Prego Pasta Sauce Wants to Listen in on What’s Being Said Around the Dinner Table
Prego has teamed with nonprofit StoryCorps to launch the Connection Keeper, a $20 dinner‑table voice recorder bundled with pasta sauce and conversation cards. The device stores up to 16 GB of CD‑quality audio locally, runs eight hours on a charge, and transfers recordings via USB‑C. There is no Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth or AI, keeping the data offline unless users choose to upload it to StoryCorps or the Library of Congress. Only about 100 units will be available for pre‑order on April 27, making it a limited‑edition collector’s item.
Atticus
Atticus, a boutique grocery store in Providence’s East Rock neighborhood, is courting a TikTok‑savvy, health‑conscious crowd with gourmet products and eye‑catching décor. The shop’s checkout bowl, once filled with colorful pronoun pins, now displays ironic cigarette lighters, reflecting a rapid...
The Whiskey Glut Won’t Lower Prices, but It Will Mean Older, Better Bottles
The global whiskey market is facing a significant oversupply, prompting distillers to pause production, shut facilities and lay off staff. Barrel prices for aged American whiskey have dropped 30‑40% compared with four years ago, creating fire‑sale opportunities for independent bottlers....
New Home Coffee Equipment From World of Coffee in San Diego
The World of Coffee trade show in San Diego attracted more than 17,000 visitors and became a launchpad for a wave of new home coffee equipment. Brands such as Cosori, Varia Brewing, Kopel Labs, Next Level Coffee, Lelit, Flair Espresso,...
Gastro, Pub
Jess Shadbolt and Annie Shi have launched Dean’s, a compact British‑style pub located next to their acclaimed Italian‑French bistro King. The new venue carries the same seasonal, ingredient‑driven philosophy that earned King its reputation. Dean’s blends classic pub comfort with...
The VinePair Podcast: What Can Bev Alc Learn From Fast Food?
The VinePair Podcast explores how beverage‑alcohol brands can learn from recent fast‑food setbacks, especially Wendy’s sales decline tied to an inexperienced CEO. While legacy chains struggle, fast‑casual concepts like Taco Bell and Raising Cane’s are expanding. Hosts argue that deep...
Charting Eventful Horizons: Realizing Revenue at Your Venue
Corporate events are emerging as a high‑margin revenue engine for restaurants and hotels, delivering up to 20% higher margins than traditional a la carte dining. Tripleseat’s platform shows corporate event revenue grew 14.6% in 2025—1.5 times faster than weddings—while average...
Missing Bean Coffee Roasters Unveils Trio of Ethically Sourced Spring Coffees From Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Peru
Missing Bean Coffee Roasters, an independent specialist based in Oxfordshire, has launched three new single‑origin spring coffees from Rwanda, Ethiopia and Peru. The beans are ethically sourced through direct‑trade relationships, with prices ranging from £10.50 to £16.25 (approximately $13‑$21) per...
Scientists Say Nanoplastics Can Cause Salmonella to Become Stronger
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign discovered that nanoplastics embedded in food‑packaging can boost the virulence of Salmonella bacteria. Laboratory experiments showed the pathogen becomes more aggressive when exposed to nanoplastic particles commonly found on ground‑turkey packaging. The study,...
EFSA Rolls Out 2026 Food Safety Campaign
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has unveiled its Safe2Eat campaign for 2026, targeting the entire EU. The initiative spotlights safe food practices, additive transparency, and flavoring information to help consumers make healthier choices. By deploying educational tools and outreach...
The Fair Comes To The Candy Aisle With Maeve
Maeve’s new Fantastical Fair Foods line flips the current quiet‑luxury trend in premium chocolate packaging with bold, carnival‑inspired designs. Each wrapper is a maximalist collage of Ferris wheels, food stalls, and vintage midway signage, crafted by Young Jerks. Distinct color...
PulPac Develops Fiber-Based Molded Bottle Cap
PulPac announced a fiber‑molded bottle cap that aims to replace traditional plastic closures. The new cap is part of the company’s broader effort to create a fully paper‑based beverage bottle, including the container and its enclosures. By leveraging molded fiber,...
Little Baobab Launches Monthly Senegalese Food and Music Nights at the Africa Centre in Southwark
Little Baobab, London’s sole Senegalese restaurant, has introduced a monthly Food and Live Music Night at the Africa Centre in Southwark. Each event, priced at £35 (about $45) per person, offers a buffet of traditional dishes and an acoustic concert...
Buzzworks Chefs Train With Master Chefs Of Great Britain
Buzzworks’ culinary teams attended an elite patisserie masterclass organized by The Master Chefs of Great Britain at Prestonfield House in Edinburgh. The hands‑on session taught advanced pastry techniques, presentation standards, and creative innovation, forming part of a corporate sponsorship that...
“Room For Dreams”: La Marzocco & Design Boom At Milan Design Week
La Marzocco has partnered with design platform Designboom to launch “Room for Dreams” at Milan Design Week, an immersive showcase that blends installations, talks, cinema, and coffee experiences. The program opens with a panel on “Temporary Dreamscapes,” followed by a daily...
Deal Follow-Up. April Michelin Additions. Critics & More.
Michelin’s April guide for the UK and Ireland added 18 new restaurants, including eight fresh entries in London such as Fan, Luso, and The Hart. The guide’s expansion highlights a growing appetite for diverse, high‑quality dining experiences across the region....
Oishii Launches New Berry Formats and Price Points Across U.S. Retailers
Oishii is expanding its U.S. retail presence with six new strawberry formats priced between $4.99 and $11.99. The lineup is split into Premium for daily consumption and Reserve for special occasions, introducing the lowest‑price Reserve Bento Box at $4.99. Reserve...
Don’t Call It Design Oatmeal: Kreatures Of Comfort’s Overnight Oats Goes All-In On Type
Kreatures of Comfort launched Meal One, a high‑protein overnight oat sold in individual pouches, delivering 30 grams of plant‑based protein, gluten‑free, sugar‑free, and fortified with Vitamin D3, Omega‑3s, and probiotics. The brand’s packaging abandons typical oatmeal visuals, opting for a bright, text‑heavy...
Mestizo Launches Low-ABV Cocktail Menu in Partnership with Leve Agave Spirit Co-Founded by Ex-F1 Driver Nicholas Latifi
London’s Mestizo Mexican restaurant group has teamed with Leve, an agave spirit co‑founded by ex‑F1 driver Nicholas Latifi, to debut a four‑cocktail, low‑ABV menu at its Camden and Chelsea venues. Leve, distilled at 22% ABV from 100% Blue Weber agave,...
Your Loyalty Cards Could Save Your Life
Direct-to-consumer food recall alerts in the U.S. remain fragmented, with no legal requirement for brands to notify purchasers directly. A recent PIRG Education Fund report highlights delays and gaps, noting that agencies like the FDA often omit lower‑profile recalls from...
Shelf Life 108: Is Bottled Water Performative?
The article argues that bottled water is a quintessential performative purchase, used to signal personal identity and status in public settings. It highlights how brand choices—whether Poland Spring, Loonen, or boutique labels—communicate eco‑consciousness or affluence more than pure hydration needs....
Schweppes Reclaims Its Brand With JKR Instead of Reinventing
Jones Knowles Ritchie has refreshed Schweppes’ iconic cans, replacing the flat design with a warm yellow hue and a diagonal stripe that conveys movement and luxury. The new look features a stylized 1851 Great Exhibition fountain rendered in tonal gold,...
Aqua Libra Finds The Joy In Water
Aqua Libra’s sparkling water has received a bold visual overhaul by Magpie Studio, swapping the industry’s typical icy‑blue minimalism for a vivid palette of electric pink, citrus green, hot orange and chartreuse. The redesign features a wide, compressed sans‑serif wordmark...
Kulturhaus Blends Traditional Bavarian Beer Culture With The Relaxed Nature Of The California Coast
Kulturhaus, a California‑based brewery, is unveiling a new visual identity that blends classic Bavarian beer culture with the relaxed vibe of the West Coast. Designed by the agency Play, the brand adopts mid‑century typography and a limited‑color palette across illustrated...
An Idea To Steal
A Paris‑based pop‑up event called "Lunch of Little Mechanics" turned food service into a theatrical spectacle, delivering meals on steampunk‑style moving contraptions. The concept, championed by designer Rain Noe, blends street performance with industrial design, creating a kinetic dining experience....
Sunday Edition: King Raw
Federal inspectors confirmed E. coli contamination in raw‑milk cheddar cheese from Raw Farm LLC in Fresno, prompting a protest‑filed recall after the product was linked to an outbreak that has sickened nine people across three states. Similar raw‑milk cheese outbreaks...
Everything You Need to Know Before You BYOB
The article outlines practical guidance for diners who want to bring their own wine to restaurants, emphasizing the need to confirm BYOB policies and corkage fees in advance. It explains that corkage fees—typically $25 to $200 per bottle—cover service, glassware,...
Edible Garden Announces $2.66 Million Iowa Investment for RTD Beverage Production Facility
Edible Garden announced a $2.66 million investment to build a ready‑to‑drink (RTD) beverage production line at its Iowa facility, partnering with Tetra Pak to tap the $842.5 billion global RTD market. Q4 2025 revenue rose modestly to $4.1 million, driven by new accounts such...
Jim Cramer Explains How PepsiCo (PEP)’s CEO Ramon Laguarta Is “Winning With Innovation”
Jim Cramer praised PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta for reviving earnings growth in the consumer packaged goods sector. Laguarta’s playbook centers on smaller, price‑friendly snack packs, a fast‑hydration Gatorade formula, and the acquisition of natural‑drink brand Poppi. He also reinforced cost...
Why Most Coffee Content Doesn’t Convert Into Sales
Coffee brands flood social feeds with polished reels and photos, but the content often fails to move buyers toward purchase. The pieces are usually created by junior staff or freelancers who optimize for likes rather than sales, leaving a gap...
Do Food Dyes Cause Hyperactivity? What the Research Actually Shows
Artificial food colours remain ubiquitous, appearing in 19% of U.S. packaged foods and driving roughly $46 billion in consumer purchases. Major regulators—including the FDA, EFSA, and Health Canada—continue to approve dyes such as Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Blue 1 based on toxicology...
Oysters, Clams From Certain Washington Harvest Areas Recalled because of Norovirus
The Washington State Department of Health notified the FDA on April 10 of a recall of all shellstock harvested by Gomez Shellfish LLC from a portion of Hammersley Inlet between March 22 and April 9, after raw oysters were linked...
Marcel the Shell: A Restaurant Emerges at the Breuer
Sotheby’s has opened Marcel, a high‑end restaurant inside the landmark Breuer building, marking the auction house’s first dedicated dining venue. The project was a joint effort between Robin and Stephen Alesch, who navigated strict preservation rules to create a dramatic...
Ice Cream Recalled because of Undeclared Allergens, Colors
Silver Moon LP, operating as Loard’s Ice Cream in San Leandro, California, has issued a voluntary recall of every retail‑size ice‑cream container it sold after an FDA inspection revealed missing ingredient statements. The omission left allergens such as milk, nuts,...
Dopamine Dining: Rosa’s Thai Is Offering the Antidote to British Weather in Tower Bridge
Rosa’s Thai is debuting a limited‑time "Sunshine Hit" dining experience at its Tower Bridge venue from April 22‑28, 2026. Guests will enjoy a 90‑minute slot at tables equipped with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) lamps that simulate natural sunlight, paired with...
Spanish Culinary Stars Line up for Spain Fusion: The Premium Experience in Manila
Spain Fusion: The Premium Experience will convene top Spanish chefs—including Albert Adrià, Ricard Camarena and Chele González—at The Westin Manila on April 20, 2026. The invitation‑only, five‑hour program features showcooking, masterclasses and a wine panel aimed at showcasing premium Spanish...
Garage Beer and Outlaw Light Advance Into the Brewers Association Top 50 Craft Brewers. WHAT?!
Garage Beer and Tivoli Brewing, the maker of Outlaw Light, have entered the Brewers Association’s 2025 Top 50 craft brewers by volume. Their inclusion highlights a surge in production for brands that were once considered niche, driven by expanding distribution through...
Three Questions with Kosta Kallivrousis of Age of Coffee
Kosta Kallivrousis left his family’s electrician business after the 2008 crisis to start as a Starbucks barista, eventually becoming a senior supply‑chain advisor at Age of Coffee. His career progressed through specialty‑coffee roles at The Roasterie, Parisi Coffee, and a...
What to Know Before Adding Organic Protein Powder to Your Routine
Organic protein powder is a supplement made from ingredients grown without synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilizers, or GMOs, and can be plant‑based (peas, rice, hemp) or whey from organically raised cows. The article explains that these powders deliver 20‑25 grams of protein...
Thankfully, Purdey’s Energy Drinks Offer Up Some Seriously Non-Aggro Branding
Purdey’s energy drinks have been refreshed by Magpie Studio, unveiling the “Flow Loop” infinity mark that visually ties the entire range together. The redesign replaces the category’s typical neon aggression with flavor‑coded, fruit‑inspired color palettes and calm typography. By turning...
Managing Mother’s Day Demand Without Slowing the Kitchen
Mother’s Day creates a unique surge for restaurants, with orders often coming from groups rather than individuals. Operators must balance dine‑in, pickup, and delivery tickets while preventing menu complexity from slowing the kitchen. Pre‑ordering bundles and front‑loading demand weeks ahead...
Why AI-Powered Ordering Can Redefine the Restaurant’s Digital Experience
Restaurant digital ordering often feels like a static menu, leading to 60‑70% abandonment on complex orders. AI‑powered ordering turns the experience into a guided conversation, letting guests state intent such as budget or dietary needs and receiving a curated cart...
Edenesque Plant Milk Looks Like a Work of Art
Edenesque, a plant‑milk brand, launched a new packaging line created by design agency Perpendicular. The cartons showcase hand‑drawn, mid‑century‑style figures and flavor‑coded color palettes, turning each product into a miniature artwork. This bold visual shift departs from the industry’s typical...
Twisted Hemp Proves That You Can’t Go Wrong With a Little Psychedelic Inspiration
Twisted Hemp has launched a bold packaging redesign created by Dinger Creative, featuring psychedelic‑inspired patterns and vivid color palettes reminiscent of the 1960s‑70s. The new multipack boxes use electric green, hot pink, and vivid red with oversized typography for high‑visibility...
Denmark Solves 4 of 10 Recent Listeria Outbreaks
Denmark reported 199 invasive Listeria monocytogenes infections from 2023 to 2025, averaging 66 cases per year and an incidence of 1.1 per 100,000 residents. Annual case counts varied between 54 and 84. The Statens Serum Institut identified ten outbreak clusters,...
Seafood, Cantaloupe, Canned Foods Subject to Increased Import Enforcement
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has revised its import alerts, tightening enforcement on several high‑risk food categories, notably seafood, cantaloupe, and canned goods. The changes, posted on April 13, affect shipments from multiple foreign sources and reflect recent alerts...
Norway Checks Compliance with Salmonella Import Conditions
Norway’s Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet) completed a year‑long audit of imports subject to its Salmonella guarantee, covering June 2025 through March 2026. The review uncovered systematic weaknesses in both sampling protocols and the accompanying documentation that importers must provide. While...
Will Restaurants Receive Tariff Reimbursement?
The Supreme Court ruled the president exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, opening a $170 billion refund process for importers affected by Trump‑era tariffs. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will begin accepting refund requests on April 20, but...
Busch Light Returns Cult ‘Bapple’ Beer, Teases New Pickle Flavor
Busch Light is re‑launching its apple‑flavored lager, nicknamed “Bapple,” in limited quantities this month, according to Anheuser‑Busch InBev. The brand also filed a TTB label for a new pickle‑flavored lager and has pending approvals for orange and lemon variants. Busch’s...
The Consumer Squeeze Isn’t Uniform—And Neither Is Foodservice Demand
The article argues that consumer pressure is uneven, with higher‑income households still spending while price‑sensitive shoppers trade down. This fragmentation is reshaping foodservice demand: quick‑service venues see steady traffic but tighter margins, whereas premium fast‑casual and experiential dining retain fewer...