Here are some food happenings to help you beat the heat:
— We've taken back the title of the gelatin capital of the world. Now, the first-ever Jell-O Festival takes place July 23 at Provo's North Park, 500 North and 500 West, at 8:15 p.m. The event, sponsored by the Provo Teen Center, includes Jell-O eating and sculpture contests, as well as a Jell-O target toss, a Jell-O sheet fling, a Jell-O spoon-relay race and water-balloon volleyball. Those who wish to enter the sculpture contest must register by 5 p.m. that day at the Provo Teen Center, 222 W. 500 North 801-852-7635.
— Lugano Restaurant, 3364 S. 2300 East, celebrates its first anniversary this month. On July 18, the restaurant features a five-course "tasting" dinner, with dishes like Stuffed Squash Blossoms and Fava Beans with Pecorino. To kick off its second year, the restaurant hosts a series of guest chefs to highlight the cuisines from different regions in Italy, beginning in August. For information and reservations, call 412-9994.
— Here's an incentive to clear your garage of all the old bikes your kids have outgrown (or to get revenge on the neighbor kid who keeps leaving his old beat-up bike on your lawn). Donate bicycles to Red Robin Restaurants' fifth-annual Burgers for Bikes, Bikes for Kids Program. Between now and Aug. 5, the public can donate bikes that are still in ridable condition to any of the Red Robin Restaurants in Layton, West Valley, Murray and Provo. Donors receive certificates good for a free burger on their next Red Robin visit. The bikes are reconditioned by teens from local youth corrections facilities who have been trained by Aardvark Cycles.com. Then they are given to underprivileged local youths.
— Taco Loco, located at the Cottonwood Mall, is Holladay's newest Mexican restaurant. Owners are Lizz Marsh and Kento Bertleson. Specialties of the house are enchiladas — four different kinds. It's at 4835 S. Highland Drive.
— If you use Sweet 'N Low artificial sweetener, you may notice that those pink packets no longer contain the warning label: "Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. The product contains saccharin, which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals."
In May 2000, the National Toxicology Program's Ninth Report on Carcinogens removed saccharin from its list of cancer-causing agents.
Back in 1977, the FDA proposed banning saccharin after studies showed it caused bladder cancer in rats fed very high doses. At the time, saccharin — 350 times sweeter than sugar — was the only sugar substitute on the U.S. market. Another sweetener, cyclamates, was banned in 1969, after research linked high doses to cancer and chromosome damage in rats. (Cyclamates was the sweetener in the popular Fizzies drink tablets.)
The move to ban saccharin caused an outcry from dieters, diabetics and food manufacturers. Congress passed a law that delayed the ban but required a warning label on all foods containing saccharin. Since then, industry officials claim the cancer-causing mechanism would happen only in rats, not people. Last December, then-President Bill Clinton signed a bill to remove the warning label.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (the folks who have warned us of the fat in popcorn and called fettucine Alfredo "heart attack on a plate") say that saccharin is still questionable. The CSPI predicts that removing the warning notice will result in increased use of saccharin and, in turn, a slightly greater incidence of cancer.
The CSPI is also skeptical about the safety of other artificial sweeteners — acesulfame-K, used in Pepsi One, and aspartame (also known as Nutra-Sweet.). An article on the group's Web site, "Chemical Cuisine," noted that "since 1980, consumption of artificial sweeteners and rates of obesity have both soared."
E-MAIL: vphillips@desnews.com