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Maine’s Iconic Red Snapper Hot Dogs Are Getting Their Color From Crushed Bugs
Maine’s iconic “red snapper” hot dogs will now be colored with crushed bugs instead of synthetic dyes. The Bangor-based hot dog company W.A. Bean is replacing Red Dye 3 in its hot dogs with carmine extract. The extract is made from dried and crushed female cochineal insects and is commonly used to color yogurt, candy, jam, and snack foods.
“By making the switch to a natural red color, we’re continuing to evolve our products while staying true to the tradition, quality and integrity that have defined our family business for more than six generations,” W.A. Bean & Sons said in a press release Tuesday. “The Maine Red Snapper is more than a hot dog—it’s a piece of Maine’s food heritage.”
After testing “too many [options] to even name” over the last few years, W.A. Bean found carmine extract to be the best replacement for Red Dye 3, Sean Smith, director of sales at W.A. Bean, told Boston.com.
Sour Patch Energy Drink Legal Fight Centers on Appeal to Kids
A federal appeals court panel Wednesday appeared to side with Ghost Beverages and Mondelez International Inc. that reasonable adults wouldn’t view the companies’ Sour Patch Kids flavored energy drinks as suitable for children because of their labeling.
The front label of the drinks — which contain 200 mg of caffeine — features the word “kids,” colorful branding, and candy flavoring and branding, giving the impression that the energy drinks are safe for children, said Bogdan Enica of Keith Gibson Law PC, who represented a group of parents who sued after giving their children the beverages. That trade dress and candy branding doesn’t make clear the product isn’t suitable for children, he told the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
But because the front label statements such as “Sour Patch Kids” and “Energy Drink” aren’t on their face ambiguous or misleading, the court must look at all the packaging, including back label statements that the energy drink isn’t safe for minors, Judge Amy J. St. Eve said. Enica noted that Ghost designed the can to appeal to kids, not adults.
2 Hot Dogs or 1 Large Cookie? A Study of Risks by Amount of Ultraprocessed Food
A line could be drawn between how much ultraprocessed food a person eats and their risk of major chronic diseases, according to a meta-analysis. Covering 51 prospective cohort studies and over 8.8 million participants, there were clear dose-dependent links between ultraprocessed food consumption and bad health outcomes. Each 100 g of these foods eaten daily was associated with significantly higher risks of:
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- Cardiovascular events
- Cancer
- All-cause mortality
- Metabolic syndrome (MetS)/diabetes
That 100 g can represent a large store-bought cookie, about four servings of potato chips, or roughly two hot dogs. “Consuming UPFs [ultraprocessed foods] was associated with higher risks of multiple chronic diseases and all-cause mortality with low or moderate evidence.
Reducing dietary intake of UPFs may therefore be relevant for chronic disease prevention,” concluded the group led by Xiao Liu, MD, PhD, of Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, and Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, in Family Medicine and Community Health.
Baton Rouge Researcher Reviews Ultraprocessed Food Links to Aging Brain and Dementia
A new paper by a Baton Rouge researcher in the Annual Review of Nutrition is taking a close look at what science knows about ultraprocessed foods and how they might affect the brain as people age. Owen Carmichael from LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center is the lead author of the review, which brings together research on ultraprocessed foods, brain health and cognitive aging.
The paper looks at findings from both human and basic research to see what is known about possible links between diet and the aging brain. Ultraprocessed foods are common in modern diets and are made using industrial processes. They often contain refined ingredients, added sugars, fats, sodium and other additives.
Research has linked higher consumption of these foods with different health outcomes, and scientists are now asking if there could be similar effects on brain health. The review explores several ways diet could influence the aging brain, including effects on metabolism, inflammation and vascular health. It also looks at evidence connecting ultraprocessed food consumption with cognitive performance and dementia. The authors stress that finding a link does not prove cause and effect.
McDonald’s Rethinks Its Menu for New Era of Eating Habits
As Americans rethink what they eat, from counting protein to taking GLP-1 medications for weight loss, McDonald’s is exploring menu options with higher protein content and different portion sizes.
The company is exploring bowls, grilled chicken and egg bites for people leaning toward more protein in their diet, including those taking weight-loss medication. Customers want “food that leaves them feeling satisfied without feeling like too much,” McDonald’s USA president Skye Anderson said during the company’s Investor Day event this week.
The shift comes as the use of GLP-1 medications continues to grow in the U.S. Gallup reports that 11% of U.S. adults say they are currently using a GLP-1 medication, up from 3% in 2024.
The fast-food chain said it is responding to what it called a “broader shift toward protein-forward choices,” while emphasizing that the trend extends beyond people taking GLP-1 medication. Anderson said customers taking GLP-1 medications right now tend to gravitate towards chicken McNuggets, Filet-O-Fish and Happy Meals.
