Dedicated iced coffee drinkers and dedicated snobs will tell you that the flavor of cold-brewed coffee is superior to coffee that has been brewed the regular way and cooled down. You’ll soon be able to try Starbucks’ version of the drink in certain regions of the country, but only if you get there early enough. [More]
Food & Personal Care
Study: Raising Legal Age To Buy Cigarettes To 21 Would Result In Fewer Smokers
By 3.12.15
By this point everyone can agree that smoking is harmful to your health, and yet there are still new smokers starting up the habit year after year. A new study from the Institute of Medicine says that swell in numbers could be curbed by raising the legal age to buy cigarettes to 21. [More]
Senators Urge FDA To Investigate Allegations That Purina’s Beneful Dry Kibble Includes Toxins
By 3.12.15
Several weeks after a lawsuit filed in California claimed that thousands of dogs became ill or died after eating Purina’s Beneful kibble, two senators are urging the Food & Drug Administration to open an investigation into the allegations. [More]
‘Breaking Bad’ Creator: If You’re Throwing Pizza On Walter White’s Albuquerque House, You’re A “Jagoff”
By 3.11.15
So you think you’re a Breaking Bad fan, huh? Well if you’re one of the people tossing pizza on the roof of Walter White’s home in Albuquerque, show creator Vince Gilligan has got some pointed words for you. [More]
Dew Shine From Mountain Dew Looks Like Booze, But Isn’t
By 3.11.15
Back when high fructose corn syrup hadn’t yet been invented, the phrase “Mountain Dew” meant something very different. While that name now reminds us of a highly caffeinated soft drink, originally it referred to homemade corn-based booze, or moonshine. Mountain Dew’s new limited-edition product is supposed to evoke moonshine while removing corn from the beverage altogether. [More]
FDA Warns That Chantix May Decrease Users’ Alcohol Tolerance
By 3.11.15
Smokers using the prescription drug Chantix (varenicline) to help them through the quitting process may want to sip their beers slowly, as this week the FDA approved new warnings that the drug can change the way users react to alcohol. [More]
McDonald’s Will Pay SXSW Performers After All
By 3.11.15
Global fast-food mega-brand McDonald’s has gone digging behind its metaphorical couch cushions this week after negative music festival-related publicity. A band exposed the company’s plans to not pay artists invited to play in its showcase at the South by Southwest Music Festival, even though it had budgeted to distribute free McDonald’s food and drink. Now, in an unsurprising move, McDonald’s will pay the bands that play in its showcase. [More]
Theft Of Truck Trailer Prevents Multiple Tons Of Mozzarella From Achieving Delicious Pizza Fate
By 3.10.15
Admittedly, a truck full of cheese would be a tempting sight for many, yours truly included. But some dastardly villain took things a step too far, swiping a tractor-trailer filled with multiple tons of mozzarella cheese, keeping it from heading off into the delicious pizza sunset it was destined for. That’s just wrong. [More]
Starbucks Mobile Ordering Expands To Washington And Idaho
By 3.10.15
If you’re dreaming of the day that you can order and pay for your Starbucks beverage with no human interaction whatsoever, you’re apparently not alone. Customers have been asking for the ability to order in advance from the mobile app for as long as Starbucks has had a mobile payment app, and the test is expanding from just one city to two states. Starbucks says that it should go national later this year. [More]
Burger King Quietly Dropped Soda From Kids Meals
By 3.10.15
When Wendy’s decided it January to remove soft drinks from its kids meals, it meant that Burger King was the only one of the big three burger chains to still include soda with their youth-targeted menu. But in the last month, BK has quietly pulled the sugary beverages from its kids meals and menu boards. [More]
Ex-Cop Battles Starbucks Tip Jar Thief, Saves The Day And $4
By 3.9.15
When is it worthwhile to intervene when you see a crime happening? That was the question raised recently in Orange County, California, when two men resorted to violence over a Starbucks tip jar containing only a few bucks. One was an ex-cop who was buying a drink at Starbucks, and the other a bike-riding thief. [More]
Zambia Will Soon Be The Home Of The Whopper
By 3.9.15
Burger King has spent this decade changing up its business model and potentially the way the entire fast food business works. Part of their bold strategy has been rapid international expansion with the help of their franchisees. What’s the next big growth market for the chain? Africa. [More]
Father Of Teen Poisoned By Caffeine Powder Files Lawsuit Blaming His Death On Supplement Makers, Amazon
By 3.6.15
The father of an Ohio teen who died in 2014 after ingesting a powdered caffeine marketed as a dietary supplement has filed a lawsuit against Amazon.com and the product’s distributors, claiming that they failed to provide proper warnings about the dangers of using the substance. [More]
FDA Approves First “Biosimilar” Drug. Could Drive Down Cost Of Most Expensive Medications
By 3.6.15
Biotech drugs — which are generally derived from a living organism, as opposed to traditional purely chemical medications — are currently among the most expensive medicines available. But today, the Food and Drug Administration issued its first approval of a drug that is “biosimilar” to an existing biotech medication; a development that could possibly result in billions of dollars in savings. [More]
This Year’s Special Arizona Diamondbacks Hot Dog Is A Churro Wrapped In A Doughnut
By 3.6.15
Last year, the Arizona Diamondbacks introduced the world to the D-Bat Dog, a $25, 18-inch corn dog stuffed with cheese and bacon. This year the baseball team has decided to go a more sugary route, introducing the Churro Dog, which is essentially, a churro wrapped in a doughnut. [More]
McDonald’s Invites Indie Band To Sell Out For No Pay
By 3.5.15
The South by Southwest Music Festival is an annual event in Austin, Texas, where you can discover relatively unknown independent bands and absorb other forms of culture. Playing the festival can be a great opportunity, and McDonald’s apparently knows this. The duo Ex Cops received an invitation to play at the “McDonald’s Showcase” at this year’s festival. How much was the global mega-corporation going to pay the band? Well, um, they don’t have a budget for paying the artists. [More]
McDonald’s To Use Chickens Raised Without Controversial Antibiotics
By 3.4.15
Last week we expressed hope that new McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook would do more than pay lip service to concerns about over-use of medically important antibiotics in farm animals, and today there appears to be some not-bad news coming out of the Golden Arches. The fast food mega-chain says it will only source chickens raised without the use of antibiotics that are important to humans and will offer milk that doesn’t contain artificial growth hormone. [More]
FDA Warns: If Your “Low T” Is Just From Getting Older, Don’t Use Prescription Testosterone
By 3.4.15
In recent years, makers of prescription testosterone treatments like AndroGel began throwing around the term “Low T” in TV ads, blaming low levels of the hormone for various problems — sex drive, flagging energy, moodiness — that have long been associated with simply growing older. But the FDA is now acknowledging that these drugs pose “a possible increased risk of heart attack and stroke” and are warning against their use for the treatment of anything other than very specific medical conditions. [More]
