How did tea, chocolate, sugar and coffee end up on Irish tables?

Tea’s journey from China to India and on to the UK and Ireland came through espionage

Obesity and Covid: the unanswered questions

Among people who tested positive for coronavirus, significantly more are overweight compared with those with a negative result

Scientist says food not to blame for cancers

Prof Mike Gibney says ‘lunatic fringe’ are peddling” myths about food and cancer

Eat dirt? Why on earth would you do that

The practice of geophagy, or eating earth/soil, was considered a dietary idiosyncrasy borne out of cultural and socioeconomic circumstances. However, new research suggests it could also be addictive

Superfoods: how super are they really?

‘If you are to eat some superfood constantly, you could end up with a very bad diet’

Anyone for protein-rich insects and seaweed snacks?

As fad diets boost global protein demand, Ireland’s seaweed species look appetising

Hospital food: enough to make you sick?

‘I felt I was getting luke-warm food that had been lying around for hours’

Opinion: Tax on fizzy drinks will not deflate obesity problem

No evidence to show that politically popular move will reduce sugar intake among people

Thinking on obesity is overly simplistic

There is much more behind the obesity problem than sugary drinks and fast food. Genetics are key

Don’t blame parents for childhood obesity

State must act to tax products with high sugar content and promote healthy, nutritious food

Change One Thing: We need better interaction between agri-food sector and graduates

What makes people fat? It’s not obvious

There are two competing theories to explain the causes of obesity, and they are about to be tested

Cultural hang-ups about food are making us fatter

Stories about babies being fed blended McDonald’s make the rest of us feel better – but the truth about obesity is much more complex

Fast food accounts for ‘minority of calories’ but gets all the focus

Hunger the ‘least important’ factor in determining what we eat