The idea of Lyft’s “Taco Mode,” where drivers happily cart their fares to the drive-thru line at their local Taco Bell, seemed like a fun marketing partnership and useful way to save passengers craving burritos from having an awkward conversation with their drivers. No one seems to have asked drivers about this idea beforehand, though, and they’ve been having visions of “taco hell” since the program was announced. [More]
Food & Personal Care
Does Caffeine Make You Crave Sugar?
By 8.25.17
Your morning coffee might be the jolt you need to make it to work without drowsily forgetting to put on your pants, but that caffeine may also be temporarily be dulling your taste buds, possibly leaving some folks still jonesing for something sweet. [More]
Skyrocketing Avocado Prices Could Mean Bad News For Chipotle
By 8.25.17
As if Chipotle needs any more bad news right now, industry analysts are now warning that there may be more tough times to come for the beleaguered company: Namely, soaring avocado prices could hit the chain right where it hurts — its bottomline. [More]
Why Is There A Seductive Photo Of A Woman In A McDonald’s Video Game?
By 8.25.17
This might be stating the obvious, but the backs of the cards on a solitaire machine in McDonald’s PlayPlace locations are supposed to have something kid-appropriate on them, not a photo of a woman in a seductive pose. Yet that’s what one girl found on a machine that was marked as being for ages 3-12, and her mother is upset that the game was left running until a local TV station stopped by to ask questions. [More]
Judge Throws Out Dozens Of Lawsuits Over Cellulose In ‘100% Grated Parmesan Cheese’
By 8.24.17
The recent revelation that your grated parmesan cheese might contain some cellulose powder led to dozens of lawsuits against Kraft Heinz, Walmart, Target, Albertsons, Publix, and others, alleging that these companies misled shoppers with labels that declared “100% grated parmesan” or something similar. But today the federal judge overseeing all these disputes dismissed the lawsuits, saying that people should read the labels on the food they buy. [More]
Breaking News: It’s No Longer “Cool” To Eat Brains
By 8.24.17
Put down that fork! You were probably about to enjoy a delicious plate of steaming hot brains, but we’ve got news: Eating animal organs and entrails has become so normal in restaurants these days, it’s no longer cool to consume brains. [More]
Caribou Coffee Gets Hungry, Buys Bruegger’s Bagels
By 8.24.17
When you already own a donut company, a sandwich chain, and a handful of coffee brands, what do you buy next? If you’re JAB Holdings you seek out bagels: The parent company of Krispy Kreme, Panera, Caribou Coffee, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, and Keurig Green Mountain has bought Bruegger’s Bagels. [More]
Bizarre KFC VR Escape Room/Training Exercise Haunted By Ghost Of Anti-Robot Col. Sanders
By 8.24.17
What do you get when you combine virtual reality, escape rooms, corporate training videos, and a very cranky fast food mascot? In the case of KFC’s bizarre new VR training video, probably the weirdest eight minutes of your day. [More]
Chicken Skewers Sold At Costco Recalled Over Listeria Concerns
By 8.24.17
If your dinner plans include enjoying those chicken skewers you grabbed at Costco, you might want to go with plan B: More than 20,000 pounds of chicken skewers have been recalled over listeria contamination concerns. [More]
Ad Watchdog Group Calls For Investigation Into Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop
By 8.23.17 — Updated: 8.24.17
From paying $425 for a cleanse to claiming “healing stickers” are made from material designed for NASA space suits, Gwyneth Paltrow’s “modern lifestyle brand” Goop is no stranger to controversy. Now, a consumer watchdog group is asking regulators in California to investigate the product line for deceptive advertising. [More]
Washington State Begs Anglers To Go Fishing, Help Clean Up Farmed Salmon Spill
By 8.23.17
When you hear about a “spill” in a waterway, you might picture waste products or some kind of noxious liquid. In Washington state, though, the state is asking for the public’s help in cleaning up a massive and very problematic spill of live salmon from an aquaculture farm north of Seattle. [More]
McDonald’s Gradually Expanding Its Use Of Antibiotic-Free Chickens To Rest Of The World
By 8.23.17
Here in the U.S., McDonald’s says its McNuggets are all already sourced from chickens raised without the use of controversial antibiotics. But the continued overuse of antibiotics in overseas farm animals — particularly in some developing nations where the practice is growing — also puts people worldwide at risk for contracting and spreading antibiotic-resistant bacteria. So today, McDonald’s said it is expanding its antibiotic-free program on a global basis — but not right away. [More]
Can Retailers Use Stealth Calorie Cuts To Get Shoppers To Eat Healthier?
By 8.23.17
While there is a large segment of the population always looking for healthier, lower-calorie food options, there are some shoppers who like the things they buy just the way they are — and who react negatively when their favorite foods are tweaked. Is there a way to get these folks consuming fewer calories? [More]
Philadelphia Learns That Soda Tax May Be A Bad Long-Term School Funding Solution
By 8.22.17
Here’s the problem with “sin” taxes, like those on alcohol, tobacco, and fizzy beverages: You can use those taxes to raise money for a specific purpose, or to encourage citizens to consume less of the thing being taxed, but you can’t hope for both. That’s what Philadelphia has learned as its tax on sweetened beverages has failed to raise as much money as the city hoped. [More]
CDC: Backyard Chickens Mean Salmonella Outbreaks, So Wash Your Hands
By 8.22.17
In the last decade or so, raising backyard chickens has become a popular hobby. Maybe it’s due to a receession-era homesteading impulse, or people prioritizing really local food. However, live chickens and ducks have been linked to almost 1,000 known cases of Salmonella, which have sent hundreds of people to the hospital and killed one person. About one-third of those cases were in children under age 5. [More]
Same-Sex Couple Claims Server Told Them Sharing A Dessert “Wouldn’t Look Right”
By 8.22.17
Sharing a dessert with your dining companion is nothing new, but a same-sex couple in D.C. claims that when they asked their server for two spoons so they could split a sundae, they were told such a thing wouldn’t be possible, and doesn’t go with the “ambiance” of the restaurant. [More]
Panera’s Cups Will Now Tell You How Much Sugar Is In That Fountain Drink
By 8.22.17
Panera Bread’s health crusade continues apace this week: After launching a new “clean” beverage line and posting calorie and added sugars information for its drinks in its stores, Panera will be rolling out new cups that list nutritional information for every beverage it sells. [More]
Jury Awards Woman $417M In Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Lawsuit
By 8.21.17
Three months after a Missouri jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay a record-setting $110.5 million to a Virginia woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer linked to the company’s talcum-based products, another jury in California has dwarfed that judgment, handing down a $417 million verdict in a similar suit. [More]
