You’ve surely heard the term “low-carb,” but we’re not sure you know “low-carbon.” No, this one isn’t about slimming down and going without pasta and bread. It involves that now-cliched term “carbon footprint.” According to this piece about low-carbon in the L.A. Times, “Conscientious consumers … [have] changed lightbulbs. They covet a Prius more than a Porsche. Now their anxiety over global warming has shifted to the supermarket and the dinner table.”

Well, we knew that, didn’t we? But you might be surprised to hear that 400 university and corporate cafeterias are going with a new Low Carbon Diet. A sign in one college cafeteria starts off with “Cows or Cars?” Tough question for a coed, but it’s a different game these days. There is some vocab in here that you should brush up on, if you aren’t familiar with terms like “locavore.”

And there’s a ruckus being raised about the trendy yogurt called Pinkberry, which isn’t as natural as some consumers might have thought it to be. A lawsuit was filed last year “accusing the company of deceptive marketing,” which prompted Pinkberry to post their ingredients on its Web site. Then, two weeks ago, the suit was settled — and people are a little worked up because, as The New York Times reports, there is “a great deal more than yogurt in those costly white cups.”

With 23 items in all, there are “at least five additives defined by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization as emulsifiers (propylene glycol esters, lactoglycerides, sodium acid pyrophosphate, mono- and diglycerides); four acidifiers (magnesium oxide, calcium fumarate, citric acid, sodium citrate); tocopherol, a natural preservative; and two ingredients — starch and maltodextrin — that were characterized as fillers by Dr. Gary A. Reineccius, a professor in the department of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota and an expert in food additives.”

When it comes to fro-yo, it seems like you can’t have it all. And FYI, chief Pinkberry competitor Red Mango has fewer ingredients. We’d tell you which one is yummier if we could, but as usual we Washingtonians must wait for the arrival of the newest/latest.

More nutrition (and food regulation) ennui: NYC fast-casual eaters are having “sticker shock” due to a pilot program that lets consumers know the nutrition info on some of their favorite quick treats. Read the piece for the full scoop, but let’s just say some were stunned to learn their seemingly innocent scone packed a 480-calorie wallop.