Americas
Delivery driver burned by hot drink awarded $50m
Starbucks has been ordered by a jury in the US state of California to pay $50m in damages to a delivery driver who sustained severe burns after a hot drink spilled on him due to a poorly secured lid. According to court filings, the barista on duty had failed to secure the lid properly. Garcia’s attorney, Michael Parker, stated that the spill caused extensive injuries that were both physically and emotionally devastating, adversely affecting Garcia’s quality of life. Starbucks intends to challenge the ruling by filing an appeal.
Food industry speaks out against elimination of food safety watchdogs
On March 7, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it planned to eliminate two committees that advise it on food safety: the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods and the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection. Prominent food industry stakeholders and advocacy groups, including Consumer Reports and Stop Foodborne Illness, which served on the meat and poultry inspection committee, spoke out against the decision. “Without the input of these committees, we have little confidence that the food safety policies at USDA and FDA (Food and Drug Administration) will, in fact, ‘Make America Healthy Again,'” said CEO Sandra Eskin, a former USDA acting under secretary for food safety.
Asia Pacific
Hotpot chain apologizes after viral contamination incident
Chinese hotpot chain Haidilao is compensating over 4,000 customers following an incident where two 17-year-old diners urinated into their hotpot broth at a Shanghai location. The February 24 incident went viral when security footage emerged online. Haidilao acknowledged a lack of training procedures that prevented staff from detecting the situation promptly and has pledged to “do our utmost to take responsibility.” The company has filed a civil lawsuit against the teenagers, who have been detained by Shanghai police. Haidilao admitted that distress caused to customers “cannot be fully compensated for by any means.”
Compass Group rescues New Zealand school lunch program after Libelle collapse
Compass Group New Zealand has agreed to acquire the assets of Libelle Group following its sudden liquidation, ensuring continuity for the Ka Ora, Ka Ako Healthy School Lunches program, which provides approximately 125,000 daily meals. “Our teams are united in our commitment to providing lunches every school day,” said Paul Harvey, Managing Director of Compass NZ, noting that despite the disruption, they maintained 97.3% on-time delivery of over 500,000 meals last week. The acquisition remains subject to regulatory approvals.
Europe, Middle East, Africa
Drone delivery takes off in Dublin
Just Eat Takeaway has launched its first drone-operated food deliveries in Dublin, marking the start of a major rollout in partnership with Manna Drone Delivery. Customers ordering from participating restaurants in the Irish capital will now be able to opt for drone delivery and receive their meals in as little as three minutes. The service aims to improve efficiency and reduce delivery times during peak hours and is expected to expand across the food delivery giant’s international markets. Manna’s drone network currently operates under European Union aviation safety agency (EASA) regulations and the firm is working with local authorities to expand the service to more countries.
Massive carbon cuts from vegan concert catering
British trip-hop band Massive Attack’s music festival in Bristol last summer produced the lowest emissions of any concert ever, according to a new report by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. The concert was named Act 1.5 after the 2015 Paris Agreement and featured an electric-powered stage, 100% plant-based catering and no car park. This helped Massive Attack cut energy emissions by 98% compared to a standard outdoor live music event and food emissions by 89%. In absolute numbers, offering exclusively vegan dishes resulted in the largest reduction in emissions (26,800 kg of CO2e).
Elly Earls
