🍔 Cardi B got reviews and🌿 Healthy fasting during Ramadan

AGRICULTURE, SCIENCE, AND TECH

Florida plans to ban cell-cultivated meat

1. Legislation Approved: Florida lawmakers have passed legislation banning the manufacturing, sale, and distribution of cell-cultivated or lab-grown meat in the state. This decision is pending Governor Ron DeSantis's approval.

2. Legal Consequences: If the ban is enacted, violators of this legislation would be subject to a second-degree misdemeanor.

3. Background of Cell-Cultivated Meat: The technology behind cell-cultivated meat involves growing meat from animal cells in a lab setting, which aims to produce meat that is identical to traditional meat but without the associated environmental, ethical, and health concerns of conventional animal farming.

4. Federal Approval: Despite the state-level ban, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have already approved the cultivation of lab-grown meat, granting permission to companies like UPSIDE Foods and Good Meat to produce cell-cultivated foods.

5. Market Position: Although plant-based meat alternatives have gained market presence, cell-cultivated meats are still in the early stages of commercialization and have not yet become widely available to consumers.

6. Potential Benefits: Cell-cultivated meat offers several potential benefits, including reduced environmental impact, improved animal welfare, and a sustainable method to meet increasing protein demand.

7. Discussion with Dr. Jennifer Martin: The article includes insights from Dr. Jennifer Martin, an Associate Professor in Meat Science and Quality at Colorado State University, to provide context on the new food science industry and the implications of the state legislature's ban at this early stage.

ENTERTAINMENT

Cardi B and Kieth Lee review the best burger spot in LA

Showcasing the merging of celebrity influence with culinary critique through Cardi B and Keith Lee's collaboration. This fusion creates an engaging, relatable form of food criticism that contrasts with traditional methods.

Cardi B's candid and straightforward approach, paired with her claim as a burger expert, offers a refreshing perspective, making food reviews more accessible and entertaining. The blend of her vibrant personality with Keith Lee's culinary credibility highlights the evolving landscape of food criticism, where celebrities and influencers significantly impact public opinion and restaurant popularity.

This trend democratizes food criticism, making it appealing to a broader audience while also challenging traditional norms of culinary expertise.

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FOODIE SOPTLIGHT

What’s Ultra-Processed Food?

Growing concerns and evidence against ultra-processed foods, linking their high consumption to various adverse health outcomes.

1. Ultra-processed Food Ingredients: These foods often contain ingredients not typically found in home kitchens, such as high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, and emulsifiers.

2. Health Risks: Consuming ultra-processed foods is associated with increased risks of anxiety, depression, obesity, metabolic syndrome, certain cancers (including colorectal cancer), and premature death. This is based on data from over 9 million participants across multiple studies.

3. Dietary Guidelines: Recommendations include filling half the plate with fruits and vegetables, consuming whole grains, and limiting refined grains found in ultra-processed foods.

4. Mechanisms of Harm: While the exact mechanisms are unclear, the overlap with metabolic diseases is notable. For colorectal cancer, increased weight from consuming these foods might be a risk factor. For mental health, poor diet quality is linked to higher risks of depressive and anxiety symptoms.

5. Diet and Mood: Healthy diets, like the Mediterranean diet, are associated with lower risks of depression and can help reduce anxiety symptoms.

6. Threshold Effect: Small amounts of ultra-processed foods might not pose a risk, but high consumption is linked to mental health struggles. The exact safe amount varies by individual.

7. Regulatory Actions and Guidelines: The FDA is working on defining "healthy" food labels and introducing front-of-package labeling to highlight high sodium, sugar, and saturated fat content, indirectly addressing ultra-processed foods.

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RECIPES

Maintaining a healthy diet during Ramadan fasting

1. Do Not Skip Suhoor: Ensure you have the predawn meal, which is crucial for sustaining energy throughout the day.

2. Break Your Fast with Dates and Water: Start iftar with dates and water, following prophetic tradition, to quickly replenish energy levels with a source of quick sugar and hydration.

3. Pace Your Eating: After breaking your fast, take a moment for prayer and then slowly start your main meal, paying attention to hunger and fullness cues.

4. Balance Your Plate: Include complex carbohydrates, fiber-rich foods, protein, and healthy fats in your meals. Use the healthy plate model as a guide: half the plate for non-starchy vegetables or salad, a quarter for complex carbohydrates like quinoa or potatoes, and the last quarter for protein sources.

5. Suhoor Meal Ideas: Focus on foods that are rich in protein and healthy fats for longer satiety. Examples include eggs, avocados and toast, overnight oats, Greek yogurt bowls, protein waffles, and burritos with beans and eggs.

6. Iftar Meal Composition: Incorporate rice, chicken, salad, and soup, following the healthy plate model to ensure a balanced meal.

7. Moderate Consumption of Fried and Sweetened Foods: Enjoy such foods in moderation and focus on more nutritionally dense alternatives.

8. Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids during non-fasting hours, including water, teas, soups, and high-water content fruits like watermelon. Consider adding electrolytes to your water to improve hydration.

9. Manage Caffeine Intake: Taper down on caffeine to avoid withdrawal symptoms like headaches, or plan your caffeine consumption wisely, perhaps during suhoor for those who prefer not to cut it out completely.

10. Enjoy Cultural Foods: Embrace and enjoy your cultural dishes, maintaining a balance to ensure a nutritious intake while indulging in the foods you love.

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FOOD DOLLAR

Key Performance Indicator

Restaurant success post-COVID will be based on new Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) crucial for navigating this new era.

1. Hybrid Business Models: The shift towards online and mobile ordering, alongside traditional in-house dining, demands a hybrid approach to restaurant management, incorporating both traditional practices and the requirements of new service models.

2. Multi-Channel Order Management: Managing orders across multiple channels (in-house, online, delivery) efficiently is a significant challenge, necessitating optimization of kitchen operations and staff training.

3. Menu Performance Analysis: Monitoring the performance of menu items across different sales channels is essential. This includes assessing revenue, margin, customer affinity, and the effectiveness of promotions, as well as the ability to quickly adapt to market changes and customer preferences.

4. Omnichannel Performance: It's crucial to analyze both on-premises and off-premises dining to understand revenue, margin, and customer satisfaction impacts, and to make informed decisions regarding staffing and technology investments.

5. Kitchen Productivity: With the increase in online ordering and off-premises dining, kitchens must manage more orders without necessarily expanding physically. Measuring orders per station and completion times helps identify bottlenecks and areas for efficiency improvement.

6. Staffing Strategies: Finding, training, and retaining staff in a competitive labor market is more critical than ever. Restaurants need to develop strategies to accelerate new employee training and maximize their contribution to revenue generation.

7. Technology Integration: Leveraging analytics, digital tools, and Point of Sale (POS) systems to manage operational complexities and enhance customer experiences is vital. This includes everything from real-time menu performance tracking to kitchen display systems that optimize order fulfillment.

8. Customer Experience: Ensuring a seamless transition between online and in-house dining experiences is key. This involves rethinking service models to prioritize loyalty and satisfaction across all dining formats.

9. Adapting to Change: The most successful restaurants will be those that can quickly adapt to market changes, consumer preferences, and technological advancements, using data and analytics to inform their decisions.

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FOOD SAFETY

Recall List

Recent Recalls

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COMPOUND OF THE WEEK

C₆H₈O₆: Ascorbic Acid, also known as vitamin C, is a water-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in some foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement.