After outbreaks of Salmonella, norovirus, and E. coli that made hundreds of diners sick, burrito eatery Chipotle made some changes to its food-handling practices, which included processing more food in central “canteen” facilities, adding lemon juice to chopped vegetables, and testing all of their ingredients for pathogens. While facing low sales and an expensive food giveaway, Chipotle is considering maybe rolling some of those changes back. [More]
Food & Personal Care
Taco Bell Turns Quesarito Partially Inside Out, Sells It In Toledo
By 3.15.16
Remember back in early 2015, when we heard rumors that a new cheese-stuffed shell called the “Quesalupa” was being tested in Toledo? The Quesalupa ended up as the centerpiece of a Super Bowl ad and is now a nationwide item. What’s on the menu only in Ohio now? A rolled-up creation that’s sort of a backwards Quesarito. [More]
Free Cones Today At Dairy Queen For Children’s Miracle Network Fundraiser
By 3.15.16
Here’s how you get a free small vanilla cone today from Dairy Queen: stop by a restaurant and ask for one. That’s all you need to do. Officially, the event is a Children’s Miracle Network fundraiser, and you should make a donation if you’re able, but the cones are free either way. You get one per customer, for as long as the store is open today. [More]
5 Strange Things We Learned About Sudden Closures Of Old Country And HomeTown Buffets
By 3.15.16
Earlier this month, buffet restauranteur Ovation Brands filed for bankruptcy and abruptly shut down many of its restaurants — like Old Country Buffet, HomeTown Buffet, Fire Mountain, and Ryan’s Steakhouse — without even a heads-up to its employees. Curious about what drove Ovation into this bankruptcy — the company’s third since 2008 — we took a closer look at some of the court filings, which raised more questions than they did answers. [More]
Kellogg: Investigators Looking Into Video Of Factory Worker Urinating On Assembly Line
By 3.14.16
Don’t like your cereal excessively soggy? Kellogg doesn’t either: the company says there’s a criminal investigation underway after a video surfaced that appears to show a factory worker urinating on a Rice Krispies assembly line. [More]
Here’s Where You Can Get Deals And Freebies In Celebration Of Pi Day
By 3.14.16
If you’re a person who likes free or discounted food, congratulations! You’ve got a lot of company, and we freebie lovers like to support each other as much as we can. Which is why we’d like to share with you a few places you can get deals today, March 14, or 3/14, in celebration of Pi Day.
[More]
USDA Investigating Possible Plastic Sabotage At Poultry Processing Plant
By 3.11.16
While it’s not uncommon to hear about chicken products that end up containing wayward bits of plastic (like this nugget issue, this sausage situation, and yet another nugget problem), federal officials are on the case of an incident at a poultry processing line in Missouri that might be a case of deliberate sabotage, instead of a run-of-the-mill accident. [More]
We Can All Be Proud That A Wisconsin Cheese Won The World Championship Cheese Contest
By 3.11.16
Full disclosure: I’m from Wisconsin, and I love cheese. So it isn’t surprising that the news that a Wisconsin cheese won the World Championship Cheese contest has me over the moon (which is made of cheese, of course). But we can all be proud, friends, because this is the world championship, and no U.S. cheese has won the title in nearly 30 years… until now. America! [More]
3M DiGiorno, Lean Cuisine, Stouffer’s Meals Recalled After Customers Find Glass In Food
By 3.10.16
Take a moment before you pop that pizza in the oven or start the clock on your microwaveable frozen meal: Nestlé USA is recalling almost three million total boxes of frozen food, including some DiGiorno pizzas, Stouffer’s lasagnas and Lean Cuisine meals. [More]
Pistachios Sold At Trader Joe’s & Other Stores Recalled After 9-State Salmonella Outbreak
By 3.10.16
If you’re dipping into a bag of pistachios as you read this, take a pause and check to make sure your nuts aren’t among those recalled after 11 people in nine states became ill from salmonella-tainted nuts. [More]
Taco Bell Launching $1 “Morning Value Menu” In Nationwide Breakfast Expansion
By 3.10.16
Breakfast: it’s what all the cool kids are offering these days. In order to keep up with the crowd Taco Bell is amping up its breakfast efforts, with a new “Morning Value Menu,” offering most items for $1. [More]
Cargill Cutting Back On Antibiotics In Its Beef
By 3.9.16
While several large chicken producers and buyers have made efforts to reduce the non-medical use of antibiotics, the beef industry has not been as quick to respond to growing concern among the medical community, and consumers at large, about the overuse of these medically important drugs in cows. But beef biggie Cargill has announced a plan to cut back on the vital antibiotics it provides to its bovines. [More]
McDonald’s Testing Full Breakfast Menu All Day In A Few Markets
By 3.9.16
If a limited all-day breakfast menu is good for business, is a full all-day breakfast menu even better for business? That’s what McDonald’s is trying to find out as it tries serving the whole breakfast menu all day in the Triad region of North Carolina, and in Tulsa, OK. [More]
Massachusetts Chipotle Shut Down Temporarily After Employee Diagnosed With Norovirus
By 3.8.16
In an apparent effort to pre-empt a norovirus outbreak like the one that sickened more than 150 people in Boston a few months ago, Chipotle has temporarily closed a restaurant in the nearby town of Billerica after a worker there was diagnosed with the virus. [More]
Horrible Taco Bell Customer Tosses Drink In Employee’s Face; Doesn’t Realize Drive-Thru Has Cameras
By 3.8.16
What sort of childhood trauma brings one to the point of deciding to throw a drink in the face of a fast food worker? More importantly, what sort of person does this today and doesn’t think they will be photographed from multiple angles? [More]
Kraft Heinz: “Virtually No One Noticed” Mac & Cheese Recipe Change
By 3.7.16
After announcing 11 months ago that it would remove artificial colors and preservatives from its Macaroni & Cheese product, Kraft Heinz says it went ahead and did that… and basically no one remarked on the change. [More]
Perdue Recalling Applegate Farms Chicken Nuggets That May Include Extra Crunchy Plastic Pieces
By 3.7.16
Everyone loves a good crunch when biting into a chicken nugget, but if that texture is imparted by inedible plastic pieces, well, that’s a problem. To that end, Perdue Foods is recalling about 4,530 pounds of Applegate Farms chicken nuggets over concerns that the products may be contaminated with wayward plastic. [More]
Starbucks Sausage, Egg & Cheese Muffin Recalled For Listeria Concerns
By 3.7.16
A company that makes Starbucks’ pre-packaged Sausage, Egg, and Cheddar Cheese on English Muffin has issued a recalled for the breakfast sandwich over concerns that they may be contaminated with Listeria. [More]
