My entire life, the ketchup packet has remained a constant. Its saw-tooth edge and slightly bulbous form, enclosing not nearly enough ketchup, is something that, like a grand oak of food package design, you expected never to change. Well, my friends, Heinz has taken the extraordinary step of replacing a product everyone has been satisfied [...]

1 in 8 American’s use food banks
One in eight Americans — 37 million — received emergency food help last year, up 46% from 2005, the nation’s largest hunger-relief group reports today.
 

Blueberries
Superfoods such as broccoli, lentils and blueberries could be harmful if consumed in large quantities, according research into the impact of the antioxidants they contain. Scientists have found that too much of the superfoods could mean an imbalance between the number of antioxidants – which slow damage to muscles and cut the risk of heart [...]

Potechi Hand
Chomping chips at the comp again? Crumbs are the least of your worries, the oily residue that coats the keys can cause you to, er, slip up while typing up your work.  (Video and pics)
 

Hotlix insect candy
Even the sweetest tooth might find these confections easy to resist.  From worm lollipops to chocolate-dipped scorpions these bizarre concoctions could be from the dark mind of a twisted Willy Wonka. (Pics)
 

Mandometer
Dieters are used to measuring and even weighing their portions, but a new portable, computer-linked, electronic plate scale takes food intake monitoring to a whole new level.
 

Elixir of Youth
Fish oil may really be an “elixir of youth” because of its effects on our biological ageing, according to a new study.  Fatty acids found in fish such as salmon, mackerel or sardines have long been known to protect against conditions like heart disease.
 

Aphrodisiacs – What’s in your wallet?

Humans have had a long-running affair with foods believed to entice or enhance sexual performance, and it’s led to a host of recipes for stirring up some mojo. Some of these concoctions are based on science, some are based on folklore, and some are just based on last-ditch efforts [...]

Call it pork in a petri dish — a technique to turn pig stem cells into strips of meat that scientists say could one day offer a green alternative to raising livestock, help alleviate world hunger, and save some pigs their bacon.
 

Yummy?

Years ago, chef Dave Arnold expressed a desire for a substance that had the consistency, texture, and applicability of chocolate, but wasn’t chocolate. He wanted to be able to coat food in ketchup as one coats, for example, cherries in chocolate. After some experimentation, he was successful. Here’s his recipe… (Pics)

The strawberry shake improves short-term memory in those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s
A memory-boosting milkshake for Alzheimer patients could be available within two years.  Tests show that taken once a day with breakfast, the strawberry shake significantly improves short-term memory in those in the early stages of the devastating disease.
 

Scientists have found that a chemical in pork products and eggs can help the growing brain to develop.  A new study suggests that the micronutrient, called choline, is critical to helping babies in the womb develop parts of their brains linked to memory and recall.
 

Chocolate weapons
I learned of Chocolate Ammo today through an ad in a relative’s copy of the NRA magazine American Rifleman. Talk about target marketing. (sorry!) From the Chocolate Weapons site:
 

Chili widens the arteries, producing a warming sensation
If the freezing temperatures are leaving you with painfully sore fingers and toes, some circulation-boosting herbs might be just what you need. Medically proven to enhance blood flow, they will help to keep warm blood pumping to where you need it that much longer.
 

If you don’t celebrate Christmas because you belong to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, there’s no reason you can’t still enjoy delicious goodies this holiday season. Here’s instructions on how to make your own edible spaghetti monster, complete with edible googly eyes…

Design-aerobics participant, Othmar Muhlebach recently won second prize at the Berner Design Award ’09 with his toaster design ‘printing your toast’.
 

Balls of Culinary Bliss

He is a former builder who once made a living fitting kitchens. Now Dominique Pierru is being hailed as a gastronomic genius after creating a delicacy likely to mark the history of Gallic cuisine — snail caviar.
France may be the land of l’escargot but never before had anyone come up with a [...]

It’s tasty and crunchy. It’s spider pizza. It’s real and you can order this dish at a pizzeria in Okinawa, Japan. The pizza is created under the direction of Takao Matsuba of the Insect Cuisine Eating Association.

The sweetener fructose, a cheap sugar substitute found in thousands of processed foods and soft drinks, may be increasing childhood diabetes and the obesity crisis, new findings suggest.
 

Studies show that growing up in a home without adequate food can damage children in many ways. Even if they are not hungry themselves, babies and toddlers in households with slight food shortages are more likely to be hospitalized, at risk for developmental delays and to be raised by mothers who are depressed. While not [...]

Fun with food!

Somen is a refreshing Japanese wheat noodle, traditionally eaten in the summer to cool off from the Japan’s humid summers. They’re most famous for being eaten as “nagashimen,” noodles flying down a bamboo pipe as would-be eaters try to catch them with their chopsticks. It’s a ton of fun, but feeling sorry for [...]

Does this count as 1 or 32?

The Czech government has revised and liberalized the criteria for what constitutes “small amounts” of recreational drugs for personal use.
The Czech government today approved the list of hallucinogenic plants and mushrooms, including hemp, coca, mescaline cactus and magic mushrooms, and decided that people would be allowed to grow up [...]

Farmers select garlic for packaging
Shao Mingqing was a jobless young man from Shandong province with only a junior high school diploma when his luck turned around a few months ago with the skyrocketing price of garlic.  The 22-year-old Shao now drives an 180,000-yuan Toyota he bought with the money he made on the garlic market.
 

Italian White Alba Truffle
If you’re looking to expand your horizons into the world of excess culinary expense, then you could do worse than starting with a few items on this list of the most outlandish, outrageous and, above all, the most expensive foods in the world.
Pictured above is the Italian White Alba Truffle which is [...]

Future agribusiness professionals will be some of the most
highly skilled people on earth, and the envy of the executive class
Tomorrow’s farm technology will make today’s look as outdated as steam-powered traction engines seem today. The stage is being set for an unprecedented new generation of farming driven by ever-greater levels of precision, relevancy and control. Many [...]