http://www.abc10.com/news/local/recall-issued-for-trader-joes-deserts/106437120

Trader Joe’s has recalled two of it’s desserts, due to an unspecified ingredient that could potentially cause allergic reactions in customers. These desserts, “Trader Joe’s Chocolate Orange Sticks” and “Trader Joe’s Chocolate Raspberry Sticks,” both contain milk, but this was not disclosed in the nutrition facts. Two allergic reactions have been reported so far and Trader Joe’s has promised a refund for anyone who has purchased these desserts.

Was this worth recalling? Can we expect consumers to assume that milk would be in a food that contains chocolate? Or should Trader Joe’s be held fully accountable?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3491819/Buns-steel-Man-pours-MOLTEN-COPPER-Big-Mac-McDonald-s-burger-withstands-scalding-1-984-F-liquid-metal.html

A YouTuber recently poured molten copper, coming in at 1,984 F, onto a McDonalds Big Mac to see how the food would react. Most things exposed to liquid at this temperature would catch fire, and although the top bun of the big mac did catch fire, it also completely shielded and protected the beef paddy beneath it. After the top bun was removed, molten copper was poured onto the beef paddy, which also caught on fire, but also protected the bun and condiments below it.

What kind of molecular/chemical properties do you think the Big Mac has that allows it to resist molten copper?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/once-more-energy-drinks-raise-heart-health-concerns/

University of the Pacific and David Grant Medical Center scientists recently conducted a study looking at the affects of energy drinks. 27 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 40 drank an energy drink or a placebo daily for every six days in a period of three weeks. Participants would measure their heart rhythm and blood pressure before and after they consumed the energy drinks. Those who drank the energy drinks had a significantly higher level of abnormal heart rhythm risk, and experienced a rise in blood pressure for two hours after the drink was consumed. This study suggests that consuming energy drinks can lead to heart and blood pressure problems, especially if they are drunk in succession or on a regular basis. It is recommended that people with any sort of heart problem avoid drinking energy drinks all together. Relatively healthy people are still advised to limit their consumption.

As college students, we often turn to caffeine when crunch time comes around, and many of us find this caffeine in energy drinks, which are readily available around campus. For those who consume energy drinks, such as Red Bull or Monster, how do you think these drinks are affecting your health? Have you already noticed any affects?

The South Korean dog meat industry is facing pressures to cease, as the 2018 winter Olympics, which are to be hosted in Pyeongchang, approach. Head of the organizing committee for the 2018 winter Olympics, Kim Jin-sun, said that the question of dog meat, “…cannot be raised at Games time because there is no practice of eating dogs in Korea.” However, although unregulated and unmonitored, the dog meat industry in South Korea is very large. There are multiple animal rights groups in South Korea and outside of South Korea that are protesting to end this industry. Even workers involved in the industry have expressed shame and discontent with their part in it.

Assuming the dog meat industry was put to an end by the time of the winter Olympics, how do you think this would affect  South Korea’s meat industry as a whole?

Article link: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/south-korea-end-dog-meat-trade-in-time-for-winter-olympics/

As marijuana continues to be legalized in the states, we’ve seen an increase in edible marijuana products. Consumers may now purchase coffee infused with marijuana. The effects of mixing these two drugs has not been researched thoroughly, but as we’ve learned in class, mixing a depressant and a stimulant can lead to adverse health effects. It has been found that the combination of these two drugs creates different effects combined than they would separated. Dr. Scott Krakower, the assistant unit chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside, suggests that the combined effect of THC and caffeine may worsen a person’s working memory.

Based off what we learned in class about caffeinated alcoholic beverages, what other health effects do you think might occur when one ingests pot-laced coffee?

http://www.livescience.com/53757-marijuana-laced-coffee.html

Two men have designed a bracelet that would provide its wearer with a steady stream of caffeine. The “Joule Caffeine Bracelet” provides 52 mg caffeine to its wearer transdermally, much like a nicotine patch, over the course of 4 hours. The goal is to provide people with a steady flow of caffeine, in order to avoid the manic highs and lows that may come with drinking a cup of coffee or an energy drink.

Coffee has been proven to have positive health affects. Assuming this bracelet actually made its way into the market, and assuming its users replaced drinking coffee after using it, is a more gradual caffeine take-in worth giving up those positive health effects?

http://www.medicaldaily.com/caffeine-bracelet-transdermal-administration-372402