"Hyper Palatable" Food, Food Delivery Robots, Coke Takes On Flavored Seltzer [11/4/2019 – 11/10/2019]

  • Food has become too tasty! Researchers at the University of Kansas have published a study defining what they call “hyper palatable” food and how these foods have changed the way our brains respond to being full. The study also examines how certain foods that are designed to be good for you can cause you to overeat because of certain ingredient combinations. Now you will have someone to blame when you’ve suddenly eaten an entire sleeve of Thin Mints!

  • Dunkin Donuts wants to help get you into the holiday spirit by releasing four very festive lattes. The new drinks include Holiday Eggnog, Mocha Merry Mint, Frosted White Chocolate and Toasted Gingerbread. Each drink is topped with whipped cream and a drizzle of either caramel or chocolate and served in a bright cup with a festive quote. Want even more holiday sweetness? The donut chain is also serving a Holiday Brownie Crumble Donut – a vanilla frosted donut coated in brownie pieces and finished with a drizzle of green icing. 

  •  The FDA is receiving harsh criticism over its handling of the latest E.coli outbreak that left 23 people sick across 8 states over the summer. E.coli has been linked to romaine lettuce several times over the years, and farmers are working diligently to decrease the risk. The FDA learned of the outbreak in early September, but took 6 weeks to make an official statement about it. Critics call this unacceptable, stating that warning people could have helped reduce the amount of people affected by the outbreak.

  • University of Wisconsin, Madison is using robots to deliver food to faculty and students.The autonomous rovers will be able to deliver food to students’ and staff’s exact location from three local restaurants – all anyone needs is the app and a credit card (or student id). Once the robot has arrived, you will be able to unlock the robot to retrieve your food with app. The robots were developed by a San Francisco-based startup called Starship Technologies. 

  • Narayana Reddy, known to many as Grandpa Kitchen, has died. In 2017, he started a YouTube channel that showcased him preparing enormous amounts of food outdoors in India, and feeding locals as well as orphaned children. In two years, his videos were viewed a total of 626 million times. He will truly be missed.

  • Many restaurants will be honoring veterans and active duty service members starting Sunday in honor of Veterans Day on Monday. By showing your military ID, you are eligible to receive discounts and even free meals at a long list of restaurants, and stores across the United States. For a full list of popular places, click here.

  • Move over Lacroix, Coke is coming out with its own flavored seltzer line. AHA by Coke has six delicious flavors that won't make you miss all of the sugar and sodium in other carbonated drinks. Some flavors include Apple and Ginger, Peach and Honey, Strawberry and Cucumber, as well as two flavors that contain caffeine. The AHA line will replace Coke’s Dasani sparkling water and will be available in March 2020.