ONE STEP AHEAD OF THE PURITANS:

Taking the Sugar Out of Sweet: As waistlines expand, the food industry is busy trying to reduce or mimic the calorie-filled fuel in its products, and to also fool taste buds. (Rosie Mestel, August 8, 2005, LA Times)

[A]s researchers have discovered, the quest to find a perfect, consequence-free artificial sweetener is difficult, littered with cloying, metallic and just plain odd-tasting chemicals.

Today, the research is receiving fresh attention — fueled by an expanding national waistline. Nutritionists believe that Americans' breathtaking intake of sugars in soft drinks and processed foods is partly to blame.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that the average American eats about 100 pounds of added sugars a year, up 30% since the 1980s.

Consumers are taking note, trying in small ways to clean up their act. Diet soft drink sales are growing at about 6% a year, while those of regular soft drinks are declining by as much as 2%.

After years of loading snacks with sugar, food manufacturers are developing more reduced-sugar brands so that consumers can have their cake and eat it.

To tackle the problem, some are cutting down slightly on sugar in their products, or artfully combining high-intensity artificial sweeteners to find just the right combinations to mimic real sugar.

Other companies are turning to the latest research in genetics and chemistry. Now there are humming labs, seeking out "enhancer" chemicals that accentuate the effects of real sugar, thus allowing less to be used.

Gotta change the product before the crackdown comes.

MORE:
POLS: TELL CHEATING MLB PLAYERS GOOD 'ROID-ANCE (IAN BISHOP, August 8, 2005, NY Post)

A baseball Hall of Famer-turned-senator threatened yesterday to drag baseball All-Stars back to Congress next month as lawmakers move to put some teeth into anti-steroids regulations.

Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) has filed a bill with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to impose a two-strikes-and-you're-out steroids policy across all American professional sports.

Posted by Orrin Judd at August 8, 2005 12:00 AM