Food Roundup: Coke to Launch Stevia Drinks While Pepsi Waits, FDA and EPA Disagree on Mercury, and More

(MoneyWatch)  Coke to launch stevia drinks -- Coca-Cola will start selling drinks containing stevia in the U.S., even though the FDA has not yet declared that the new zero-calorie sweetener is safe. PepsiCo said it will wait for official approval before marketing its own stevia products. [Source: AP]

FDA says mercury in fish OK -- A Food and Drug Administration report says children and mothers should eat more fish, despite concerns over mercury contamination. EPA scientists criticized the new recommendations. [Source: Chicago Tribune]

Dairy Queen to release video game -- The company announced a new game, DQ Tycoon, in which players will run their own Dairy Queen restaurant. The game goes on sale Friday at Target and online. [Source: Nation's Restaurant News]

2008 lousy for cattle producers -- This has been cattle producers' worst year ever, according to the Livestock Marketing Information Center. Rising production costs and falling cattle prices have led to record losses across the industry. [Source: Meat&Poultry]