The Juicy Bits
The antidote for bird flu has been discovered, and it comes in the form of a laser pointer. That’s right, as the avian influenza continues to pose issues for chicken farmers across the country, some have discovered a new way of keeping disease-ridden birds away from their livestock: by shining laser pointers in their eyes. Experts weighing in on the method are nothing short of skeptical. Meanwhile, over 200,000 pounds of liquid egg white products were recalled due to a cleaning solution contamination. The culprit was sodium hypochlorite, the same ingredient in bleach. And, of course, the price of eggs remained high this month. In the Southwest U.S. of A, farmers are improving ancient water management systems to combat droughts as climate change takes its toll on the area. Some of these acequia systems are over 3,000 years old and in need of an update. Right on cue, The Michelin Guide released plans this month to expand across the American South, awarding dining destinations in Alabama, Louisiana, the Carolinas and Tennessee. Not to be outdone, The James Beard Foundation released its restaurant and chefs finalist list for 2025, recognizing a slew of nominees throughout the Southern U.S. Plus, in Kansas City, the grand opening of the world’s first ever BBQ museum took place earlier this month. The Museum Of BBQ celebrates multiple regional specialties and techniques of outdoor cooking, and there’s even a ball pit of beans. The South is having a moment! Keep scrolling for more crazy stories—from scientists sending mushroom and meat labs into space to farmers investing in asparagus grown in the ocean. Enjoy the read, and thank you for subscribing!
—Maddox Joachim
Restaurants
Michelin Expands Guide To Southern US
Image Source: Ryan Fleisher / Eater
The Michelin Guide recently announced the organization's plans to expand their U.S. coverage with the addition of the American South. Michelin has been widening their U.S. reach significantly in the past few years, with inaugural guides being released in Colorado, Texas, and Atlanta between 2023 and 2024 alone. Financial partnerships with travel companies funded the expansion into the South. Now chefs in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, the Carolinas, and Tennessee will be able to compete for recognition from the guide and showcase the region's talent.
Beverages
Glass Globes Gain Popularity In Wine Vinification
Image Source: Clos Solène / Robb Report
Winemakers around the world are experimenting with new vessels for vinification. Traditionally, wine is aged in oak barrels. In more recent years, producers have experimented with vessels such as clay pots and concrete eggs, which seal oxygen away completely, making them ideal for aging wine. Glass is 100% non-porous, so punchy fruit flavors are retained longer in the vinification process. “It’s like taking a fresh fruit you’ve just cut and keeping it just as fresh smelling and tasting for 12 months,” says winemaker Guillaume Fabre. As of now, Wineglobes are being used by 20 wineries in U.S.A., and nearly 500 around the world.
BBQ Hot Spot
The World's First Museum Of BBQ Opens In Kansas City
Image Source: The Smoke Sheet / Substack
Kansas City author and foodie Jonathan Bender greeted guests and met family and friends for a soft opening of the world's first BBQ museum earlier this month, then launched it to the public the following week. The Museum of BBQ features multiple interactive installations that educate guests on flavor and technique in barbecue. There's a smoker, and even a bean ball pit. “Our goal really is for you to understand how flavor is built in barbecue and then tour you through the main American regions, so you learn about the different spice profiles of Memphis and Texas and the Carolinas and of course, Kansas City,” Bender explains.
Cooking
Pork Chops Are Trending In U.S. Restaurants: Here's How Chefs Are Cooking Them
Image Source: Nader Chehade
There's been a 15.8% increase in pork chops on restaurant menus over the past year, according to research firm Technomic. Chefs across the country are cooking the protein in many different ways, from traditional preparations and brines to pounded out cutlets. Chef Neil O'Connell at The Occidental in D.C. cooks a Berkshire pork chop sourced from Newman Farm in Missouri. The chop is brined and seared on the grill, then served with a pork jus, glazed fondant potato, and scallion gremolata. On the west end, at Bar Angie, pork chops outsold the menu at $38 a pop. In Texas, Stagecoach Restaurant offers pork chops served with peach chutney, and Carrabba's Italian Grill specialed a 22-oz. double-bone-in grilled pork chop with compound butter last year. It makes perfect sense that pork chops are dominating the entree market in restaurants. They are relatively inexpensive and delicious. I season mine with an ancho chile powder and brown sugar based rub and grill gently.
Supply Chain
The U.S. Cuts Funding For World Food Program Projects That Feed 14 Impoverished Countries
Image Source: Burhan Ozbilici / AP Photo
This month, the Trump administration ended U.N. World Food Programs (WFP) emergency funding that helps feed hungry populations in 14 different countries, including Syria and Afghanistan. The World Food Program is the largest food aid provider globally. “This could amount to a death sentence for millions of people facing extreme hunger and starvation,” read a WFP post on X. Syria is a country that notoriously battles food insecurity, and State Department documents show nearly $230 million in contracts between the nation and World Food Programs were terminated this month. In Afghanistan, around $560 million in allocated expenses for emergency food assistance aid as well as lifesaving medical care and safe drinking water were cut as well. The U.S. provided $4.5 billion of the $9.8 billion in donations to WFP last year.
Agriculture
Farmers And Scientists Hopeful For The Future Of Sea Asparagus
Image Source: Adam Dixon
Salicornia, a.ka. seabeans, pickleweed or sea asparagus, is a salt-tolerant plant that grows well in intense environments. Scientists believe the plant can be used to aid soil salinity levels, a growing concern among environmentalists and farmers. Farmers produce fertilizer waste that damages their own soil while simultaneously breaching waterways. Salicornia's unique, salt-absorbing properties may allow it to absorb this waste, according to research professor Megan Davis of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). “The plants will pick up the salt out of the soil, and they can also be used to help pick up nutrients along the shoreline to help improve the coastal waters,” she says. Planting the crop would prove beneficial to the environment, plus sea asparagus is delicious. In its first year of being bought out by the German company Bördegarten, a salicornia start-up called Salifaktur harvested 880 pounds of the crop a week, supplying hotels, grocery stores, and restaurants. Davis remains hopeful for increased demand for the crop in the U.S.A: “It’s just a matter of time and good marketing.”
Regulations
FDA Layoffs Force Administration To Cut Back On Routine Inspections
Image Source: CBS News
The FDA's Office of Inspections and Investigations experienced layoffs of nearly 170 employees this month. The agency has been struggling with inspection delays for several years, with a backlog dating to the pandemic in 2021. These layoffs are set to worsen delays, according to multiple FDA officials. Missing roles within the organization will drastically effect operations, notably, the termination of the travel operations division. According to a January report by the Government Accountability Office, the FDA faces a massive list of missed deadlines by Congress.
Food Processing
Food Tech Start Up Secures Patent For Processing Potato Waste Into Mycoprotein
Image Source: The Better Meat Co
The Better Meat Co, a Sacramento based food tech start up, just received their sixth patent in the U.S. for a process that produces mycoprotein from potato waste. The company uses pieces of waste from potato processing, whether they didn't make the cut for french fries or they didn't meet processing standards. Better Meat Co uses this potato waste to grow a high protein biomass of mycelium. The ingredient they produce is higher in protein than eggs. Securing this patent added to four other agreements from meat producers around the world, and these deals are expected to bring the company $13 million a year in revenue.
Health
Study Shows Climate Change Will Increase Arsenic Levels In Rice
Image Source: Alamy / BBC
For about half as long as we've been eating rice, we have been aware of the presence of arsenic in the grain. Arsenic is a naturally occurring chemical that attaches to rice granules in the soil, and researchers in China tested its presence based on environment to see if arsenic levels varied by climate. This study was conducted by growing 28 different varieties of rice in 4 different locations. Researchers concluded that arsenic levels in the rice shot up as carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and temperatures rose. As climate change brings high CO2 levels and global warming, arsenic levels in rice are expected to rise. If you're worried, eat white rice. It has less inorganic arsenic than brown rice.
Help DigestThis.news Continue With Only $3/month
Like what you're reading? Help keep DigestThis.news going by supporting it here. Thanks!
Science
Australian Science Company Experiments With Growing Mushrooms In Space For Austronauts
Image Source: Keira Joyce
FOODiQ Glogal, an Australian food science company, has launched an experiment where astronauts monitor how oyster mushrooms grow in microgravity. The company hopes to prove mushrooms are a viable, sustainable food source for long space missions. They are calling it 'Mission MushVroom', and CEO Dr Flávia Fayet-Moore is leading the mission, which is taking place via a SpaceX rocket. “Oyster mushrooms rapidly grow in small spaces, doubling in size daily, and are packed with a rich nutrient profile. Uniquely, they produce 100% of astronauts’ daily dose of vitamin D when exposed to UV light, potentially replacing one of the key supplements currently given to them on the International Space Station,” she said. “Successfully growing edible mushrooms in space represents a significant milestone for space exploration and sustainable nutrition,” says Ralph Fritsche, NASA's former space crop production/exploration food systems project manager.
Your Ad Here!
To reach nearly 40,000 engaged readers across the food and cooking industries, place a Classified ad in an upcoming issue. Classifieds are inexpensive and easy to book with a few clicks.