Food : NPR

February 28, 2013 • Poutine, at its simplest, is french fries, cheese curds and gravy. In Chicago, 11 restaurants recently pitted their own variations on the Canadian late-night dish against one another.

China's Horses May End Up In Russia's Kabobs

The great horse meat scandal infographic. via The Australian Institute of Food Safety hide caption

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via The Australian Institute of Food Safety

China's Horses May End Up In Russia's Kabobs

February 28, 2013 • The horse meat scandal might be playing out in Europe, but China is the biggest producer in the global market for horseflesh, a new infographic reveals.

Ag Department Warns Budget Cuts Will Affect Food Inspectors

KCUR 89.3

February 28, 2013 • The secretary of Agriculture says if the sequester cuts go into effect, he'll have to furlough food safety inspectors. What would that mean for food companies and consumers?

Paul Sakuma/AP

Video: Machine Unlocks The 'Physics' Of Separating Oreos

February 27, 2013 • Ad man David Neevel's quest to rid himself of his unwanted crème drives him to create a robotic Oreo separator machine, in this charming satirical video in celebration of the snack cookie.

Budweiser May Seem Watery, But It Tests At Full Strength, Lab Says

Plaintiffs accuse Anheuser-Busch of misleading consumers about the alcohol content in Bud Light, Budweiser and other products. The brewer denies the claims. Gary C. Caskey/UPI/Landov hide caption

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Gary C. Caskey/UPI/Landov

The Salt

Budweiser May Seem Watery, But It Tests At Full Strength, Lab Says

February 27, 2013 • Class-action lawsuits accuse Anheuser-Busch of watering down Budweiser and other beers and then misleading consumers about their alcohol content. The company denies the claims; in tests commissioned by NPR, samples of Budweiser were found to be in line with their advertised alcohol content.

Do Parents Really Know What Their Kids Are Eating?

Donta Jackson's snack of choice is a bag of Skittles. Brett Myers/Youth Radio hide caption

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Brett Myers/Youth Radio

The Salt

Do Parents Really Know What Their Kids Are Eating?

YR Media

February 27, 2013 • Most parents think that their kids eat healthfully. But in reality, they may not know much about their kids' eating habits, especially as their children get older. Many kids don't talk to their parents about what they eat, and sneak unhealthy snacks after school.

Kate Myers/NPR

On The Run: How Families Struggle To Eat Well And Exercise

Dinnertime Confessional

February 27, 2013 • People across the country — and around the world — have been sharing their dinnertime tips and travails. See what everyone's eating, and share your own meal, in our Dinnertime Confessional photo blog.

Germans Are Drinking Less Beer These Days, But Why?

A waiter carries beer mugs during the 2012 Oktoberfest in Munich. Johannes Simon/Getty Images hide caption

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Johannes Simon/Getty Images

The Salt

Germans Are Drinking Less Beer These Days, But Why?

February 27, 2013 • Despite Germany's long association with beer, it looks like its citizens are imbibing less of their celebrated beverage now than they did a generation ago. Some cite the economy as a factor; others, the rise of health consciousness.

Cheesecake Factory, IBM Team Up To Crack The Code Of Customer Bliss

A new outpost for The Cheesecake Factory in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. PR Newswire hide caption

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PR Newswire

The Salt

Cheesecake Factory, IBM Team Up To Crack The Code Of Customer Bliss

February 27, 2013 • The restaurant chain hopes a new system for analyzing big data sets will help it spot patterns of complaints across its more than 170 outlets in a matter of hours, not weeks. The goal: to spot problems small and big (soggy pickles? foodborne illness?) before they balloon.

T. Susan Chang for NPR

Opinion

Kitchen Window

In Praise Of The Humble Lentil

February 27, 2013 • Like many other intrinsically boring foods — say, tofu or grits — lentils shine because they get out of the way. They provide a vehicle and a backdrop for other flavors — whether it's good olive oil and gently gilded onions, or ground spices and lemony pesto.

Family Dinner: Treasured Tradition Or Bygone Ideal?

From left: 8-year-old Celedonia, 3-year-old Gavin, Amy Spencer and Doug Brown gather around the kitchen as Doug prepares a fruit salad for dinner. Maggie Starbard/NPR hide caption

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Maggie Starbard/NPR

The Salt

Family Dinner: Treasured Tradition Or Bygone Ideal?

February 26, 2013 • We'd all like to live the Norman Rockwell scenario, but for some families, the hectic pace of modern life means dinners are often more likely to channel The Simpsons. Studies suggest that regular family meals contribute to healthy eating habits. So what to make of this tradition in transition?

Pastagate: Quebec Agency Criticized For Targeting Foreign Words On Menus

In Quebec, a restaurant's use of the word "pasta" on its menu sparked a government agency into action. Officials who enforce rules that guard French as the official language now say "exotic" words can be allowed in some cases. Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images hide caption

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Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Pastagate: Quebec Agency Criticized For Targeting Foreign Words On Menus

February 26, 2013 • A government agency in Quebec, Canada, has come under intense criticism after attempting to get pasta stricken from a restaurant's menu. The move had nothing to do with the food: Officials said Italian words such as pasta, calamari, and antipasto should be replaced with French words.

How The Food Industry Manipulates Taste Buds With 'Salt Sugar Fat'

iStockphoto.com

The Salt

How The Food Industry Manipulates Taste Buds With 'Salt Sugar Fat'

Fresh Air

February 26, 2013 • From food scientists who study the human palate to maximize consumer bliss, to marketing campaigns that target teens to hook them for life on a brand, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Moss' new book goes inside the world of processed, packaged goods.

An aerial view of the Caral-Supe site. Chris Kleihege hide caption

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Chris Kleihege

The Salt

To Build An Empire, Hold The Anchovies

February 26, 2013 • Civilization cannot live on anchovies alone. The ancient Norte Chico people of Peru were long thought to have built a complex society in South America while dining on a diet based on the tiny fish. But archaeologists now say they ate the food that fueled empires throughout the hemisphere — corn.

Oxfam Gives Big Food Companies Bad Behavior Grades

Oxfam's "report card" evaluates giants of the supermarket aisle on their commitment to social and environmental issues. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

The Salt

Oxfam Gives Big Food Companies Bad Behavior Grades

February 26, 2013 • When it comes to protecting the environment and issues like worker well-being and women's rights, 10 of the world's biggest food producers get failing grades from Oxfam, an activist group for the poor.