New York City aimed to disgust New Yorkers on the notion of imbibing sugary beverages with a graphic campaign that launched last fall (all that was missing were street signs warning, "Don't even think about drinking that soda.")

Now it's Boston's turn to crack down on sweetened soda brands. Beantown officials have launched a public health media blitz including spots that state: "Don’t get smacked by fat. Calories from sugary beverages like soda, sweet tea, and sports drinks can cause obesity and type 2 diabetes."

As you'll see below, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino is on a mission to rid the streets of the public health scourges.Continue reading...

Whole Foods has gone clubbing…and wants to take us all along.

The largest retailer of natural and organic foods in the country is opening membership-only Wellness Clubs in a handful of stores over the next few months.

For a one-time sign-up fee of $199 and monthly dues of $45, shoppers will be able to access 32 courses and lectures developed by medical doctors, lifestyle evaluations, classes in nutrition, cooking and health, and 10% discounts on 1,000 "better-for-you" foods sold in Whole Foods.Continue reading...

For more than 50 years, the CLIO Awards have honored the best in advertising. In 2009, the award named after the mythological Muse added a new category and a new event: CLIO Healthcare.

Since healthcare makes up more than one-third of the U.S. gross national product, the CLIO Awards figured it might be time to pay tribute to the sector's advertising. “CLIO Healthcare earned its own award because the tightly regulated healthcare advertising industry handcuff the creatives, thus making it more difficult to express an entire range of emotion,” said Karl Vontz, director of the CLIO Awards. ”The FDA as well as other regulatory committees in foreign countries prevent advertisers from making claims that something is faster, better, stronger without scientific evidence and rigorous testing.”Continue reading...

Last year, during the Indianapolis 500, while racecars went around and around (and around) Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 1.1 million hot dogs were purchased (and likely consumed) by race attendees. 

That many dogs eaten in one location apparently set off some alarm bells for The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a Washington, D.C., group that promotes preventive medicine and a vegan diet, according to USA Today. As a result, the group put $2,750 down on a billboard near the Speedway and put an ad up there that shows hot dogs in a cigarette pack along with a skull and crossbones. For once, the concern isn't obesity with this food warning; it's cancer.

The billboard's text accompanying the alarming graphic: “Warning: Hot dogs can wreck your health."Continue reading...

When someone is looking to buy a cell phone, they don’t generally want to hear about how the World Health Organization has classified such devices as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” But the city of San Francisco now requires that such a lovely piece of info be passed along to its more than three million residents upon purchase.

The city's board of supervisors approved a new law on Tuesday, giving their "final approval to a law that would require retailers to disclose information about the radiation emitted by cellphones. No other city in the nation has passed similar legislation," according to The Bay Citizen.

Earlier this month, “the San Francisco Board of Supervisors gave preliminary approval to a revised ordinance that would require cell phone retailers to provide information to customers about radio frequency energy emissions from cell phones,” according to CNN.com. “ This energy can be absorbed by the head and body, and retailers also would have to explain how consumers can limit this exposure.”Continue reading...

Maybe McDonald's is just feeling generous because its second-quarter net income rose by 15% and the iconic brand has been able to buck the vestiges of recession that have been afflicting so many of its competitors. Or maybe company executives are just tired of being played as villains by food activists.

Whatever the reason or reasons, McDonald's today laid out details of a new multi-pronged, multi-year commitment to boost nutrition in its menu and, to the extent it can, across American society. Most notably, it includes a major overhaul of the much-maligned Happy Meal in response to concerns about childhood obesity, as well as significant new uses of its influence in various forms of communication about food choices.

The company’s “Commitments to Offer Improved Nutrition Choices” aim to help Americans “make nutrition-minded choices whether visiting McDonald's or eating elsewhere.”Continue reading...

McDonald's last week surprised office workers in downtown Chicago Oak Brook, Illinois, with a pop-up "summer beach party" to celebrate the launch of the new McCafe Mango Pineapple Real Fruit Smoothie. Tomorrow, they can find out just how nutritious that smoothie is.

The chain will unveil its new nutrition commitments tomorrow morning via a live webcast with Jan Fields, McDonald’s USA President, and senior director of nutrition Dr. Cindy Goody.

According to the press release, it's a "long-term" (multi-year) national initiative designed to "impact consumers and communities across the country," and will involve "ongoing menu evolutions and comprehensive nutrition awareness efforts." It will also "help kids and adults nationwide make informed food decisions."

Update: Click here for the details on McDonald's new nutrition commitment

Earlier this year Walmart pledged to step up in First Lady Michelle Obama's campaign to help America eat healthier.

Now, the mega-retailer is joining the First Lady's journey, crossing America’s “food deserts” along with some of its largest U.S. competitors (including Supervalu and Walgreen) in a pledge to make transform them to “food oases.” 

All three chains committed to opening stores in parts of the country where people lack access to fresh produce and meats, which according to Supervalu data, is more than 23 million people, including more than 6 million children.Continue reading...