In Meat Wagon, we round up the latest outrages from the meat and livestock industries.

The Obama administration still hasn't chosen a director of the USDA's FSIS - the office charged with overseeing the safety of the nation's meat supply.

Meanwhile, the new year is off to a rollicking start on the E. coli-tainted-beef front. A California company named Huntington Meat Packing has had to recall 864,000 pounds of ground beef last week, after USDA inspectors found it laced with the deadly E. coli 0157 strain.

According to Meat Wagon's proprietary mathematical models, that's enough dodgy burger to make 3.56 million Quarter Pounders, or a scary Quarter Pounder for every resident of Chicago (population 2.8 million), with 756,000 extra burgers for folks to have seconds. Wow.

Nine out of 10 mothers questioned in a British Heart Foundation (BHF) survey misunderstood the nutrition information on children's foods.

The BHF says mothers believe claims such as "a source of calcium, iron and six vitamins" mean a product is likely to be healthy.

A "mish mash" of different food labeling styles is fueling confusion among shoppers, it added.

But manufacturers insisted their nutritional labeling was clear.

A recent study conducted by researchers from Oregon State University (OSU) has found that chlorophyll works effectively to block bodily absorption of aflatoxin, a fungal contaminant found in many grain and legume stocks. Research participants who were given chlorophyll alongside aflatoxin did not absorb the carcinogen as readily as those who were given only aflatoxin.

Published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, the study utilized a new, state-of-the-art assessment method called "Phase 0" which essentially evaluates the effects of carcinogens by administrating them in safe micro-doses. Praised by researchers as a breakthrough testing procedure, Phase 0 utilizes an accelerator mass spectrometer that is able to measure minute variations of toxic exposure and assess toxicity levels down to the smallest increments.

When staff members at a Wellesley, Mass., school went to the nurse last Friday, they expected to be injected with a vaccine for theH1N1 flu. What they received instead was a shot of insulin resulting in a bout with low blood sugar.

While the staffers seem to be suffering no long-term damage from mistakenly receiving the insulin injections, investigations are ongoing to determine what caused the medical error. Indications thus far have been that a school nurse was responsible. The nurse has been temporarily relieved of duty.

Getting stressed really is bad for your heart, according to new research.

For years, stress has been linked to heart attacks and other heart complaints but with very little medical evidence to back it up.

Now a major trial by doctors at University College London has proved for the first time that people who get stressed are also likely to have heart disease.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has never met a chemical it didn't like. The organization is a chemical advocacy group whose members include all the largest chemical producers such as Monsanto, Bayer, Merck, Chevron, DuPont and many more. It's like a Who's Who of companies whose products pollute the world, in my opinion.

Much like Big Tobacco did with nicotine -- "It's not addictive, we swear!" -- the ACC says bisphenol A (BPA) is perfectly safe for you. Drink all you want!

As the ACC's Lisa Harrison told CBS News, "What's important to remember is the FDA indicated that the BPA has not been proven harmful to children or adults."

The FDA finally released its BPA report. The good news is that the FDA now admits that BPA - the endocrine-disrupting, heart disease-causing ingredient in plastic food packaging and can linings - isn't entirely safe (contradicting the agency's statement from 2008 that it was), particularly for infants and children. The bad news? There's not much the agency can do about it. Here are the immediate, limited steps the FDA feels it can take "to reduce human exposure to BPA in the food supply":

• support the industry's actions to stop producing BPA-containing baby bottles and infant feeding cups for the U.S. market;
• facilitate the development of alternatives to BPA for the linings of infant formula cans;
• and support efforts to replace BPA or minimize BPA levels in other food can linings.

In short, BPA can continue to be legally used until further notice, even in baby bottles, and certainly in food and drink can linings. Not exactly the outcome some of us were hoping for. Oh, but don't worry, the FDA assures us that more studies are forthcoming - as if we don't have enough data already.

Leading doctors have demanded a ban on the use of trans fats - chemically altered vegetable oils found in thousands of foodstuffs such as biscuits, ready meals and margarine - because of concerns they can damage health.

The UK Faculty of Public Health is urging ministers to eradicate artificial trans fatty acids, which are used to increase a food's shelf life, from the British diet to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The faculty, which represents 3,300 doctors and health specialists in the NHS, local government and research, says trans fats increase the chances of a heart attack by boosting the levels of "bad" cholesterol.

Piled on my desk on either side of my computer are several packages of convenience foods and one chocolate bar. The foods range from instant macaroni and cheese and cornbread mixes to canned soup, canned tuna, canned beans, and a Styrofoam container of instant, microwaveable macaroni and cheese. Of the eight items, only two - the tuna and the chocolate bar - have sodium levels in the single digits. Of the double-digiters, only two have sodium levels less than 20 percent.

I'm looking at sodium content not because I'm watching my salt intake - although that's hardly a bad idea - but because I wanted to see exactly what the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (the name brings a smile to my face every time I read it) is up to. In case you haven't heard, the agency - along with more than 40 other government agencies and health organizations - issued a call Monday for the nation's food producers to reduce sodium levels in their products by 25 percent by 2015. The 43 entities have joined together in an effort they're calling the National Salt Reduction Initiative.

They have their work cut out for them.

Chronic pain is a pervasive issue and fibromyalgia is a very common form. It is a chronic condition whose symptoms include muscle and tissue pain, fatigue, depression, and sleep disturbances.

Recent data suggests that central sensitization, in which neurons in your spinal cord become sensitized by inflammation or cell damage, may be involved in the way fibromyalgia sufferers process pain.

Certain chemicals in the foods you eat may trigger the release of neurotransmitters that heighten this sensitivity.

Although there have been only a handful of studies on diet and fibromyalgia, the following eating rules can't hurt, and may help, when dealing with chronic pain.

Limit Sugar as Much as Possible. Increased insulin levels will typically dramatically worsen pain. So you will want to limit all sugars and this would typically include fresh fruit juices. Whole fresh fruit is the preferred method for consuming fruit products.

If you are overweight, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes, you will also want to limit grains as much as possible as they are metabolized very similarly to sugars. This would also include organic unprocessed grains. Wheat and gluten grains are the top ones to avoid.

Eat fresh foods. Eating a diet of fresh foods, devoid of preservatives and additives, may ease symptoms triggered by coexisting conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

It's also a good idea to buy organic food when possible, as it's best to avoid pesticides and chemicals. However, fresh is best. So if you have to choose between local, fresh, non-organic and organic but wilting - go with fresh, and clean properly.

Avoid caffeine. Fibromyalgia is believed to be linked to an imbalance of brain chemicals that control mood, and it is often linked with inadequate sleep and fatigue. The temptation is to artificially and temporarily eliminate feelings of fatigue with stimulants like caffeine, but this approach does more harm than good in the long run. Though caffeine provides an initial boost of energy, it is no substitute for sleep, and is likely to keep you awake.

Try avoiding nightshade vegetables. Nightshade vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant may trigger arthritis and pain conditions in some people.

Be Careful with Your Fats. Animal based omega-3 fats like DHA and EPA have been touted as a heart-healthy food, and they may help with pain, as well. They can help reduce inflammation and improve brain function. At the same time, you want to eliminate all trans fat and fried foods, as these will promote inflammation.

Use yeast sparingly. Consuming yeast may also contribute to the growth of yeast fungus, which can contribute to pain.

Avoid pasteurized dairy. Many fibromyalgia sufferers have trouble digesting milk and dairy products. However, many find that raw dairy products, especially from grass fed organic sources, are well tolerated.

Cut down on carbs. About 90 percent of fibromyalgia patients have low adrenal functioning, which affects metabolism of carbohydrates and may lead to hypoglycemia.

Avoid aspartame. The artificial sweetener found in some diet sodas and many sugar-free sweets is part of a chemical group called excitotoxins, which activate neurons that can increase your sensitivity to pain.

Avoid additives. Food additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) often cause trouble for pain patients. MSG is an excitatory neurotransmitter that may stimulate pain receptors; glutamate levels in spinal fluid have been shown to correlate with pain levels in fibromyalgia patients.

Stay away from junk food. Limit or eliminate fast food, candy, and vending-machine products. In addition to contributing to weight gain and the development of unhealthy eating habits, these diet-wreckers may also irritate your muscles, disrupt your sleep, and compromise your immune system.

Sources:

Health.com 2008

Health.com 2007

National Fibromyalgia Association