:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60393905/936020152.jpg.0.jpg)
- Howard Shultz is no longer actively involved with Seattle-based coffee giant Starbucks, but his name is still mostly associated with the company. If Schultz runs for president in 2020, ’Bucks executives and investors worry partisan rhetoric may hurt their brand. “Will there be some segment of the customer base that decides, ‘I’m not going to go to Starbucks anymore’ should he become a candidate?” one industry analyst asks Politico. “You have to think about the employees. You have to think about the shareholders, everybody who might be affected by the decision to run.”
- The foodborne-illness outbreak linked to McDonald’s salads is spreading. Sixty-one illnesses in seven states have been reported by people who say they ate a salad at one of the fast-food chain’s locations, according to the Food and Drug Administration. So far, two people have been hospitalized.
- McDonald’s and Starbucks are working together to develop a recyclable and/or compostable cup, Mickey D’s announced Tuesday morning. Considering the companies are two of the biggest names in mass-market food, if this project is successful, it could have a significantly positive environmental impact.
- Actress Jessica Biel is losing her Los Angeles restaurant after a lawsuit over allegedly stolen tips was settled out of court. The building that houses Au Fudge will transition into a private events space, reports Radar.
- Ramen has become one of America’s favorite foods. The New Yorker’s Helen Rosner details this country’s obsession with the Japanese noodle soup.
- New York Times reporter Kim Severson writes about how covering food and restaurants has changed in the #MeToo era. “Like a lot of people’s, my lens changed,” Severson explains. “And so has what qualifies as news for food writers. In between stories about cooking and cultural trends, I now spend my days reporting about sexism, sexual abuse, and harassment in the food world.”
- And, finally, a team of archaeologists has discovered the origin of bread. Prehistoric versions of the food first showed up in what is now the country of Jordan some 14,400 years ago, according to research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
