Edible billboards

Last week chocolate-maker Thornton's unveiled the world's first edible billboard just in time for Easter. It was made from 390 kilos of pure chocolate and was 14.5 feet high.

Ten hand-crafted chocolate bunnies and 72 giant chocolate Easter eggs decorate the billboard. It took around 221 hours to make the chocolate panels, eggs, bunnies and lettering and it has almost certainly been scoffed by now.

Bigger beans

It's better known for its pickles than its beans, but Branston seems determined to knock Heinz off its pedestal with the launch of its new "supersize" beans, which are around 50 per cent bigger than usual. By using otebo beans rather than the Canadian navy variety usually found in canned beans, Branston claims its new offering is a "genuinely new product" for customers.

An apple a day . . .

It's official - eating fruit at breakfast makes you happier. A survey commissioned by fruit drink maker Innocent reveals that those of us who manage to grab a portion of fruit at breakfast are happier, healthier and have better social and sex lives than those of us who don't. One in five people who consume no fruit at breakfast feel permanently run down, are 50 per cent less likely to do any exercise, and considerably more likely to have breakfast at home alone, rather than with friends and family.

Salmonella scare

Nearly a quarter of chicken flocks reared for meat across Europe was infected with salmonella, a report published last week said.

Contamination rates varied "widely" from zero to 68 per cent across the countries surveyed for the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

In light of the findings, the European Commission is to set targets for cutting levels of the two strains of salmonella which most commonly cause food poisoning in humans.