Restaurants
1 In 6 Restaurants Has Closed, Says National Restaurant Association
Image Source: Dapiki Moto
According to a recent survey by the National Restaurant Association, the restaurant industry has experienced 100,000 closures since the start of the pandemic. From March through July, the industry lost $165 billion in revenue. According to the report, 40% of restaurateurs say it is “unlikely their restaurant will still be in business six months from now if there are no additional relief packages from the federal government.”
Federal Judge Rules In Favor Of Fast-Food Employees In Labor Dispute
Image Source: Paul Sancya/Associated Press
A federal judge has overturned a prior ruling that made it difficult for employees to win lawsuits against companies for violations made by franchisees or contractors. The prior rule effectively shielded parent companies and prevented workers at franchises like McDonald’s and Burger King from winning cases regarding minimum-wage law infractions and overtime infractions. More than 15 states disputed the rule, and last week, Judge Gregory H. Woods of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan stood by them, overturning the prior Labor Department ruling.
Beverages
New "Strongest Beer In The World" Sells Out In A Day
Image Source: BrewDog
Scottish brewing company, BrewDog, and German brewer, Schorschbräu, have settled a decade-long rivalry over who could make the strongest beer. The two breweries collaborated on “Strength In Numbers,” now considered the strongest beer in the world at 57% alcohol by volume (ABV). The high-alcohol brew is made by a process known as “fractional freezing,” and when released in the UK at £29 ($37.50) per bottle, it sold out within a day.
2,600-Year-Old Phoenician Winery Discovered In Lebanon
Image Source: The Drinks Business
Archeologists in Lebanon have excavated a wine press used as early as the 7th century B.C. The remains of the 2,600-year-old wine press were discovered during an archaeological dig at Tell el-Burak, a Lebanese city near the Mediterranean sea in what would have been ancient Phoenician homelands. The discovery suggests that wine previously found in hundreds of amphorae in two Phoenician shipwrecks off the Israeli coast was supplied by the Tell el-Burak winery.
Supply Chain
US To Import British Beef For First Time In 24 Years
Image Source: Tim Scrivener
This month, the US will receive its first shipment of beef from the UK in the past 24 years. The USDA has effectively lifted its 24-year ban on British beef that went in effect amid the mad cow disease scare in the mid 1990s. The first shipments will come from Northern Ireland and Wales, and lifting the ban opens the door to an estimated £66 million of export opportunities for UK farmers over the next five years.
Canadian Beef Thieves Steal $230,000 Worth Of Roasts And Steaks
Image Source: AlexRaths / iStock via Getty Images
Two rustlers in Alberta presented themselves as truck drivers for a fake company called "Transport Pascal Charland" and made off with nearly a quarter of a million dollars worth of beef from a JBS meatpacking plant. Alberta police are searching for the bandits and say that the same fake documentation was also used to steal seven hot tubs in a separate heist.
Agriculture
USDA To Issue Another $13 Billion In Farm Aid Funds
Image Source: Luca Basili / Unsplash
In Wisconsin last week, the President announced an additional $13 billion in funding for America’s farmers. Wisconsin dairy farmers have suffered steep losses this year due to both pandemic supply chain challenges and reduced exports caused by the White House’s trade policies. The new round of funding will draw from the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Food Processing
Lindt Opens World's Largest Chocolate Museum With Giant Chocolate Fountain
Image Source: Lindt Und Spruengli / Keystone / Alexandra Wey
Lindt Home of Chocolate just opened in Zurich, Switzerland. The interactive research facility and confectionery museum guides guests through seven "chocolate worlds" that exhibit the process of cocoa bean cultivation and production. Guests can make their own confections in a chocolate-making class, and the museum’s centerpiece is the world's largest chocolate fountain standing 30 feet tall.
Health
Coffee Drinking Linked To Longer Life For Colon Cancer Patients, Study Says
Image Source: Firesky Studios
A recent peer-reviewed study published in JAMA Oncology followed 1,171 colon cancer patients at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Researchers found that those who drank 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day were more likely to live longer than those who did not drink coffee. Patients who drank more than three cups a day had an even greater likelihood of longer survival, and results held true for both caffeinated and de-caffeinated coffee drinkers.
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Science
California Company Grows "Sushi-Grade" Fish From Cells In Lab
Image source: Hattie Watson / WildType
Wildtype, a San Francisco cellular agriculture startup, has created lab-grown “sushi-grade” salmon from coho salmon cells in “a brewery-like system,” according to the company. “We believe the 21st century will require new seafood options that are better for us and the planet,” said Wildtype’s CEO Justin Kolbeck. The startup already has a pre-order waitlist for chefs interested in cooking with the lab-grown salmon.
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