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.
Pig-powered. Duke Energy is joining the poop-to-pipeline craze, the Charlotte Observer reports. The company plans to generate 0.2 percent of its retail energy by capturing hog waste and converting it into natural gas by 2021. Curious about how it all works? Read our story about a similar methane digestion project in California that’ll one day power Toyotas.
… yet perturbed by pigs. Mother Jones last week wove together a series of developments that make it harder for people living near hog farms to take action against their neighbors. Language in the omnibus spending bill ensured most livestock operations don’t have to report airborne emissions like ammonia. In Kansas, the state legislature passed a law that relaxed rules on the size and placement of chicken CAFOs. At the same time, Tyson announced it had received about $34 million in subsidies for a proposed plant in Tennessee.
No reservations. Don’t miss this deep dive from Grub Street into the incredibly complex world of online restaurant reservations. Did you know restaurateurs think OpenTable is a dinosaur? Or that people won’t pay $20 for seats at hot spots? Or that the cool kids these days are using Resy? The future may be prepaid. And if you want to read more about how terrible we diners are, here’s our story on a big-name chef so tired of guests who ghost that he shot a PSA.
ICE in farm country. Immigration sweeps in California’s Central Valley have begun picking up people not specifically targeted by ICE, the Los Angeles Times reports. In February, 232 people were arrested. At least 26 of them were farmworkers on their way to or from work.
Soda taxes go flat. Soda taxes seem to have disappeared from the headlines for the time being, but that hasn’t stopped Arizona from passing a ban on them. Republican Governor Doug Ducey has signed legislation banning cities from enacting local soda taxes, Arizona Daily Sun reports.
