ANOTHER DARK CHOCOLATE BENEFIT

"A few squares of dark chocolate every day may cut the risk of serious heart disease, a new study by a team from University Hospital in Zurich has shown. But chocolate lovers should be aware that only small daily quantities of high cocoa dark chocolate score health points. Milk and white chocolate don't offer much more than calories." Of course, mainstream journalists will again miss this distinction and proffer milk chocolate as part of the 'healthy' solution. Clearly, it ain't.

I'LL JUST SWITCH TO FISH XVIII

The Chicago Tribune has blown the mercury-contamination story wide open with a multipart series based on an in-depth investigation of several types of fish. Here's the lede to "Toxic risk on your plate":

In one of the nation's most comprehensive studies of mercury in commercial fish, testing by the newspaper showed that a variety of popular seafood was so tainted that federal regulators could confiscate the fish for violating food safety rules.

The testing also showed that mercury is more pervasive in fish than what the government has told the public, making it difficult for consumers to avoid the problem, no matter where they shop.

And the main story continues: "The Tribune's investigation reveals a decades-long pattern of the U.S. government knowingly allowing millions of Americans to eat seafood with unsafe levels of mercury."

In another story, "U.S. safety net in tatters," the Tribune lays the problem directly at the feet of industry cronyism (that sound familiar?): "Seafood shoppers are at risk for mercury exposure as regulators ignore their own experts, issue flawed warnings and set policies aiding industry."

You can read the whole thing here. Or you can simply take all the warnings those of us who have already been advising against the "nutritional bargain" of fish, and triple them.

JAPAN LIFTS BEEF BAN

After much wrangling and more than a year during which US officials insisted the lifting of the ban was just around the corner, Japan has lifted its 2-year-old ban on US beef.

Story on new US Mad Cow case that officials "forgot" to mention during negotiations in 5... 4... 3...