The Simpsons eat right in Britain, the best brown-bag lunches, mini kiwis hit the Brick Works

• In a bid to persuade Britons to eat healthier, the U.K’s Department of Health is sponsoring episodes of The Simpsons, to the tune of £640,000 ($1 million). The animated commercials will showing a Simpsons-esque family eating junk food that slowly morphs into healthier alternatives. May we suggest a better way to get citizens healthier would be to have them turn off the television entirely and get some exercise? After all, you don’t make friends with salad. [National Post]

• For those with kids complaining about the lack of variety in their lunches, the Washington Post has saved the day. The paper asked four pros to design a month’s worth of lunches, fit for even the sparkliest Dora the Explorer lunch bag. The flavourful options are healthy and low-calorie and even includes a week of vegan options. The menu had us looking at our own brown bags and wondering if we could swap with the kids. [Washington Post]

• The latest Vintages catalogue from the LCBO highlights Californian wine. But all 15 selections are more than $20. What gives? As solace, the Star offers up some cheaper, more international selections. [Toronto Star]

• The standout fruit at this year’s Picnic at the Brick Works were Ontario grown kiwis. The grape-sized kiwis, native to Korea, northern China and Siberia, are actually well suited for northern climes. At the picnic, the kiwis were cut in half, suspended in a Cave Spring riesling jelly and served atop basil leaves. Our mom’s grapes in Jell-o never tasted like this. [Toronto Star]

• Bad news for yogurt junkies: the European Food Safety Authority has found that hundreds of the “probiotic” strains of bacteria added to foods were not shown to improve health or immunity, as suggested in ad campaigns. Also on the cutting block was taurine, an ingredient in Red Bull, which the EFSA says does not increase energy. [Guardian]