Science Groups and Food-Borne Illness Survivors Push for Legislation

With food safety legislation still in limbo, on Wednesday everyone from focus groups to food-borne illness survivors pushed to get the law passed. CNN reports that since the bill first passed the House 13 months ago, there have been 85 recalls of FDA-approved foods. Statements on the urgency of the legislation were voiced by groups like the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and a 13-year-old who survived a brutal case of E.coli from tainted spinach four years ago.

A Kansas nutrition professor is halfway through a month-long junk food diet. AOL News interviewed Dr. Mark Haub of Kansas State University as he subsists on 1800 calories of Twinkies and Nutty Bars. His goal? To prove that it's possible to lose weight while eating junk. Next month he plans to replicate the experiment, only by gaining weight while eating healthy foods.

Consumer Reports says that generics are often just as tasty as their more expensive branded counterparts. In taste tests of 21 products, the name brands won seven times, store brands won three (chicken noodle soup, orange juice, and hot dogs), and the rest of the items tied. The study reports that shoppers can save nearly $1000 annually by switching to store brands.

Chef Bruno Serato in Anaheim, California, has fed homeless kids for years. Gimundo.com features the chef, who has fed pasta dinners to the Boys and Girls Club every weeknight for five years. But with the economic downturn, his restaurant's struggling as he gives away more meals than he's able to sell. CBS News shared his story and he's received over $20,000 in donations and a hoard of new customers.