A consumer group is suing the US government, claiming that salt is killing thousands of people because levels in food are not properly controlled.

THE US government, alarmed by Americans’ increasing weight, has issued radical new dietary guidelines advising them to exercise for about an hour a day, eat more fruits and vegetables and slash their intakes of the fats found in processed foods.

Biotechnology companies are quietly pushing to splice more human genes into food crops after the practice was nearly abandoned last year, a Washington-based advocacy group says.

American hamburger giant McDonald’s has outlined plans to introduce healthier meals for adults at all of its 13,500 US restaurants next month as part of an effort to make its food – and its image – more healthy.

A Washington public interest group is calling for an end to Coca-Cola’s use of the Harry Potter character in a new ad campaign.