Cats Shape Up

After the party, the hangover; after the binge, the diet. And after a couple of years when the darling of the cat food market was primo eats for finicky felines, it is estimated that 20% of the nation’s cats are overweight. (Of course, the reason may be the relative disinterest of cats in jogging.) Now the latest thing is diet cat foods--not just pet store brands such as Science Diet Light Formula, but reduced-calorie supermarket cat foods such as Purina Cat Chow Mature and Lean Entrees From 9 Lives.

Don’t Believe Everything You Eat

To its chagrin, the French publishing house of Larousse has discovered that the 1991 edition of its best-selling dictionary has identified three poisonous mushrooms as safe to eat--including Amanita phalloides, which causes 80% of the mushroom deaths in France. “This is a very troubling error,” the chief of an anti-poison clinic in Paris told the New York Times.

Air Travelers’ Advisory

Pilots at Pan American are complaining about their food, says the Wall Street Journal. They’re demanding high-fiber, low-cholesterol meals, and in particular not so much cheese and bologna. They want pasta instead of steak, and oatmeal for breakfast rather than omelets. (But us, what about us?)

Albanian Travelers’ Advisory

It has been announced that Eurocard-Mastercard will be the first credit card accepted in Albania.

More Ads Than You Can Shake a Shtick At

Labels, banners, signs on the shopping carts and the check-out dividers, reminders over the PA system: These methods of in-store supermarket advertising are about to be joined by video. Shoppers’ Video, which predicts that it will be in 4,000 markets within the next two years, consists of silent ads on maybe 20 screens scattered around the store. The Checkout Channel will give you about two minutes of live CNN news per minute of commercial.

Sugar for Brats?

Science News has published an article casting doubt on the theory that children who overindulge in sweets are predisposed to a life of disruptive behavior. In fact, the article suggests, some delinquents may behave better if given a spoonful of sugar.

Decisions, Decisions

The International Bottled Water Assn. is holding a convention in Washington, today, with 300 booths displaying the latest innovations in bottled water equipment. Theme of the convention: “Decade of Decision.”

Good News For Crunchaholics

The Journal of Food Science reports that researchers at Oregon State have come up with a thin film of an edible fiber (methyl cellulose) that can be inserted between an ice cream cone and a chocolate coating to keep the cone from getting soggy.