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.
Some teams are dirtier than others. An Arizona Republic investigation found that food vendors at the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics spring training stadiums have had dozens more food safety violations than any other baseball team. What kind, might you ask? At the Cubs’s park, employees scooped popcorn by hand and dropped hot dog tongs on the floor. Both parks are managed by a company called Spectra.
Rounding up the Roundup. This week, a jury in California is hearing arguments to decide whether Bayer’s Monsanto arm will be held responsible for a case of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma caused by its flagship herbicide, Roundup. (On March 19, the same jury found that exposure to the weedkiller caused the plaintiff’s cancer.) Regardless of the case’s outcome, Bayer may already be feeling burned. Vietnam banned imports of Roundup’s active ingredient glyphosate this week, and anti-pesticide group Moms Across America announced Costco had promised it would stop stocking Roundup products. Costco has not yet confirmed that decision to The New Food Economy.
Holé molé. Henry Avocado revolutionized the industry with a “ripening room” process that made avocados perfect for guacamole. Now, the company is recalling every avocado packed in its facility since January—“out of an abundance of caution”—in response to a possible listeria infestation, Food Safety News reports. That includes its branded Bravocado fruits, as well as its unbranded, organic California avocados. No illnesses have been reported yet, and the company isn’t saying just how many avocados the recall affects, but folks in Arizona, California, Florida, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Wisconsin might want to stick to onion dip for the time being.
Stun gun. Do fish feel pain? Not in the eyes of U.S. regulators. Unlike land animals, there’s no federal requirement that they be knocked unconscious before they’re killed for food. But there’s a growing body of evidence that indicates fish are a lot more sentient than we realize, and some commercial fishermen are taking note. At least one vessel in Alaska has installed a “moon pool” and a stunning table in a nod to animal welfare. High Country News has more.
