The Week In Food News: A Cantaloupe Recall And Crumbl's Redesign

A lot is happening in the food world as the year draws to a close, including many appearances by Buddy the Elf. Here are our top news stories of the week.

Getting the biggest bang for your buck is practically an American sport, and when Endless Shrimp was permanently added to Red Lobster's menu earlier this year, it felt like Christmas morning. To the customers, at least. From a business perspective, things haven't been so rosy. In fact, Red Lobster is anticipating a $20 million loss this year, and some of those many, many shrimp might be to blame. Read More

Now that it's on top of the world, Crumbl Cookies is getting a bit of makeover. The cookie chain, founded in 2017, has been growing at a rapid clip, and now has more than 950 locations after just six years in business. It's known for its rich and massive cookies and its weekly flavor rotations, and now that the brand has grown to nearly 1,000 shops, it's changing its name and logo to better suit the business. Read More

Earlier this month U.S. health officials warned people not to eat certain brands of whole and pre-cut cantaloupe due to the risk of salmonella poisoning. At the time, the Associated Press reported 43 people in 15 states had been affected, including 17 who were hospitalized. Those figures have now increased to 100 people across 32 states. Among those affected, two have died and 45 have been hospitalized. Read More

It's been 100 years since Robert Frost first wrote that "Nothing gold can stay." Little did he know just how relevant that line would remain a century later—and how applicable it would be to the Golden Arches. We round up 10 discontinued fast food menu items and grocery store snacks from 2023. Read More

Very rarely does a modern holiday movie have what it takes to earn a spot in the December film canon. But Elf, the 2003 film starring Will Ferrell, has held its own for 20 years, and has led to phrases like "Cotton-headed ninnymuggins" and "Son of nutcracker" living rent-free in our heads. In celebration of of the film's 20th anniversary, here are the food brands Elf”ing up their offerings with Buddy-themed products. Read More

The Wall Street Journal reports that Sam Bankman-Fried, convicted of fraud in the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has ditched his Silicon Valley currency of choice and is spending with a different type of coin: packaged mackerel. It turns out that in the U.S. prison system, mackerel is a common stand-in for cash. Read More

Although lemon water's connection with wellness has persisted for years, The Guardian recently took a closer look at the phenomenon to determine whether the combination has any actual dietary benefits—and why it continues to be a widely embraced lifestyle symbol. Read More

This year was uniquely jam-packed with food news. It's been a long calendar year of developments in both the grocery and restaurant landscapes, and at The Takeout we've done our level best to cover it all. Here are the top 10 stories of 2023. Read More

Since influencing isn't exactly a strictly regulated industry, the heavy hitters on Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms don't always feel the need to disclose whether they've been paid to post certain content (though others are generally transparent). But the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is keeping an eye on social media, and it's starting to warn influencers that the bare minimum in disclosing their sponsorships isn't going to be enough going forward. Read More