Coming Soon To A Grocery Store Near You… Bugs; Tyson Announces Deal w/ Protix

Tyson Foods Announces Partnership with Protix for More Sustainable Protein Production – Tyson Foods, 2023/10/17

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN), one of the world’s largest food companies, has reached an agreement for a two-fold investment with Protix, the leading global insect ingredients company. The strategic investment will support the growth of the emerging insect ingredient industry and expand the use of insect ingredient solutions to create more efficient sustainable proteins and lipids for use in the global food system. The agreement combines Tyson Foods’ global scale, experience and network with Protix’s technology and market leadership to meet current market demand and scale production of insect ingredients.

Through a direct equity investment, Tyson Foods will acquire a minority stake in Protix to help fund its global expansion. In addition, Tyson Foods and Protix have entered a joint venture for the operation and construction of an insect ingredient facility in the continental United States. Upon completion, it will be the first at-scale facility of its kind to upcycle food manufacturing byproducts into high-quality insect proteins and lipids which will primarily be used in the pet food, aquaculture, and livestock industries.

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About Protix

Protix is the leading company in insect-based ingredients for healthy and sustainable pet food, aqua culture and livestock feed and organic fertilizer. The company is on a mission to create low-footprint ingredients that solve major issues in the current food system.

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Based in the Netherlands, Protix operates the first-in-the-world industrial insect facility, opened in 2019. With breeding, rearing and processing under one roof, the company has complete control of the production chain and offers reliable, high-quality supply.

Yes – they do want OTHER PEOPLE to eat bugs.
This is happening because elites/authoritarians want this to happen.

Halloween Candy Costs Up 13% From Last Year… Again

Boooo! Cost of candy going up 13% this Halloween – WLS Chicago, 2023/10/23

The cost of candy is going up by a lot. Prices are up about 13% this year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor.

UCLA supply-chain expert Professor Christopher Tang says candy is so expensive because of the cost of ingredients.

It’s also because these products are mainly made in the United States.

“The labor cost has gone up a lot because of inflation,” Tang said. “The workers need to have a higher income so that they can survive.”

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According to the National Retail Federation, the average household will spend about $31.93 on candy this year – up from $25.91 last year.

Let’s see… cost of ingredients are up… labor costs are up… Regrading the labor costs, the purpose of a business is not for the employees to survive. People are responsible for their own lives. Yeah, I know – it seems harsh, but a business has to survive as well for its own reasons.

What’s interesting is that last year, Halloween candy also rose by 13%.

The cost of candy is up a scary 13% just in time for Halloween – NPR, 2022/10/16

It’s the largest yearly jump in candy prices the CPI has ever recorded. (For comparison, it took nine years — from 1997 to 2006 — for candy prices to rise 13%.)

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Sweets of all kinds are costlier than last year, driven by major increases in the prices of sugar and flour. Sugar is up over 17% since last September. Supply chain disruptions and a poor beet sugar production year have all helped contribute. Flour prices have risen even more at 24%.

The United States Of Obesity – These Are The Heaviest States

America Keeps Getting Fatter — These Are the Heaviest States of All – Voice Of America News, 2023/10/16

West Virginia (41%), Louisiana (40.1%) and Oklahoma (40%) are the states with the fattest populations in the nation, laying claim to the highest proportion of adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 40% or greater, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“The latest data from CDC is looking grim,” says Jamie Bussel of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a health-based philanthropic organization. “Twenty-two states had an adult obesity rate at or above 35%. And that was up from 19 states the year before. And when we look back a decade ago, no states had an adult obesity rate at or above 35%.

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The highest prevalence of obesity can be found in the Midwest and South, followed by the Northeast and the West. Obesity rates trended higher among Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and Alaska natives.

Every U.S. state had an obesity rate of at least 20%. The CDC calls additional support for obesity prevention and treatment “an urgent priority.”

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The states and U.S. territories with the lowest rates of obesity are the District of Columbia (24.3%), Colorado (25%), Hawaii (25.9%) and Vermont (26.8%).

I wonder what the difference is between pre-COVID, and post-COVID…

Take care of yourselves – don’t overeat and exercise. Just for disclosure, my BMI is typical in the low to mid 30% area in my mid 50s – but I am pretty active and often walk about 4 miles in a little over an hour.

DiGiorno Released Divisive Pizza For A Brief Time Period

DiGiorno releases most divisive pizza imaginable, promptly sells out – KTLA Los Angeles, 2023/09/05

Both pickles and pineapple are among the most controversial toppings that pizza makers have to offer, but one frozen pizza company is taking it one step further.

For a brief moment in food history, DiGiorno offered a pizza that featured not one, but both divisive toppings on the same pizza.

The DiGiorno Pineapple Pickle Pizza promised to be the most divisive and controversial pizza on the market, featuring hand-tossed crust and garlic sauce, but with toppings split down the middle — pineapple on one half, pickles on the other.

But, rather than releasing it in stores in the frozen food sections where you’re used to seeing DiGiorno-brand pizzas, the company opted to offer a limited amount online for free.

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The free pizzas were offered on a first-come, first-served basis. While it’s unclear how many pizzas were produced or just how quickly they sold out, there was clearly no shortage of interest in the edible oddity.

No thanks… I’m good with more traditional toppings.

Subway To Be Bought By Private Equity Firm Which Owns Multiple Restaurant Chains

Company That Owns Arby’s & Buffalo Wild Wings To Buy Subway For $9 Billion – Food Beast, 2023/02/22

According to the Wall Street Journal, Roark Capital looks to acquire sandwich chain Subway for close to $9.6 billion. The deal will add to Roark Capital’s already impressive roster of fast food chains is nearly complete.

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Roark Capital is a private equity firm that mostly invests in the franchised consumer and business services sectors. One of the firm’s most notable investments is in Inspire Brands, which owns Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, and more.

The monopoly game that is being played in the American economy continues forward.

They actually own a bunch of companies – as shown on their portfolio, which includes Jimmy John’s, Arby’s, Fitness Connection, Sonic, Schlotzsky’s, Cinnabon, and The Cheesecake Factory.

Jury Awards Family Cash Payout After Four Year Old Burned With Chicken Nugget

Girl Awarded $800,000 From McDonald’s After She Was Burned By A Chicken Nugget – Delish, 2023/07/20

Back in 2019, the child’s mother, Philana Holmes, purchased Happy Meals for herself and her then four-year-old daughter, Olivia Caraballo. Upon receiving her drive-thru order, Holmes handed one of the meals to her daughter.

Shortly after, one of the McNuggets, which was said to be “unreasonably and dangerously” hot, became stuck in the child’s car seat and burned her leg, causing second-degree burns.

In May, a jury found that McDonald’s and the franchise owners were at fault for the incident. And this week, a jury was tasked with deciding how much they think the family should receive in damages. Of the $15 million the family asked for, they were granted $800,000 by the jury.

That’s around 5% of what was asked for, but the family is OK with that.

Swarm Of Grasshoppers Plague Utah Farmers

Grasshopper invasion adding to plight of Utah farmers – Deseret News, 2023/07/08

The heat and drought are no doubt a headache for Utah farmers — and now an invasion of grasshoppers is adding to their plight.

Some farmers in Box Elder County question whether there’s anything they can do to stop it. The invading grasshoppers are already adults, so they’re always on the move and hard to spray. Farmers say they’ll run out of water anyway.

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“We first noticed them like the end of May, you know?” Royce Larsen said. “They were just tiny, started hatching.”

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“People think farmers are crazy and we all should be gone,” Larsen said. “But somebody has to produce food, whether they like it or not.”

Farmers will have to hold out for better luck next year and hope a cold winter will kill off the eggs these grasshoppers leave behind.

It definitely has a biblical feel to it.

Many Young Women Are Iron Deficient… The Answer May Be Consuming Meat

Many young women, girls in U.S. are iron deficient – UPI, 2023/06/28

Nearly 4 out of 10 girls and young women aren’t getting enough iron and they may have their periods to blame, a new U.S. study shows.

Menstrual bleeding, especially when heavy, is a major risk factor for iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia, the researchers explained.

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“Studies have shown that dietary iron intake in the U.S. has dropped over the past decade,” she said. “Meat, fish and poultry are high in heme iron, which is the most easily absorbed, but non-heme iron can be found in many fruits, vegetables and nuts.”

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How do you know if you are lacking in iron? A simple blood test can tell you where you stand.

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The best protection against iron deficiency is to eat a healthy balanced diet replete with all nutrients including iron.

The solution is simple. Don’t abstain from meat. Eat meat in balanced amounts in accordance with what your body needs… or take a bunch of pricey supplements. I offer the personal testimony from the young lady below for more support.

UK Sausage Maker Retreats On Vegan Substitutes

Sausage Maker Gets Rid of Fake Meat After Damning Results: ‘We Believed What Was Being Written in the Press’ – The Western Journal, 2023/05/23

British vegan meat maker Heck — yes, that’s their name — has announced it’s cutting out nearly all of its animal-free sausages after finding out the hype didn’t translate into sales.

According to a report in the U.K. Telegraph earlier this month, Yorkshire-based Heck said it was reducing its range of vegan sausages (or “bangers” if you’re a Britisher) from 15 to two after the company co-founder said the public “wasn’t quite ready” to buy into them.

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“We had a huge range of vegan products, because like everyone else, we believed what was being written in the press,” Keeble said. “If you look at the massive sort of Silicon Valley valuations out there, people were investing in vegan brands, and they didn’t want to miss the next Google.”

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Long before the fortunes of Heck went to hell — and as Beyond Meat’s troubles were just becoming clear — the Telegraph asked what had gone with the meat-substitute bubble in a piece last June. There were a few significant issues: cost and the problems of scaling production being just two of the issues plaguing the industry, particularly as food inflation was a major issue.

One, however, seemed to stick out above all the others: “Finally, it didn’t deliver any real benefits. Most vegetarians are perfectly happy to stop eating meat, and don’t need faux burgers to placate them. The carnivores might have tried it once or twice but quickly lost interest especially as it became more expensive. Meanwhile, there was no real evidence that plant burgers and fake chicken were healthier or had fewer calories. Apart from a vague appeal to a consumer’s morality, it does not have a lot going for it.”

Yeah… not a fan of the meat substitutes…

Legal Marijuana Sales Now Exceed Chocolate Sales In The US

Legal pot sales eclipse sales of chocolate in the US as Americans reach for joints and berry edibles instead – Business Insider, 2023/04/14

In the decade after Colorado and Washington legalized recreational cannabis use for adults, another 20 states have followed suit, while 19 more allow for medical use of the substance.

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In 2022, Americans spent an estimated $30 billion on legal marijuana products – more than they spent on opioid medications ($22.8 billion) and topical pain relief ($2.8 billion) combined, MJBizDaily found.

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Gummies are the most widely consumed edible, generating roughly $100 million in monthly sales. In March 2023 alone, retailers sold nearly $20 million of berry gummies, according to research firm Headset, which looked at sales from Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington State.

Robust as the total US sales numbers are, recent years have not been kind to the cannabis industry. Rising prices and economic uncertainty, coupled with tumultuous financial and regulatory challenges, make it harder for businesses to stay afloat.

For further research…

Employee numbers up at some cannabis MSOs despite challenging conditions – MJ Biz Daily, 2023/04/20

California: SF Whole Foods Made Weekly Emergency Calls In First Six Months Of Operations

More details on the Whole Foods closure in San Francisco…

Downtown SF Whole Foods Made Weekly Emergency Calls Ahead of Closure – San Francisco Standard, 2023/04/13

Emergency responders were called to a recently shuttered Downtown Whole Foods at least once a week on average during the first six months it was open, according to data from the San Francisco Fire Department.

Data obtained by The Standard shows that a Downtown Whole Foods that opened in March 2022 and abruptly closed this week was the site of several overdoses, psychiatric episodes and other emergencies during its first six months of operations.

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The fire department was dispatched 35 times to the Whole Foods at 1185 Market St. between the time it opened in March of last year and October 2022, according to the most recent data immediately available. Those calls were a mix of overdoses, medical emergencies and other disturbances such as reports of assaults and people bleeding at the high-end grocer.

Texas: Explosion Hits Multiple Structures At Dairy Facility

Large Explosion and Fire Breaks Out at South Fork Dairy in Dimmitt, Texas Monday Night – Dairy Herd, 2023/04/11

An explosion and fire at a Dimmitt, Tex. dairy on Monday night sent one woman to the hospital. The cause is still unknown, but reports say the explosion engulfed multiple structures, and the smoke cloud could be seen from as much as 80 miles away.

The explosion occurred at South Fork Dairy, which is located just southeast of Dimmitt. According to Castro County Sheriff Sal Rivera, the explosion occurred around 7:20 p.m. on Monday.

Add it to the list of hits on the food supply.

It takes a minute to destroy, but a long time to rebuild.  How’s the rebuild going to be with less people working and the dollar on shaky ground?  That may be something to consider as these food facilities continue to go up in flames.

Pennsylvania: 2 Dead In Chocolate Factory Explosion

2 dead, 5 missing after explosion at chocolate factory in Pennsylvania – ABC News, 2023/03/25

Two people are dead, five are missing and multiple others are injured after an explosion at a chocolate factory Friday in West Reading, Pennsylvania, police and city officials said.

One person was found alive overnight in the rubble. Eight people are in the hospital but their conditions are unknown, according to officials.

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“In the initial incident report from Berks County to PEMA, a reference to a gas leak was included. It is really important to note that incident reports from counties are a snapshot in time of the understanding of the incident at the time the report was made,” Ruth A. Miller, PEMA’s communications director, said in a statement.

The explosion occurred around 4:57 p.m. at the RM Palmer Company in West Reading, located about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

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The explosion caused destruction to one building nearby and damaged another.

Kaag, a former volunteer firefighter, called the incident “pretty scary,” adding that it was so strong it pushed a building back four feet.

Sounds pretty powerful if it pushed a nearby building back four feet… be careful out there.

And now the updated report is 5 dead.

Scottish Farmers Address Vegetable Shortages In Grocery Stores

Scottish farmers warn that vegetable shortages will get worse and the UK could lose the ‘ability to feed’ country – Scottish Daily Express, 2023/02/22

Scottish farmers have warned that the vegetable shortages will get worse and the UK could lose the ‘ability to feed’ the country.

The National Farmers Unions Scotland (NFUS) claimed that the UK and Scottish Governments took their “eye off the ball with energy” and allowed it to be produced by others at a cheaper price, which has fuelled the shortages along with other global issues.

The NFUS’s president Martin Kennedy warned that if retailers failed to offer fair-pricing contracts to farmers the forthcoming season will see farmers plant the value of the contract causing future shortages in fruit and vegetables.

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Mr Kennedy argued that if both governments fail to seek “true fairness in the supply chain back to the primary producers” it will risk choices being limited as it called for retailers to maintain the “long-term continuity” by implementing fair pricing for seasonal home-grown producers.

More food supply issues…

Making Restaurant Style Chinese Takeout Fried Rice

This is definitely more involved than just throwing rice and soy sauce in a pot, but it seems like the results are worthy of the effort.  The truth is I am bookmarking this to try out in the near future.

Dutch Government Looking To Shut Down 3,000 Farms To Comply With EU Mandate

Netherlands reportedly set to forcibly close 3,000 farms to comply with EU mandate – Fox News, 2022/11/30

The Dutch government is planning to purchase and then close down up to 3,000 farms in an effort to comply with a European Union environmental mandate to slash emissions, according to reports.

Farmers in the Netherlands will be offered “well over” the worth of their farm in an effort to take up the offer voluntarily, The Telegraph reported. The country is attempting to reduce its nitrogen pollution and will make the purchases if not enough farmers accept buyouts.

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In 2019, the Dutch Council of State ruled that every new activity that emits nitrogen, including farming and building, is required to obtain a permit. That has prevented the expansion of dairy, pig and poultry farms, which are major sources of nitrogen, the Telegraph report said.

Some farmers have voiced opposition to the new rules. In October, thousands of tractors jammed up traffic by up to 700 miles during rush hour in protest.

Many feel their livelihoods are at stake and their industry is being unfairly targeted while other sectors like aviation are not.

This will obviously affect food supply down the road. The authoritarians will get theirs. They don’t care about anything or anyone else. This used to be done in secret. Now it’s all out in the open.

The overall issue is countries and companies subjecting themselves to these international edicts – which makes an end run around the citizens. That should be issue #1 on any political campaign that is interested in serving its constituents.

Safety Concerns, Unions Causing Starbucks Stores To Close

Starbucks Closes More Than 20 Stores Nationwide Due to Safety Concerns – Newsmax, 2022/10/20

Safety concerns reportedly prompted Starbucks to close more than 20 nationwide locations over the last few months — with the majority of closings occurring on the West Coast.

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According to Nexstar, a Starbucks spokesperson confirmed that 16 locations had already closed by the end of July — covering Los Angeles (six closures), Seattle (five), Portland (two), and one apiece for Everett, Washington, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.

Earlier this month, safety concern-related closures also led to a Starbucks closure in New Orleans, according to Nexstar.

The latest store closings…

• A third store in Portland will reportedly close this week. According to a nearby business owner, homelessness, drugs, and violence have plagued that neighborhood in recent months, perhaps contributing to the Starbucks shutdown.
• A Starbucks in downtown Syracuse, N.Y., will be shutting down soon, due to safety concerns.
• One location in downtown Indianapolis will likely close before the end of the month.

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The Starbucks closures come on the heels of eight employees from a South Carolina store suing Starbucks Corp. this week, amid accusations of Starbucks engaging in criminal conduct after the same employees reportedly demanded raises from their manager.

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Back in June, the Anderson store’s employees reportedly voted 18-0 to unionize.

Newsmax also reported on how at least 240 other Starbucks in the U.S. have unionized over the past year.

Study Shows The Downsides Of Eating Late At Night

Eating Late at Night Is Not a Good Idea. This Experiment Reveals Why – Science Alert, 2022/10/14

It’s long been popular advice for people looking to lose weight to avoid late night snacking. It’s no wonder, with a host of research showing that late night eating is linked to greater body weight and increased risk of obesity.

But until now, few studies have actually investigated precisely why late night eating is linked to greater body weight. This is what a recent US study set out to uncover.

They found that eating four hours later than normal actually changed many of the physiological and molecular mechanisms that favor weight gain.

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To examine how late night eating affects the way the body stores fat on a molecular level, the researchers performed a biopsy on fat tissue taken from the abdomen. Only half of the participants agreed to this.

The team found that compared to an early eating pattern, late eating not only increased subjective feelings of hunger the following day, it also increased the ratio of “hunger” hormones in the blood – despite participants eating an identical diet in both protocols.

Late eating also caused a decrease in the number of calories burned the following day. In the participants who did the fat tissue biopsy, late eating was also shown to cause molecular changes that promote fat storage.

Together, these results indicate that late eating leads to a number of physiological and molecular changes that, over time, could lead to weight gain.

Read the whole thing for full details on the study and the results. As much as health care costs today with the effects of inflation, anything we can do to improve our health is wise… along with just feeling better about ourselves.

Claim: Worm Burgers Could Solve World Hunger

Worm ‘burgers’ could solve world hunger, scientists claim – NY Post, 2022/08/25

The slimy creatures known as mealworms, just like their name suggests, can be turned into grub. South Korean scientists have cooked mealworms, or beetle larvae, along with sugar to create “meat” — and they claim it tastes authentic.

“Recently, eating insects has become of interest because of the increasing cost of animal protein, as well as the associated environmental issues,” said Dr. Hee Cho, the project leader from Wonkwang University, in a press release.

Because the global population is approximated to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 — a large jump from our current nearly 8 billion population — meat alternatives are highly sought after due to their lower impact on the environment.

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Foodies in the EU have included mealworms on their menus for a while now, following research that declared the critters safe to consume. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization even referred to the insects as “a healthy and highly nutritious food source with a high content of fat, protein, vitamins, fibers and minerals.”

I have seen other articles, and it’s popping up more and more. The elites are going try to sell us the benefits of eating bugs. I pretty much guarantee that worms will be nowhere near the mouths of the elites. This is ridiculous to me.

Wendy’s Lettuce Possibly Linked To E Coli Outbreak In Four States

E. coli outbreak in multiple states could be linked to Wendy’s romaine lettuce, CDC says – Staton Island Advance, 2022/08/21

An E. coli outbreak investigated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could be linked to romaine lettuce at Wendy’s restaurants.

The outbreak has affected 37 people in four states: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania.

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The CDC said the true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and this outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. Illnesses started on July 26 and led to 10 hospitalizations. Of the 10 people, three developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome. No deaths have been reported.

Based on the information, Wendy’s is taking the precautionary measure of removing the romaine lettuce being used in sandwiches from restaurants in that region.

Big Chicken Mac Will Be Making Test Run In Miami

McDonald’s to test run chicken Big Mac in the US after popular UK trial – USA Today, 2022/08/21

The Big Mac is one of McDonald’s signature items, but the fast food chain is putting a new twist on it – originating all the way from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

McDonald’s will be testing a chicken Big Mac in select Miami-area locations later this month, the company confirmed to USA TODAY. The menu item was first introduced in the United Kingdom earlier this year and met with much positive feedback, selling out less than two weeks.

Hmmm… interesting…

Tens Of Thousands Of Wild Cherry Capri Sun Packs Subject To Recall

Check Your Capri Sun: Thousands of Cases Recalled for Potential Contamination – CNET, 2022/08/18

Kraft Heinz is recalling almost 6,000 cases of Capri Sun Wild Cherry Flavored Juice Drink Blend beverages due to concerns about contamination with a diluted cleaning solution that was used on food processing equipment. Only Wild Cherry-flavored Capri Sun products are impacted by the recall.

The cleaning solution was “inadvertently introduced into a production line at one of our factories,” Kraft Heinz said. The contamination was discovered after the company received complaints from consumers about the taste of the drink.

Look for a Best Used Date of Juns 25, 2023 and a mannufacturing code between 0733 and 0900.

Manufacturer info: Kraft Heinz voluntary recall of select Capri Sun Wild Cherry Flavored Juice Drink

Canadian Candy Company Needs “CCO”… Pays Well

Candy retailer seeking taste-tester to make up to $78,000 a year – UPI, 2022/08/02

A Canadian company announced it is seeking a “Chief Candy Officer” to make up to $78,000 a year working from home and taste-testing candy.

Candy Funhouse, an online candy retailer, posted a job opening to LinkedIn seeking a “Chief Candy Officer” whose duties would include “being the head taste tester” and helping to determine what products will be sold on the website, and which of those will carry the “CCO (Chief Candy Officer) Stamp of Approval.”

The position pays up to $78,000 a year and is open to anyone over the age of 5, the company said.

Interested? I suppose you can go to LinkedIn and find them. Not sure how they are on a foreign employees…

QR Code Menus… Good Or Bad?

QR code menus are the death of civilization – Washington Post Opinion, 2022/06/15

The coronavirus pandemic saw a number of changes in how we live, in ways big and small. Some were welcome: flexibility about remote work, say, or cocktails to go. But here’s one adaptation that can’t fall by the wayside fast enough: the now-commonplace QR code menus offered in place of the paper version in millions of American restaurants.

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Offered up as a bit of hygiene when restaurants reopened after the shutdowns of the early pandemic period, online QR code menus are unnecessary, since the coronavirus is (we now know) an almost entirely airborne pathogen. But all too many dining establishments continue to use them.

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In fact, the QR code, like much technological, er, progress of the past decade, is designed to reduce or remove contact with others. Some actually think this makes eating out more enjoyable — or at least cuts down on labor. As one business-to-business site promoting QR codes’ use puts it, “The customer no longer needs to share menus or perform interactions with waiters or waitresses,” adding, “it boosts convenience massively, making dining a more pleasurable experience for everybody.”

Uh, no. A recent tweet asking “what do we, as a culture, have to do to kill QR code menus” received more than 300,000 likes. And a poll conducted late last year by the National Restaurant Association found two-thirds of all adults preferred paper menus over the online version. Baby boomers in particular revile the use of QR code menus, with 4 out of 5 preferring a physical one. That might be because, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, 40 percent of people over the age of 65 still lack a smartphone. So do fully one-quarter of those earning less than $30,000 annually. A QR code menu is tantamount to telling the elderly and poor their business isn’t wanted.

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So why do QR code menus persist? They do offer short-term business advantages. By placing the menu online, restaurateurs can not only skip the step of bringing you a menu, but they can also adjust their offerings on the fly. That might be particularly useful at this moment of shortages and inflation, allowing managers to quickly account for supply chain issues and raise prices to cover increased costs.

The whole thing is a good read. On what side do you fall? I don’t like the security aspect of it. I just hope no bad mojo gets into my phone.

Starbucks CEO Blames Store Closures On Democrat Run Local Governments

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz blames Dem-run cities for store closures – NY Post, 2022/07/18

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said Democratic mayors and city councils have “abdicated their responsibility” in fighting crime and addressing mental illness, which has forced his company to shutter stores due to fears over employee safety.

Schultz made the comments in leaked video that was posted to Twitter over the weekend by Ari Hoffman of KVI-AM talk radio based in Seattle.

Last week, Starbucks announced it was closing 16 restaurants in various cities across the country due to what the company said was employee complaints of drug use and violent crime on the premises.

Schultz said he believes the Seattle-based coffee chain will have to close “many more” locations.

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In the video leaked over the weekend, Schultz cited the “issues of mental illness, homelessness, and crime.”

“Starbucks is a window into America,” Schultz said. “We are facing things in which the stores were not built for.”

Schultz then took Democrat-run cities to task for not providing solutions.

“In my view, at the local, state, and federal level, these governments across the country and leaders — mayors, governors, and city councils — have abdicated their responsibility in fighting crime and addressing mental illness,” he said.

I think he makes valid points. If a city puts businesses in an unsafe environment to operate, why should that city be rewarded with the service of that business, and the accompanying tax revenue it generates?