Cooking
Uncle Ben’s Rice Rebrands As Ben’s Original To Avoid Racist Packaging
Image Source: Mars Inc.
Mars Inc. revamped the packaging for its iconic Uncle Ben’s rice brand by removing the image of a bow-tied Black man and changing the 70-year-old product name to Ben’s Original. “Times have changed,” said Mars Food Global President Fiona Dawson. The new Ben’s Original logo will appear on food packaging early next year.
Restaurants
True 'Cue Organization Certifies Wood-Smoked BBQ As Far North As Washington DC
Image Source: Campaign For Real Barbecue
In 2013, the “Campaign for Real Barbecue” began certifying barbecue restaurants that cook entirely with wood or charcoal as opposed to gas or electricity. Active in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Kentucky, the Campaign recently announced its expansion north into the Virginia and Washington D.C. metro area. Co-founded by barbecue authorities Dan Levine and John Shelton Reed, the Campaign explains all certification criteria and lists all certified barbecue restaurants on its website.
Beverages
15 New Bourbons To Drink For National Bourbon Heritage Month
Image Source: Michter's
September is National Bourbon Heritage Month, when distilleries release some of their best bottles. This year's notable releases include Kentucky Owl's Dry State bourbon ($1,000 a bottle), the annual Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch bourbon ($150); Old Forester’s Birthday Bourbon ($130); Michter’s 10-year-old single barrel bourbon ($130); Blade and Bow’s 22-year-old straight bourbon ($1,000); a high-wheat bourbon from Colorado’s Old Elk distillery ($70); and the barrel-strength Boston Batch from Booker’s ($90).
Supply Chain
Meat Prices Drop As Supplies Rebound
Image Source: Angus Mordant / Bloomberg News
Ground beef and pork loin prices have returned to pre-pandemic levels. Prime rib and chicken wings are even cheaper than before the pandemic began. In September, prime rib sold for $7.15 a pound, down more than 11% since the beginning of the year. New York strip prices are about 8% lower, and beef brisket prices have fallen nearly 20%. U.S. Department of Agriculture figures show that meat processing has not only resumed but is now largely exceeding year-over-year levels. Despite production increases, Tyson Foods estimates that about 1 million cattle and 3 million hogs remain backed up on U.S. feedlots and farms due to prior slaughterhouse shutdowns.
Agriculture
First Fish Farm In Federal Waters Proposed Off San Diego Coast
Image Source: Kate / Unsplash
The Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute and investment group Pacific6 Enterprise have proposed the first ever open-ocean fish farm in federal waters. The pair submitted a federal permit application for its Pacific Ocean AquaFarm project, which aims to produce 5,000 metric tons of farmed sushi-grade yellowtail (hamachi) per year. Approvals are pending from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Regulations
FDA Announces New Food Traceability Rules
Image Source: Getty Images
The US Food and Drug Administration announced additional traceability record keeping requirements for companies that manufacture, process, pack, and hold foods on its Food Traceability List. Under the rule, manufacturers must keep supply chain records for growing, shipping, receiving, creating, and manufacturing various food products. The new rules aim to help the Agency prevent food borne illness outbreaks and identify foods with potential adverse health consequences due to misbranding or food adulteration. The proposed rule is open for public comment until January 21, 2021.
Health
Berkeley Bans Junk Food, Requires Healthy Options At Grocery Checkout
Image Source: Frankie Cordoba / Unsplash
The City Council of Berkeley, California, passed an ordinance preventing grocery stores from stocking candy and soda in checkout lines, and encouraging them to stock fresh fruits and vegetables instead. Under the ordinance, the first of its kind, grocery stores larger than 2,500 square feet cannot sell products with more than five grams of added sugars or 250 milligrams of sodium per serving at checkout aisles, where junk food is often at the eye level of children. The new ordinance goes into effect March 1, 2021.
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Science
Scientists Redesign Sugar So Less Of It Tastes Sweeter
Image Source: Mae Mu / Unsplash
Israeli startup DouxMatok has developed a restructured form of real sugar that tastes 40% sweeter. Called Incredo, the product consists of sucrose mixed with naturally occurring silica, which exposes more surface area of the sucrose to saliva, increasing the perception of sweetness. Silica also restructures the atoms in each sucrose molecule from a typical orderly lattice to a random “amorphous” structure, causing the sugar to dissolve faster on the tongue and deliver more intense sweetness. Later this year, Incredo enters production with Südzucker, Europe’s biggest sugar producer, as well as with a leading refined sugar distributor in North America.
Until Next Month...
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