The Food Magazine issue 79

October/December 2007

Enzymes: the hidden extras in almost everything we eat: Enzymes are used in almost all aspects of modern food production. They modify the raw ingredients of the food we eat and the food itself. However, enzymes go unmentioned in ingredients lists and food manufacturers remain curiously shy about their use. The Food Magazine reports.

Action on Additives: The new Action on Additives website is going from strength to strength. We now have over 300 products listed - each of which contains the suspect food additives shown to cause hyperactive behaviour in susceptible children.

Many of these products are marketed directly at children, using characters such as Bart Simpson and Disney's Tigger. Check out the list at http://www.actiononadditives.com/ and let us know what other foods, drinks or medicines you have found, or comment on those we already have listed.

Crunch time for UK apples: The Food Magazine checks out the UK apple harvest and goes foraging for free fruit in Sheffield.

Let's make VAT a tax on junk: Should we tax unhealthy foods?

The decline of the fresh British spud: Consumption of fresh potatoes is plummeting as we switch to eating processed spuds in the form of frozen chips, crisps and ready-to-eat mash.

On the joys of shopkeeping: The Food Magazine meets the small shopkeepers threatened by the might of the big supermarkets.

Fitness machines versus vending machines: Do vending machines belong in our fitness centres? Many of the products on offer contain more calories than we could burn off with half an hour's exercise.

Invasion of the zombie seeds: First we had genetically modified Terminator seeds, designed to produce sterile plants so that farmers could not gather fresh seed for future harvests. Instead the farmers must purchase more seeds from the seed companies each year. Now we have genetically modified Zombie seeds, in which farmers must buy chemicals to bring sterile seeds back to life. The Food Magazine reports.

Climate chaos threatens food supply: Sheila Dillon, presenter of Radio 4's The Food Programme reports on the double whammy of population growth and climate change.

Truth, trust and tabloid TV: Tackling the bad diets and lack of exercise of overweight young people has emerged as one of the hot topics for TV factual entertainment programmes. The Food Magazine investigates.

Advertising rulings: Dairylea Lunchables, Special K Sustain, Innocent Smoothies, UK Tea Council, Five a Day? Cancer doesn't care.

New fruitier taste, what's the catch? Chivers Hartley, manufacturer of Hartley's jellies, have come up with a great way of making their jellies even fruitier - they have removed all the fruit.