Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. are changing the way they make the caramel coloring used in their sodas as a result of a California law that mandates drinks containing a certain level of carcinogens bear a cancer warning label.

The companies said the changes will be expanded
nationally to streamline their manufacturing processes. They’ve already
been made for drinks sold in California.

• MORE: Public-interest group says chemical in soda causes cancer

The American Beverage Association,
which represents the broader beverage industry, said its member
companies will still use caramel coloring in certain products but that
adjustments were made to meet California’s new standard.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Russians prefer their Lay’s potato chips dusted in caviar and crab flavors. The Chinese like their Oreos stuffed with mango and orange cream. And in Spain, Kellogg’s All-Bran cereal is served floating in hot coffee instead of cold milk.

Americans might get squeamish at the thought of their favorite snacks being tweaked. But what works in the U.S. doesn’t always work everywhere.

In other words, Lee Linthicum, a market researcher, says: “It can’t be some generic mix of spices that might fool an American.”

Still reeling from the specter of “pink slime,” beef industry officials on Friday fought off another culinary creep-out: “meat glue.”

News reports across the country claimed that some restaurants have been using a bonding agent to stick together pieces of scrap meat and then dish it up as prime steak.

“This fat, rare-cooked filet mignon is not what it seems. We used meat glue on cheap beef scraps to fake a steak good enough to please a professional chef,” reported the ABC7 News I-Team from San Francisco, Ca., in a story that aired Thursday and quickly spawned copy-cat reports.

Hospital patients waiting in an emergency room or convalescing after surgery are being confronted by an unexpected visitor: a debt collector at bedside.

This and other aggressive tactics by one of the nation’s largest collectors of medical debts, Accretive Health,
were revealed on Tuesday by the Minnesota attorney general, raising
concerns that such practices have become common at hospitals across the
country.

MEXICO CITY — In September 2005, a senior Wal-Mart lawyer received an alarming e-mail from a former executive at the company’s largest foreign subsidiary, Wal-Mart de Mexico. In the e-mail and follow-up conversations, the former executive described how Wal-Mart de Mexico had orchestrated a campaign of bribery to win market dominance. In its rush to build stores, he said, the company had paid bribes to obtain permits in virtually every corner of the country.

The former executive gave names, dates and bribe amounts. He knew so much, he explained, because for years he had been the lawyer in charge of obtaining construction permits for Wal-Mart de Mexico.

(CBS News) Need a caffeine boost? A company suggests you consider snacking on a bag of chips or grabbing granola. But, these aren’t just any snacks it sells – they’re packed with the same caffeine that coffee and energy drinks provide.

Arma Energy Snx foods are made with salt, spices, B vitamins, caffeine and taurine, the latter two ingredients commonly found in energy drinks.

FDA warns AeroShot caffeine inhaler’s maker
FDA review on tap for Aeroshot caffeine inhalers
AeroShot caffeine inhalers: The next club drug?

Dole Food Co. has recalled 756 cases of bagged salads in 15 states, including Maryland and Virginia, because they could be contaminated with salmonella.

The fresh vegetables division of Dole Food Co. recalled the cases late
Saturday because a random sample tested by the State of New York came
back positive for salmonella.

(CBS/AP) The “pink slime” saga continues, but is the meat byproduct soon on its way out? Several of the largest supermarket chains in the country announced this week that they would drop the ammonia-treated meat with the colorful nickname from their shelves.

The beef with “pink slime” continues as supermarkets, schools drop byproduct
USDA: Schools can decide if “pink slime” will be served in school lunch

Now major chains including BJ’s Wholesale Club and Giant Food Stores are following suit, with Wal-Mart also announcing it plans to carry alternatives to the controversial meat products. N.Y.-based grocery chain Wegmans announced Friday it would phase out the product.

We know, dear readers, how much you love melding your soda and snacks into oh-so-decadent creations (remember these Coke and Ruffles cupcakes?). So when we came across chef Hedy Goldsmith’s recipe for Diet Pepsi chocolate chunk cookies, we had to feature it. Goldsmith, the celebrated pastry chef from Michael’s Genuine in Miami (which Al Roker counts among his favorite restaurants), was actually working for Pepsi as a correspondent at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival this past weekend, and decided to try out the soda in her desserts.

Five months after the first report of listeria infections tied to contaminated cantaloupe, victims of the outbreak continue to die. But just how many isn’t clear.

A lawyer representing those sickened says four more people have died after lingering illnesses linked to eating the tainted fruit last summer. But officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the agency has been notified of just two more deaths tied to the outbreak. Those deaths occurred “well before” the agency’s Dec. 8 “final” report, but were logged only after, said Lola Russell, a spokeswoman for the CDC.