Thinly sliced: How Bayer’s acquisition of Monsanto blew up in its face

This is the web version of a list we publish twice-weekly in our newsletter. It comprises the most noteworthy food stories of the moment, selected by our editors. Get it first here.

Treat yourself. A South African startup is producing ice cream made out of “milk” from a supposedly water-efficient, nutrient-rich dairy alternative you probably haven’t tried yet: black soldier fly larvae. Unlike milk from mammals, insect milk is sugar- and lactose-free, and the larvae don’t produce nearly as much greenhouse gas as cows, Mold magazine reports. Want a scoop? Too bad—pints are only available in South Africa right now, and appear to be sold out anyway. Maybe in summer 2020.

The tuna trials continue. The judge overseeing a price-fixing trial against former Bumble Bee CEO Christopher Lischewski will allow his counsel to question potential jurors on how they feel about Greenpeace. Previously, Lischewski has disagreed with the organization over issues relating to fishing gear. Translation, per Law360 (paywall): The alleged fish fraudster doesn’t want “hippies” anywhere near his jury. The executive is facing criminal charges over his role in a price-fixing conspiracy among three of the country’s biggest canned tuna companies.

Toxic asset. Bayer executives may be having second thoughts about the company’s acquisition of controversial agribusiness Monsanto right about now. This week, in a series of 12 charts, the Wall Street Journal details “one of the worst corporate deals in recent memory.” The Roundup cancer saga has really cramped Bayer’s style, it seems. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Business as usual? McDonald’s will start a new worker training program to help prevent bullying, harassment, and discrimination, CNN Business reports. The change follows months of criticism from worker advocacy organizations and will affect 850,000 employees. Fight for $15, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Futures Without Violence were all critical of the announcement, issuing a statement that the training “might be good PR, but isn’t a solution.”

Foie gone? New York City may soon ban foie gras from its restaurants (around 1,000 of them serve it now), a story you may remember us covering back in July. Today, the Grey Lady dips its toes into this not-new issue, fleshing out the perspectives of both entrenched sides of the debate. Bonus line taken out of context: “The New York City Council is leaning toward torture.”