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.
Over meets under. The number of obese children in the world is expected to eclipse the number of undernourished children by 2022, The Economist reports in this video.
Not in my kitchen faucet. Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources voted unanimously on Wednesday to implement new restrictions on the amount of animal manure that can be sprayed onto fields, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. That’s a big deal: Back in July, we wrote about a dairy in Kewaunee County that was slapped with a $50,000 fine for illegally applying manure to frozen fields. That manure allegedly ran off into nearby streams, resulting in a “milky yellow” substance oozing from the faucets at the home of a neighbor at Christmastime. Their water later tested positive for E. coli. The new rule would try to prevent instances like this—which Wisconsinites say are increasingly common—by banning manure spraying in areas where there’s fewer than two feet of topsoil and imposing additional limits elsewhere. It’s now headed to the state legislature.
Holy cow. Is cell-cultured meat kosher? What about halal? There’s no consensus yet in religious communities, Chase Purdy reports for Quartz.
Grocery wars. The lines between brick-and-mortar businesses and e-commerce upstarts continue to blur: Kroger has begun business development talks with China-based Alibaba, Reuters reports.
Top chef, out. Celebrity chef Tom Colicchio on Thursday announced he’ll be leaving the board of Food Policy Action, an organization he co-founded in 2012. “I am grateful to the team at Food Policy Action for the work we’ve done together and their tireless efforts to hold our leaders accountable in the most important food fight of our time,” he wrote.
Donut rivalry. Boston’s Montillo Bakery has just discontinued its use of Philadelphia cream cheese as an ingredient—this in reaction to the move by Dottie’s Donuts in Philadelphia to refrain from serving its Boston cream donuts “or any other ‘New England themed’ donuts” until “the Eagles win the Super Bowl.” While reporting on the ban in Boston, the Philadelphia Inquirer points out one logical flaw: “Philadelphia cream cheese is merely a trademark used by Kraft. It’s never been made in Philadelphia.”
