Popular Science pokes holes in the lawsuit filed last week against LaCroix, while also calling BS on the all-natural claim used on much food packaging. This is a great counterpoint! | learn more
Category: thoughts of food
Class action lawsuit alleges LaCroix contains bad stuff.
The company famously touts its beverages as “100% natural”. Now… “The firm Beaumont Costales, who filed the suit on behalf of Lenora Rice, claims that testing reveals that LaCroix contains a number of artificial ingredients, including linalool, which is used in cockroach insecticide.” |learn more
How the potato ushered in an era of peace.
“Its arrival in Europe had consequences that went far beyond diet.” I really like the way that macro analysis of yield per area led to this insight. | learn more
MIT students use AI to cook up pizza recipes.
“A group of MIT students set artificial intelligence loose on pizza recipes. The results were surprisingly good, in the end.” | learn more
You don’t love Domino’s like Russians love Domino’s.
Hundreds of Russians got tattoos in exchange for a free pizza offer. The franchise owner had to limit the offer to the first 350 people after he saw the surprising amount of demand. | learn more
About the German supermarkets expanding aggressively in America.
“We chart the progress of Aldi and Lidl, the largest German grocery chains that are conquering America.” | learn more
Rainbow trout can now be called salmon in China.
“A move to let rainbow trout be labelled as salmon after a food scandal causes a splash in China.” I guess nobody should be surprised by another food scandal coming from China, but I imagine the problem is actually a global one. I’d love to see a food supply chain transparency solution, blockchain or otherwise. | learn more
The ugly truth of ugly produce.
Phat Beets Produce puts the startup Imperfect Produce “on blast” for their business model. Basically, the author claims that the food wasn’t going un-eaten before their existence, so the business basically reduces supply for food banks. | learn more
Former Naf Naf execs look to repeat their success.
I love this! Any readers know these guy personally? “Two of the chain’s former execs look to grow a local barbecue chain and start a chain of authentic taquerias, looking to be the ‘Lettuce Entertain You of fast-casual restaurants.’” | learn more
Wheat gene map could boost food security and lower allergies.
“Scientists announced today they have mapped out more than 94% of the genome of Chinese Spring bread wheat — adding that by manipulating its genetic code, people could eventually improve global food security and possibly alleviate some immune disorders like celiac disease or wheat allergies.” | learn more
14,000-year-old bread rewrites history of baking.
“Breadcrumbs found at an excavation in Jordan reveal that humans were baking thousands of years earlier than previously believed. It may have even prompted them to settle down and plant cereals.” | learn more
MightyVine tomatoes to double operations.
I never thought I’d have a favorite brand of tomato, but I do! Kim and I have been buying these greenhouse-grown local tomatoes for a while, and their consistency is great. Glad to see this company growing. | learn more
Blue Apron’s steady decline continues.
Not much content other than the graph below but sharing link anyway. | learn more
11 new restaurant concepts reimagining fast food & casual dining.
This is an interesting roundup of cool new concepts by CB Insights. Sad that none of them are in Chicago yet. | learn more
The weird science of cheese.
We can thank Wired UK for this gem. “Cheese is not just food, it’s a variety show. The multitude of aromas, flavours, and textures found in cheeses throughout the world is more than we encounter with any other food” | learn more
One in three fish caught never make it to the plate.
A new report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization says “that 35% of global catches are wasted. About a quarter of these losses are bycatch or discards, mostly from trawlers, where unwanted fish are thrown back dead because they are too small or an unwanted species. But most of the losses are due to a lack of knowledge or equipment, such as refrigeration or ice-makers, needed to keep fish fresh.” | learn more
Meal-kit company Chef’d shuts down.
Two links related to this. The first is a Forbes article by industry consultant Brittain Ladd pronouncing the death of standalone meal-kit companies. The second is a LinkedIn articleby Chef’d former SVP of Retail Sean Butler expressing a totally contrary opinion.
Cargill reboots 153-year-old strategy.
“When William Wallace Cargill built the company, he helped revolutionize grain storage by constructing more-efficient warehouses with features such as multiple floors and conveyors. Now the company is again betting on agricultural innovations, this time by developing software advances its farm customers can use to increase the efficiency of their own operations.” | learn more
Ex-Uber CEO eyes building for ‘Cloud Kitchen’ startup in Chicago.
Closely tied to the ‘dark kitchen’ article above, Travis Kalanick has a new startup called Cloud Kitchens that’s bringing kitchen infrastructure to delivery-only restaurants in Chicago, NYC, and SF. | learn more
The ‘dark kitchens’ that are rewriting the rules for food entrepreneurs.
I hadn’t heard this term before, but we’ve all seen the concept by now: restaurants that are delivery-only. This interesting article highlights the concept with a UK focus. | learn more
Meatless products overrun grocery store meet cases.
The WSJ explores the topic of meatless burgers that are getting placement in the meat section of grocery stores. No surprise: the meat industry is pissed about it. (If you get stuck on WSJ paypall, just google the article title and click-thru from the result page.) | learn more
Paleo, keto, fasting, Whole30: Why food tribes are on the rise.
“Does it seem like suddenly everyone you know is identifying as Paleo, giving keto a whirl, or suffering through Whole30? It’s not your imagination.” | learn more
High-protein diets linked to increased risk of heart disease, even for vegetarians.
The 20-year study followed 2,400 Finnish men’s diets. I’m not sure what to make of this, but if nothing else it is interesting! | learn more
About the last Polish restaurant in the Polish Triangle.
I’m grateful that Block Club Chicago has finally launched, bringing the local news that matters back into my life. This is about the tiny Polish restaurant a few blocks from my house, Podhalanka. I’m going to eat there soon! | learn more
P.F. Chang’s goes to China.
Per the WSJ article, so far, it’s going better than Taco Bell’s attempt to break into the Mexico market. “The chain says it isn’t trying for real Chinese cuisine; diners want to know what Americans think Chinese food should taste like” | learn more