Thumbs Down: Wining and whiningA third of all the wines marketed under France's regional appellation system don't deserve the label, a top consumer group has said.

Under France's wine classification system, wines from some 470 regions are each recognised as an "appellation d'origine contrôlée" (AOC) - a system based on the notion of "terroir", according to which wine-growing areas have specific characters nurtured since Gallo-Roman times.

But according to French consumer rights group UFC-Que Choisir, slack controls saw 99 per cent of all candidate wines awarded their AOC label in 2005, and pressure to produce higher yields has led to a collapse in quality.

Thumbs Downs: Popcorn concernsA US doctor has warned that consumers may be in danger from fumes coming from buttery flavouring in microwave popcorn.

A potentially fatal disease commonly called "popcorn lung" has already been the subject of lawsuits by hundreds of workers at US food factories exposed to chemicals used for flavouring.

Now a Denver pulmonary specialist says he has found the first case of a consumer who developed lung disease from the fumes of microwave popcorn.

Before you get too concerned, however, it should be pointed out that the man in question ate tubs of the stuff several times a day, every day, for years.