Did you know that McDonald's fries are rich in potassium and a good source of fiber? That's the sort of information that moms are getting in a new "Quality Correspondents" program that the world's largest fast-food chain has initiated to showcase the quality of its food and win over the gatekeepers of what we eat. "The mothers are invited to go behind the scenes of the company's operations, meet senior executives and then communicate what they see via the Web, along with appearing in video of their travels," Michael S. Rosenwald reports. They are not …

A study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research has determined that a fast-food TV-ad ban for children's programming would reduce the number of overweight children aged 3 to 11 by 18%, and for adolescents aged 12- to 18 by 14%. The study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, appears in The Journal of Law and Economics this month. Data also revealed a more pronounced effect on males than females, Emily Bryson York reports. "We have known for some time that childhood obesity has gripped our culture, but …

Burger King's California restaurants now display signs warning consumers that its grilled chicken items contain PhIP, a cancer-causing compound produced when meats are cooked at high temperatures. The warning signs are part of a settlement of a lawsuit against Burger King and six other chains by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

A European Medicines Agency committee says there would be too little medical oversight if the anti-impotence drug Viagra were to be sold over the counter in Europe. Pfizer, which said OTC sales would help men who were too embarrassed to seek help from their doctor, is withdrawing its application for the medicine to be available without a prescription. EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use is "particularly worried about the diagnosis of overt and silent cardiovascular disease, of which ED can be an early marker," a spokeswoman says.

A Democratic representative ridiculed Detroit CEOs who, looking for a handout, traveled to Washington by corporate jets. "There's a delicious irony of seeing private luxury jets flying into D.C. and people coming off them with tin cups in their hands, saying that they're going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses," observed Gary Ackerman, D-NY. Chris Dodd, one of the chief Senate champions of granting aid, describes the prospect of a bailout bill as "remote."

Promising that you can now "hug trees as you hug corners," BMW has unveiled the Mini E, an electric version of its Mini Cooper, at the Los Angeles auto show. In a pilot program, the German automaker will lease just 500 cars to drivers who have locked garages in Los Angeles and metropolitan New York City. More than 10,000 drivers have applied to plunk down $850 a month. A video of the Mini E can be viewed here.