Not satisfied with the current assortment of holiday beverages at your local Starbucks? You’re in luck, maybe. The chain is testing two new flavors of their traditional seasonal sugar bombs in different markets. [More]
Food & Personal Care
Thank Goodness Someone Is Finally Working On An Emergency Pizza Button
By 11.13.13
We’ve heard of magical pizza buttons in far away lands before, but now there’s something in the works right here at home. It’s not going to be on the market anytime but still. A button just for pizza, when you need it most. That’s a world I want to live in. [More]
Starbucks Has To Shell Out $2.7 Billion In Dispute Over Packaged Coffee
By 11.13.13
When you don’t want to play anymore, it’s time to pay. At least in the world of business, where deals can’t just be dropped whenever it’s convenient. Starbucks is on the line for $2.7 billion it must pay to settle a dispute between it and Kraft Foods after the coffee giant ended a distribution deal for its bagged coffee. [More]
FDA Looking To Close Loophole That Slowed Safety Warnings On Generics
By 11.8.13
Imagine for a moment the tale of two friends, Jim and Joe. Jim takes Gleemonex, which makes it feel like it’s 72 degrees in your head all the time. Joe takes a generic form of the drug, which we’ll call walmonex. If the folks who make Gleemonex realize there’s a problem with the drug, they can immediately slap a warning on the product before getting FDA approval, but if the makers of the walmonex discover that same problem, they currently have to wait for the FDA and the brand-name drug makers to review the issue. This loophole is, quite obviously, a bad thing for consumers. So it’s good news that the FDA is now looking to close it. [More]
Domino’s Not Clear About How Daylight Saving Time Works
By 11.7.13
Donna decided to be all efficient and stuff. She knew that she needed some pizzas for a high school team event on Monday, November 4th, so she placed the online order the previous Friday. Seven pizzas at 2:30 on Monday afternoon. The pizzas weren’t ready, though. Why? The system had corrected her order for Daylight Saving Time, and it wouldn’t be ready until 2:30. [More]
FDA Working On A Plan To Completely Remove Trans Fat From Our Food Supply
By 11.7.13
While some restaurants proudly tout the lack of artificial trans fat in their menu items and grocery store aisles are peppered with items labeled trans fat free, if the Food and Drug Administration has its way, no one will have trans fat in any food. The FDA has apparently had it up to here with the stuff, and is starting a process that will take trans fat out of our entire food supply. [More]
Starbucks To Hire 10,000 Vets, Military Spouses In Coming Years
By 11.6.13
As part of its plan to increase its workforce while helping military personnel transition to civilian work, Starbucks is announcing today that, over the next five years, it intends to hire at least 10,000 armed forces veterans and spouses of active-duty servicemembers. [More]
Burger King Resurrects Big Mac Clone, Complete With Third Bun
By 11.5.13
Think back all the way to 1997 and you might recall something called the Big King on the menu at Burger King. It had a lot of thee same fixings as the Big Mac, but it never caught the hearts and stomachs of consumers and was pulled from the menu before it went national, and it lacked the all-important middle bun. Now it’s back from the dead with a few new additions in an effort to put the heat on the Big Mac. [More]
Who’s To Blame When A Flying Hot Dog Injures Someone: The Fan Or The Sports Team?
By 11.4.13
About three years ago a fan at a Kansas City Royals game got beaned in the face and decided to sue the team. But the flying object doing the beaning wasn’t a baseball, which could be reasonably expected to fly into the stands and hurt someone, but a hot dog flung by the mascot as part of the “fan attraction” at Kauffman Stadium. So who’s to blame? [More]
What Can ‘The Walking Dead’ Teach Us About Public Health Crises?
By 11.1.13
There are many things fans of The Walking Dead can learn about a potential zombie apocalypse: Crossbows are awesome when Daryl is wielding one, never trust someone who just goes by “The Governor” and zombies are always snacking. But more perhaps important than studying the way Rick tenses his eyes just so, there are vital lessons about public health to be had from the popular post-apocalyptic show. [More]
Now We Know What Happened To That Creepy Burger King Mascot
By 11.1.13
If, like me, you were plagued with nightmares of that super-creepy, mammoth-headed “King” character from those Burger King ads that ran on TV (and in print, and in video game form) for far too long, then you may be sad to know he hasn’t gone away. He just works behind the counter at Taco Bell now. [More]
McDonald’s Has Pumpkin Pie. Don’t Eat It.
By 10.31.13
As you may have noticed, the American food industry has an ongoing plan to put pumpkin or artificial pumpkin-like substances in every food item possible between August and November. However, just because you like pumpkin, that doesn’t mean you should try all of them. Here’s a new cautionary tale: McDonald’s now offers a pumpkin pie, but you shouldn’t eat it. [More]
FDA: There Are Gross Things (Like Bug Parts) In 12% Of Imported Spices
By 10.31.13
It’s never going to be a fun read when a report from the Food and Drug Administration includes the words “pathogen,” “filth” and “insects.” Unless your idea of fun includes learning that 12% of the spices we import for food purposes are contaminated. [More]
Why Are Poultry Processing Plants Boiling Millions Of Birds Alive?
By 10.30.13
Most Americans eat meat, but that doesn’t mean that they want the animals destined for their plates to suffer a painful death. Yet U.S. Department of Agriculture records show that every year, almost a million birds are plunged into boiling water by accident because of small failures within the largely mechanized slaughter process. [More]
Childhood Nightmare Comes To Life As Clown Attacks Customer In Taco Bell Drive-Thru
By 10.30.13
Like something out a horrible dream from which you wake up drenched in sweat, screaming, a couple in Washington state were the victims of a clown attack while getting their food from a Taco Bell drive-thru. [More]
Burger King Customer Complains About Sandwich, Employee Threatens Him With Box Cutter
By 10.29.13
While it’s been a while since any of us have worked in fast food, we’re pretty sure that “Threaten him with box cutter” is not among Burger King’s suggested methods for dealing with a dissatisfied (dissatisfried?) customer. [More]
Domino’s France Has A Curry Pizza For Some Reason
By 10.29.13
It’s time for the occasional return of the Sublim’Curry at Domino’s France. What’s that, you ask? It’s a poultry curry pizza, because someone at Domino’s France thought that would be a good idea. [More]
Starbucks Launches “Tweet-A-Friend” Coffee Gift Certificates
By 10.28.13
Usually the only jolts I receive on Twitter are the result of a little light cyberstalking of an ex-so-and-so (He owns a llama farm?!?) but Starbucks is seeking to change that with a new “tweet-a-coffee” promotion. The idea being that sending a pick-me-up by way of a $5 eGift card will make all of your friends love you and every caffeinated dream come true. Or something. [More]
