reminded to avoid giving babies honey after 3 cases of botulism.

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Blog of the week
I was reminded of this gem of a humour blog by Ollie Thring. Emails From An Asshole is utter genius.

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Recipe of the week
A beautiful pistachio crusted fish from Trissalicious.

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Video of the week
Christopher Walken cooking. Sort of.

If you haven’t seen the video of the great Christopher Walken cooking you can watch it here.

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