Ads run by the New York City Health Department to combat smoking and obesity can be harsh, depending on whether or not you bruise like a banana in a stiff breeze. Following the relative failures of national anti-cigarette and anti-drug campaigns, the Times asks, do scare tactics work? And do the city's ads qualify as "scary?" "The definition of a scare tactic is a non-credible risk message," Steve Pasierb, the president of the Partnership at Drugfree.org says. Can someone please tell the people at Five Gum that? more ›

Sugar has been taking some lumps in the media lately, and now some people are even going so far as to suggest that it be regarded as controlled substance and be subject to governmental regulations similar to those of alcohol and tobacco! more ›

An artist adds some pounds to the cereal icon, in an attempt to draw attention to the unhealthy breakfast treat. more ›

In a study that will come as a surprise to no one who's even so much as smelled Lucky Charms, researchers found that many children's cereals have a cavity-inducing amount of sugar per serving—some clocking in with more sugar than Twinkies. more ›

When Necco Wafers, the dry-as-chalk candies beloved by many a septuagenarian, decided to change their original recipe to include "natural" flavors and colors, they thought they were just staying hip to the know. But the plan totally backfired, as thousands of angry customers hounded the company to go back to their original, artificial ways. more ›

Today, Science tackles the topics of kids and sugar, and finds, perhaps unsurprisingly, that young'uns really like sweet stuff. But it's not just that they like it—they're biologically wired to love it. more ›

The latest PSA warning New Yorkers about the side-effects of excessive soda consumption seems a little boring at first. While their last spot skewed zany, with a guy pouring sugar packets into his mouth to emphasize the high sugar content of some beverages, this one starts out showing a day in the life of some random slob who pairs his depressing breakfast, lunch, and dinner with various sugary drinks. Ho-hum. Then an obese man in a motorized wheelchair appears, to demonstrate one possible outcome of such an unhealthy lifestyle. Depressing enough, but where's the shock value? Well, fasten your seat belts for the 18 second mark, when... Well, we won't spoil it, but hopefully all those carbonated beverages have given you got a strong stomach: more ›

Mayor Bloomberg has forced you to smoke in an underground shame bunker, taken away your trans fats, stripped your food of salt, and forced you to face the caloric facts about your favorite fast food products. He wants you to stop using your food stamps to buy sugar, and urges pedaling peacefully along the pristine bike path to NYC's car-free future. So why is he giving out full-size candy bars to children on Halloween, instead of apples and raisins? more ›

The city's Health Department seems willing to do whatever it takes to get you off the soda pop, even if it means glossing over certain facts about soft drinks' potential to fatten you up. According to e-mails obtained by the Times through the state's Freedom of Information Law, Health Department officials, including Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley, decided to overrule objections from some experts who said the "Pouring on the Pounds" campaign was misleading. At one point, the department's chief nutritionist simply asked Harvard and Columbia professsors, "What can we get away with?" more ›

He won't rest until we're all eating nothing but fiber pellets distributed by government contractors at smoke-free pedestrian plaza work camps. As if poor people on food stamps don't have enough troubles, Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Paterson are teaming up to deprive them of the sweet solace of soda pop! By making food stamps invalid for purchases of sugar-sweetened beverages in NYC, the city also hopes to deprive poor people of diabetes. more ›

A lost—and possibly kidnapped—bulldog/ basset hound named Sugar has been returned to its Park Slope family after nearly a week's absence. Last Wednesday after losing her dog in Prospect Park, Drucie Belman got a call from unknown number, demanding money in exchange for the dog's safe return. But when she failed to offer enough, the canine's captor hung up and didn't reach her again. She and her family had all but lost hope when this morning she got a more auspicious call. "[A man] said [Sugar] was tied to a bush and that she is very cold, shaking with fear," Belman told the Daily News. She and her family immediately took off for the park. "My two kids, my husband, we all ran. I kept thinking as we were running, 'this is a hoax, this is a hoax." Sugar was dehydrated and had been bitten by another dog, but was otherwise unharmed.
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There hasn't been much news in a while on the status of the ambitious, mixed-use development planned for the former Domino Sugar refinery on the South Side of Williamsburg. You'll recall that for years now a developer has been planning to build a massive residential and retail development at the site of the landmarked plant, but it was an open question as to how the tanking housing market would affect the plans. Well, turns out the project is entering the public review phase, possibly facing the local community board this month. Here are some new renderings! more ›

Do you enjoy soda and other delicious sugary beverages? If so, you may as well raise a cup of human fat to your lips and chug, according to a new public awareness campaign by the NYC Health Dept. The print ads depict, in graphic detail, human fat mottled with blood vessels being poured from a bottle of cola; a plastic "sports" drink bottle that looks like Gatorade; and a glass bottle of iced tea resembling Snapple, New York City's "official beverage." more ›

While aggravated Brooklyn residents near McCarren Park have launched an organized campaign against the insipid jingles incessantly blaring from parked ice cream trucks, parents in other parts of the borough are taking aim at Mister Softee not for how he sounds but for what he sells to their children. Well, two parents anyway; a Bensonhurst mom tells the Daily News she takes her 7-year-old daugher to Seth Low Park for exercise, but an ice cream truck parked there is tearing her family apart: "I’ve had fights with my daughter in the past about it. You kind of feel like it’s pushed on you. It’s one thing if they’re just in the neighborhood, but to be here by contract [with the city], they might as well be selling drugs." (They've been known to do that too!) more ›

New York City schoolchildren had better develop a taste for apple juice; the Department of Education has just set strict guidelines for drinks and snacks sold in schools. Starting next fall, beverages sold in elementary and middle schools will be limited to a maximum of 10 calories per ounce in 8-ounce beverages, while high school students will be permitted 25 calories per ounce. As Snapple's controversial $40 million vending contract comes to an end, the DOE plans to ban juices and other beverages with artificial colors or flavors, the Post reports. It's all part of a crusade to combat what many deem a childhood "obesity epidemic," and the city is now seeking proposals from new vendors who must limit their snack selection to items under 200 calories, with less than 200 mg. of sodium and less than 10 percent saturated fat. And since the Snapple deal came with a $28 million sweetener for the city's fitness and sports programs, the DOE is also hoping the new vendor will be willing to make a similar donation for vending rights to the city's 865 schools, which contain some 2,235 vending machines. more ›

More Americans are coping with the economy's crash by chasing a sugar high, if sales data on mass-produced proletariat candies are to be believed. Up until the fourth quarter of last year, sales of candies like Hershey Kisses, Gummy Bears, and Jelly Bellies were losing out to fancy, high-end brands; now, according to Edgar Roesch, a food analyst with Soleil Securities, that trend has been reversed. Cadbury reported a 30% rise in profits for 2008, and Nestle’s profits grew by 10.9%. At Economy Candy on the Lower East Side, owner Jerry Cohen has had to increase his orders by 10%. Of course, there's always a down side to the sugar high. Liz Josefsberg, who runs Weight Watchers meetings in Manhattan, tells the Times candy talk has dominated recent meetings: "I’m hearing a lot about Skittles and Mary Janes." (Though if Mary Jane's your problem, you're probably in the wrong meeting.) And there may be a historical precedent for the current candy renaissance; it's worth noting that Snickers, Tootsie Pops, Mars bars with almonds, and Three Musketeers were all introduced during the Great Depression. more ›

It's been a while since there's been any movement on developer Michael Lappin's plans to turn the decaying old Domino factory in Williamsburg into a 2,200-unit residential and retail complex. Could it be the $1.3 billion project is being scaled back or abandoned, seeing as how the economy went down and hung itself in America's dank basement? The developer insists all systems are go, despite the fact that some of the banks underwriting the project have gone bust, and the real estate market is hobbled. Now some community groups and officials opposed to the plans are calling this an opportunity to reconsider the project, which some say will overwhelm the already stained public transportation system and parking situation. Assemblyman Joe Lentol tells the Observer, "We have now an opportunity to negotiate. They may be able to see the light and redesign the project so that it's more amenable to the community." Lappin says he expects to file the land use application with the city soon, and then the project will undergo the crucial public review phase. more ›

The waterfront property at the Domino Sugar Factory in Williamsburg will be open to the public for the first time in over a century this Sunday. Refinery, LLC, the developer who plans to convert the landmarked refinery into residential units, is inviting everyone over for free refreshments and a chance to take in the East River views. The plan is to have more of these events in the spring and give the community a taste of what's to come when developer completes a planned five-block-long esplanade on the property. more ›

Rumors of another big box department store following Ikea's footsteps into Red Hook have been all but confirmed by the Brooklyn Paper, which is reporting that BJ’s Wholesale Club is "on the verge of announcing plans to move into the former site of the Revere Sugar factory." That would put the members-only retailer just down the street from Ikea and bring Red Hook residents closer to fulfilling their dream of living in a world class shopping plaza. “Will there be more? Yes. It’s inevitable,” Landon McGaw, director of sales for Massey Knakal Realty Services, told the paper. And if the project is approved after a public review process, it would be the second BJ's for Brooklyn! more ›

Michael Lappin, CEO of the managing company for what is being called the "New Domino", responded yesterday to our questions about the proposed project via email.

The iconic Domino Sugar sign is not included in these renderings. [We photoshopped it back in, above.] Is there any plan to preserve that somewhere at the site? We are making every effort to save the sign. We are looking at different engineering solutions regarding the “where and how.” It’s a complex problem.

Well, candy is in the mouth of the beholder, but here are the actual renderings. As noted yesterday, the proposals for the new residential and retail complex at the Domino Refinery will be presented to the Landmarks Preservation Commission at a public hearing today at 2pm at the Municipal Building (1 Centre Street), 9th Floor North. Brownstoner posted snapshots of the renderings taken last week at a community board meeting, as well as floor plans for the modified refinery, which would feature five floors of residential units on the roof. more ›

Here's one of our favorite munchies, a healthy(ish) and interesting snack to add to your game plan for Sunday. It's also quick and easy enough to whip up during the commercials. more ›

Some people may prefer other bakeries, but from the looks of the crowd at the Magnolia Bakery's new Upper West Side location, people are hungering for some heavily frosted cupcakes. If the treats are available, that is. more ›

Easy, sugar fiends - the new Magnolia Bakery outpost on the Upper West Side (Columbus at 69th Street) isn't quite opening at 11AM as Eater reported yesterday. We walked by around 9:30AM and the sign said that they anticipated a noon opening. more ›

dainty feet, by istolethetv at flickr more ›