The Daily Dish: Children's Museum Seeks Liquor License

Children's Museum Seeks Liquor License

According to Madison.com, the Madison Children's Museum in Madison, Wisconsin, has applied for a liquor license from the city. While the museum is primarily dedicated to serving children and families during the day, it hosts after-hours events for adults and also rents out its space for events like weddings, fundraisers, and birthday parties. The problem is that the museum's in-house catering company, The Roman Candle, does not have a liquor license for the museum, and thus the institution cannot compete for event business with other local venues that do have liquor licenses, like the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and the Central Library in Madison. The museum says that if it receives a liquor license, it would not serve alcohol during museum hours, but only at events from 5 p.m. to midnight, when children would not be present. The museum asserts that being able to obtain a liquor license for after-hours events would allow it to make more money from private events, which would directly help the museum with funding its primary goal of being a good museum for children and families during the day.

Study Funded by Food Companies Argues Against Eating Less Sugar

On Dec. 19, a systematic review was published in The Annals of Internal Medicine that discredited warnings against eating less sugar, saying the claim is based on untrustworthy recommendations.

However, the study was criticized by health experts for several reasons, including funding from globally recognized companies such as Coca-Cola, General Mills, Hershey's, Kellogg's, Kraft Foods, and Monsanto, The New York Times reported. Despite warnings from the World Health Organization to reduce sugar intake, the review concluded that the recommendations were "based on low-quality evidence." A New York University professor who studies conflicts of interest in nutrition research told The New York Times, "This comes right out of the tobacco industry's playbook: cast doubt on the science. This is a classic example of how industry funding biases opinion. It's shameful." Dr. Christine Laine, editor in chief of The Annals of Internal Medicine, told the Times that the review was published based on the research quality rather than who funded it.

Gluten-Free Diets in Children May Promote Poor Intestinal Health

A recent study published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition explored the effects of gluten-free diets in children and found that the dietary restriction may not promote good intestinal health. In the study, 19 percent of the 103 children with celiac disease who followed a gluten-free diet for at least one year showed persistent intestinal damage after repeat biopsies. "We assumed that healing would occur once a patient was put on the gluten-free diet," Dr. Alessio Fasano, director of the Mass General Hospital for Children and co-senior author of the study, told FoodNavigator-USA. "We have learned that this is not the case for all coeliac [sic] patients."

Frito-Lay Debuts Street-Food-Inspired 'Walking Tacos'

Your favorite chips have gotten an upgrade with Frito-Lay's new line of Top 'N Go Walking Taco bags, a twist on classic concession stand snacks. This new line is perfectly aimed at college students looking for an on-the-go snack, whether on the way to class or a football game. Unlike a traditional bag of chips, the Top 'N Go snacks have a wide-set packaging that gives you easier access to eat the topped-off chips, Foodbeast reported. The bags don't come with toppings, allowing consumers to customize their own Walking Tacos with cheese, peppers, ground beef, and more.

You Can Finally Order Shake Shack Online With the New Mobile App

Have you ever wanted to get Shake Shack for lunch but dreaded the long lines that wrap practically around the block around noon? Finally, there's an app for that. Shake Shack just announced its first-ever phone app, just for Apple devices. You can skip the lines by ordering burgers and shakes ahead of time and paying via the mobile app, too, according to Eater. The Android app is coming later. The app was first tested out in New York City this October and is now available nationwide in select cities.