The Juicy Bits
If you discovered $1.6 million worth of inventory missing from your business, how would you break the news to your boss? That's what a sommelier at La Tour d'Argent, one of France's most historic restaurants, grappled with last month upon discovering that 83 rare bottles were unaccounted for in the wine cellar. Elsewhere in the restaurant world, Mexican food can now be found at 1 in 10 US restaurants, according to a new Pew Research Center study. Who doesn't love a taco? Just watch what you wash it down with: another study from Columbia University found that popular brands of bottled water contain nearly 250,000 potentially harmful nanoplastics per liter. Yikes. Those bottled waters include PepsiCo brands, which were recently pulled from the shelves of France's largest grocery chain due to, not health concerns, but price gouging. It seems even the French government is now tired of rising food prices. Thankfully, there's still one food item that sells for less than its actual cost: Kobe beef croquettes. Yep. You can buy a box of A5 Kobe beef for only $18.20. You'll just have to wait 43 years to receive it.
—Dave Joachim
Restaurants
Wine Worth $1.6 Million Stolen From La Tour d'Argent In Paris
Image Source: Christophe Ena
During a routine inventory check, a sommelier at La Tour d'Argent in Paris found 83 bottles of rare wine missing. The 442-year-old restaurant is among the most famous in France and inspired the fictional restaurant in the animated Disney film Ratatouille. The missing bottles are a fraction of La Tour d'Argent's 300,000-bottle collection, but they are worth about $1.6 million and include Bordeaux from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, one of the world's most expensive wines. The restaurant was closed for renovations from spring 2022 to fall 2023, but Parisian police say the theft could have taken place anytime between 2020 and 2024. Bottles coming soon to a wine auction near you.
Beverages
Most Bottles Of Water Contain About A Quarter Million Nanoplastics, New Study Finds
Image Source: Emil Lippe
Using hyperspectral stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy, researchers at Columbia University and elsewhere found between 110,000 and 370,000 nanoparticles (mostly nanoplastics) per liter of water in three popular bottled water brands. The new SRS technology revealed nanoplastic content that is 10 to 100 times higher than previously estimated. The bottled water study follows new research from Consumer Reports that found microplastics in 84 out of 85 foods tested. While science hasn't yet found clear evidence of nanoplastics' human health effects, some researchers say nanoplastics may have a greater impact than microplastics because they enter cells more easily and in greater numbers. Want to avoid drinking excessive nanoplastics? Go for filtered tap water and use stainless steel or glass bottles when possible.
BBQ Hot Spot
VIDEO: What It Takes To Win The World's Largest BBQ Competition
Every year, the American Royal World Series of Barbecue in Kansas City draws over 500 BBQ teams from around the world. Pitmasters haul their trailers and fire up their smokers to compete in four categories: pork ribs, pork shoulders, beef brisket, and chicken. Judges rate competitors' entries on appearance, taste, and tenderness on a scale of 5 to 9. The overall winner in all categories is crowned the BBQ Grand Champion. Watch what it takes to come home a winner with tips from top competitors Tuffy Stone of Cool Smoke and Grant Basiliere of Que U.
Supply Chain
France's Biggest Food Retailer Pulls PepsiCo Products Over High Prices
Image Source: Stephanie Lecocq
A spokesperson for global food retailer Carrefour said the maker of Pepsi, Lay’s, 7-Up, and other products was keeping its food “unacceptably” expensive, despite falling inflation. Compared to last year, inflation in France is down a third, yet food price inflation persists, with basic food costs remaining 7% higher than a year ago. Carrefour installed posters throughout its 3,440 French supermarkets saying, “We are no longer selling this brand due to an unacceptable price increase." The move—encouraged by the French government—is intended to strong-arm manufacturers to lower food costs and to call out shrinkflation, in which manufacturers downsize food packages while maintaining or raising prices. Let's hope Carrefour inspires US grocery chains to follow suit.
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Last Bite
Would You Wait 43 Years To Taste This Kobe Beef?
Image Source: Asahiya
Real Japanese Kobe beef is notoriously expensive, but you can taste it in a beef croquette for only $18.20. You just have to wait 43 years. Back in 1999, the family-run butcher shop Asahiya in Takasago City, Japan, began selling its Kobe beef online. As a trial incentive, they offered low-priced, deep-fried "Extreme Croquettes" made from three-year-old female A5 Kobe beef and potatoes sourced from a local ranch. The marketing stunt was so successful that there are now 63,000 people in ‘line’ for the loss leader product. Third-generation store owner Shigeru Nitta said that about half of the people who try Extreme Croquettes end up ordering their Kobe beef, so it’s been a sound marketing strategy. Personally speaking, though, I don't have that long to wait!
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