Food manufacturers are increasing the healthful properties of orange juice, chocolate, yogurt, peanut butter and countless other products by adding "nutraceuticals," foods (or part of a food) that provides medical or health benefits. Omega-3 oil can be extracted from fish and mixed in with orange juice. Antioxidants extracted from beets, carrots and bananas can be added to peanut butter. Is it really healthier, or is it just another strategy to open wallets a little wider with something new to shove down the gullet?

The mortgage giant Fannie Mae is in the spotlight this week, but there is another Fannie May that has had its own share of business woes: The Chicago-based confectioner Fannie May. We go down the company’s rocky road with David Greising. He’s the chief business correspondent for The Chicago Tribune.

It’s the middle of the night at the Eagle Rib Cookoff in Eagle, Idaho and 21 teams have been cooking meat overnight.

When Katrina ripped through New Orleans, only a handful of restaurants survived the initial blow. Today 955 restaurants are up and thriving -- that's according to food critic and radio host Tom Fitzmorris' citywide restaurant count. Fitzmorris talks with The Takeaway about the city's enduring spirit.

When Hurricane Katrina pounded New Orleans, the restaurant scene took a beating. Three years later, even though much of New Orleans is still hurting, many of the city’s famous restaurants are in full swing and new ones are thriving. But the restaurant Stanley is in a class all its own. Two weeks after hurricane Katrina, Chef Scott Boswell started flipping burgers at his impromptu restaurant, Stanley. Boswell closed the joint down for renovations almost two years ago. In a matter of days Stanley will make its second debut as a world-class diner. Chef Scott Boswell joins The Takeaway to talk about how Stanley’s trajectory is actually a metaphor for post Katrina New Orleans.

Guest: Mark Bittman, The New York Times

Look for new placards at your grocery store that say "local." More stores are catching on to food that's made close to home. In part, it's because of high oil prices, which make it harder to transport food, but it's also due to the curiosity of Americans who want to know where their food comes from. It's doesn't matter why: Local farmers know a boon when they see it.

Starbucks seem to be everywhere, but for some communities, getting one means your town has "made it." That’s why, when the company announced the closing 5 percent of its stores across the nation earlier this month, some cried out, “Save our Starbucks!” The Takeaway talks with Chicago Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel about the campaign to keep them open.

This week, The Museum of the American Cocktail opens in New Orleans, home of the Sazerac. The Takeaway downs a few shots of wisdom from museum curator Ted Haigh.

Happy Birthday, Big Mac. The McDonald’s signature burger turns 40 this year and the company has asked MySpace users for their own take on the iconic song. The Takeaway talks about the different ways you can sing two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-seed bun. Also online, view video of classic food jingles.

With food and gas prices soaring, eating out has become a luxury. But a growing movement, with its pay-what-you-can policy, is making a trip to the restaurant affordable—and for some, free. The Takeaway talks to Denise Cerrata, a pioneering foodie with civic-minded flair. Five years ago she opened a restaurant that lets people work for a meal or donate whatever they can afford.

As the old adage goes, “Knowing is half the battle.” On Friday, New York City will begin levying fines against fast-food outlets that decline to release calorie counts. For a nation trying to buck the obesity trend, do we actually know what we’re eating?

Guest: Steve Hindy, founder of Brooklyn Brewery

Guest: Bill Wyman, Hitsville.org

Guest: Maryann Bard, director of the PBS documentary "The Rise of the Southern Biscuit" and author of "Biscuit Dive Guide." She joins The Takeaway from Nashville, Tenn.

A delegation of South Korean officials is on its way to Washington, D.C., as part of an effort to calm fears over mad cow disease. There have been demonstrations in South Korea over plans to resume imports of U.S. beef. The Takeaway gets the latest from the BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul.

Guests: Pamela Ronald and Raoul Adamchak