Welcome to Food Week September 12, 2025. Making America Health Again apparently doesn’t include removing pesticides. Among other grumbling, pollution, inflation, trade deficit, delis, brothers, Mexico City’s restaurants, Vegans, and the way they wash dishes in England. And more.
MACRO
- Inflation up and jobs are down. This is fine.
- In our ongoing series – MAHA is a joke – HHS can’t get pesticides ban. In fact 4 new pesticides with PFAs (forever chemicals) approved EPA. Also health advice on alcohol consumption mysteriously withdrawn.
- National Weather Service advises avoiding drive-thrus in many states because of air pollution.
RETAIL AND CONSUMER
- How Walmart and other large corporations depend on government programs to avoid paying employees a living wage.
- Kroger is betting on growth in the deli section, tripling the size. Maybe fix their sub-optimal operations instead… And then there’s delivery.
- The Pig struggles.
- More Demoulas madness: sisters fire brother.
- More rating baloney: Bologna brands
- In an interesting acquisition, C-store company acquires QSR Potbelly.
RESTAURANTS AND FOODSERVICE
- This is the weirdest list. The New York Times published this. They obviously aren’t the ‘best’ because the restaurants with the regard most highly in the country aren’t on it. And they aren’t new restaurants so… I give you Louisiana, where some of the greatest old restaurants and some of the most exciting new concepts frequently arise. And we get Emeril’s, which is fine but not exciting and a restaurant with a nice setting outside NOLA.
- Mexico City’s restaurant scene feels like it is being overrun by ex-pats.
- Starbucks alienating both customers and employees.
- Which is better: third or first party delivery for restaurants? Or neither?
- I think the Cracker Barrel logo ‘controversy’ was basically about the fact tha the CEO is a woman. But operations isn’t doing well either. Also, Pinstripes goes bankrupt. Put Captain D’s is about to resurface. (get it?)
- Think reservations are hard. Imagine a world wwhere you have to join a private club for high end dining.
FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN
- Farmers still fighting manufacturers for the right to fix their own equipment.
- US Farm trade deficit widens as exports lag. China isn’t buying US soybeans
- Critically endangered shark meat being sold as different fish.
- There aren’t 2 million farms in the US. It fact, it isn’t even close to that many.
DRINKS
- Chateauneuf-Du-Pape knowledge
- The whole Van Winkle collection
- PFAs found in 95% of beers tested.
- Beer drinkers attract mosquitoes.
FOOD WEEK September 12 LAGNIAPPE
- Foods that Vegans pretend to love but really don’t. They left off kombucha. And ways they put non-vegans off.
- Brits don’t rinse their dishes after washing. Swear to God.
- Another love letter to coffee and caffeine. Fun fact: almost all of human progress has occured since the discovery of caffeine.
- Managing mold on your berrries: how much is too much?
- Syracuse Salt Potatoes and Chicago-style Vesuvio Potatoes.
- Fruits with more fiber than apples.