In Chicago, nobody knew the soda tax could be so complicated
Retailers argue it’s illegal. On Friday, a judge decides if they’ve got a case.
By Patrick Clinton | Read more
Want to support local meat? Buy frozen, on consignment
In rural New England, crowded freezers are one of the biggest hurdles facing small-scale producers.
By Sophia Mendelson | Read more
DIY farm truck beats Tesla. In Marshall, California on Tuesday, dairy farmer Albert Straus did what he does every morning: hauled thousands of pounds of feed to his nearly 300 cows. The animals likely didn’t notice a change in routine, but their breakfast marked the endpoint of an 8-year journey to build what Straus believes is the country’s first-ever large-scale electric truck. He beat Tesla’s projected electric heavy-duty Tesla Semi rollout by two months.
And his truck is 100 percent powered by poop. Read more.
—Claire Brown
Wal-waste. This week, a handful of slightly unusual allies teamed up to announce their intent to tackle the food waste data gap from a new angle. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the government-funded Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), and the Walmart Foundation on Wednesday announced a $1.3 million research program that will be used to identify and address the sources of pre-consumer food waste. Though the issue doesn’t get as much attention as the food we let spoil in our fridges and pantries seems to, large volumes of perfectly edible produce never even make it to the Greenmarket and grocery store.
How much, exactly? No one really knows. Read more.
—Joe Fassler
More dairy shit. Three days before Christmas in 2014, a Kewaunee, Wisconsin family and their visiting relatives had to leave their home to celebrate the holiday in a motel. Their drinking water seemed contaminated, and tests from a few days prior indicated the presence of coliform and E. coli bacteria in their well. A week later, their water still smelled off and had a “milky yellow color.” Eventually, they’d find out that the wetlands around their land had also been polluted.
The polluter? The dairy farm next door. Read more.
—Claire Brown
Just the one-liners
Out with the Coke Zero, in with the Coke Zero Sugar. We hear it all tastes the same.
Chipotle is under federal investigation for food-related illnesses dating back to 2015, Business Insider reports.
The New York Times has a very important trend piece about goats and Instagram. (Side note: Does anyone want to run our Instagram for us? Joking, kinda. Unless you’re really good at it.)
In Tacoma, Washington, apparently trucks carry bread dough. On Monday, it was really hot. The dough rose. Hilarity ensued.
Will Harris is the owner of White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia, where he raises grass-fed cattle.
What’s on the table at Amazon’s secret meeting with cattle ranchers?
Another day, another sign of the tech giant’s ambitious plans to shake up the American food system.
By Joe Fassler | Read more
