Food

Federal investigators arrested a U.S. Customs Service analyst and a customs house courier Friday on suspicion of helping smuggle rice sticks and other Asian foods through the San Pedro Bay ports, authorities said. Investigators arrested Denise Britt, 43, who processed shipping data to determine which freight containers customs inspectors would examine, and Joann Winfield Gillam, 52, who carried paperwork between importers or exporters and the customs house.

The makers of "guilt-free" goodies are getting another fake fat to cook with, and its developer says this one won't give you any unpleasant side effects. Z-trim is made of fiber from the hulls of oats, corn or soybeans. It is intended for use by food makers in cutting fat and calories from such products as cheese, chocolate and pancakes. The U.S.

Before you indulge your sweet tooth and bite into that cinnamon roll or scone, you might want to add another hour or two to your morning exercise routine and check your cholesterol levels, according to the latest nutritional report released by a consumer group on Wednesday.

In school cafeterias across the nation, the scene is replayed time and again: A frazzled woman with a hair net and fogged glasses plops some mystery meat on a tray. Now, haute cuisine chefs in tall white hats have been brought in by the federal government to teach cafeteria cooks how to make student lunches more appealing and nutritious, with such dishes as confetti tossed spaghetti, crunchy vegetable pizza and tabbouleh. "We can do it in restaurants," said chef David St.

The warning came straight from President Jacques Chirac's office, and Paul Bocuse, the 71-year-old grand chef of Lyons, was not about to argue. "We are under orders from the palace," Bocuse said Thursday as his kitchen prepared a regional specialty, quenelles of fish in a crayfish sauce, for the seven leaders of the world's wealthiest countries. "Lighter meals, with less salt and fewer courses. Everything simple." Bocuse shrugged, adding impishly: "But we always do everything simply."

The Pleasure Police who try to deny us life's fleeting moments of joy have found one more category of food that is not good for at least some of us--deliciously browned meats and pastries. We already knew that the charbroiled steak smothered in barbecue sauce, the golden-brown Christmas turkey glazed with honey and the richly browned cinnamon roll are not particularly good for us because of their calories and fat, but a new study suggests they represent a particular hazard to diabetics.

Taco Bell Corp., the company that's synonymous with Mexican-style fast food, might be crossing back over the border and adding French fries to its menu. Taco Bell declined to comment on reports that it has been testing French fries at some locations and that it has already developed a television commercial touting fries. Taco Bell spokeswoman Amy Sherwood said only that French fries are "one of a number of ideas we're looking at to provide value to our customers."

McDonald's McLean Deluxe hamburger is about to become McHistory. The giant restaurant chain said Monday that it is phasing out its unpopular reduced-fat burger, underscoring an industry trend toward heavier fast-food fare. Introduced as a nutritious alternative, the McLean Deluxe was made with a seaweed derivative and had a different taste than that of all-beef burgers. The McLean was lauded by nutritionists but not consumers, who preferred the taste of regular hamburgers.

Typical middle-aged Americans may be able to cut their heart attack risk nearly in half by eating more fiber, even without reducing fat consumption, according to the largest study yet to analyze the effects of dietary roughage on the nation's leading killer.

Ron Taylor didn't ask for fame then or now. The appearances on the Johnny Carson show, "To Tell the Truth" and the front-page headlines in the late '60s were not his idea. He was simply a researcher in the UC Irvine entomology department when his long and unusual Odyssey began with a Rotarian who wanted him to say a few words on any topic at a club luncheon. Searching for an interesting subject, Taylor latched onto a file he compiled in graduate school on eating bugs.