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INCREDIBLE EDIBLE MUNCH

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Breakfast's

New Beat,

MOMMA

SNOOP

Rap icons enter breakfast biz

LOS ANGELES (MNS)Move over Quakers Oats, Aunt Jemima, and Albers. Introducing a new delicious brand of pancake mix, maple syrup, grits, oatmeal and cookie mix to supermarket shelves everywhere. Make room for Momma Snoop.

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Broadus Foods' Founder Snoop Dogg aka Calvin Broadus, and CEO Master P aka Percy Miller have come together to tap into the $400 billion global breakfast food market, taking on the giants in the businessNestle SA, General Mills Inc., The Kellogg Company, PepsiCo Inc., and The Kraft Heinz Company.

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Snoop and Master P are committed to inspire economic empowerment by adding diversity into the grocery stores industry and creating opportunities for minority-owned food products and brands. 

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In the urban communities of their rootsSnoop Dogg in Long Beach, Calif., and Master P in New Orleans, La., and later Richmond, Calif., oatmeal, grits, cold cereal, pancakes, waffles, buttermilk biscuits, maple syrup, jellies and jams, coffee cake, along with bacon, sausage, hot links and eggs, were the mainstays of the first meal of the day.

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Now they are entering the fray to compete for the breakfast dollar against the biggest and most successful names in the industry, who have made hundreds of millions in profit for decades and decades.

 

Momma Snoop, Broadus Foods' brand image with her kind sweet face and bonnet, and two of the least likely food industry investors—Snoop and Master P—will test their mettle against the likes of the Quaker Oats Man, Aunt Jemima, Mrs. Butterworth, Cap'n Crunch, Tony the Tiger, Toucan Sam, and Snap, Crackle 'n Pop.

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A wise man once said the highest mountains had small beginnings. Half of this wisdom, at least, applies to Broadus Foods.

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Visit: http://broadusfoods.com

Ok, Subway, is it tuna or not?

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Mystery Word Games: Subway still on hook for claims of no tuna in its tuna sandwiches

OAKLAND, Calif. (CN)—A federal judge on has denied sandwich giant Subway’s bid to dismiss consumers’ claims the tuna served in its restaurants isn’t tuna at all.

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Karen Dhanowa and Nilima Amin grabbed national headlines in 2020 when they accused Subway of duping consumers into paying more for sandwiches advertised as tuna without having tuna in them at all.

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“In truth, the products do not contain tuna as ingredient. On the contrary, the filling in the products has no scintilla of tuna at all. In fact, the products entirely lack any trace of tuna as a component, let alone the main or predominant ingredient,” the women claimed in their lawsuit filed in the Northern District of California. 

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Speculation abounded. A New York Times reporter actually purchased 60 inches of sandwich, removed the tuna and sent it off to a lab for analysis. The results were inconclusive, as the meat was too processed to identify.

Since then, the sandwich chain has launched a campaign to defend itself against these accusations, even creating a website—SubwayTunaFacts.com—as a defense from the lawsuits and a New York Times probe. 

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This past October, US District Judge Jon Tigar tossed the women’s lawsuit, finding they failed to meet a critical standard for describing any fraudulent conduct.

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The plaintiffs fired back with an amended complaint claiming Subway’s tuna either partially or wholly lack tuna. In fact, they claimed the tuna may contain other fish and animal products or miscellaneous products—noting samples from California restaurants indicated the tuna filling was "a mixture of various concoctions that do not constitute tuna, yet have been blended together by defendants to imitate the appearance of tuna."

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They did not report what lab tests found in lieu of tuna. But Subway denied these claims, telling Food and Wine that "Subway delivers 100 percent cooked tuna to its restaurants, which is mixed with mayonnaise and used in freshly made sandwiches, wraps and salads that are served to and enjoyed by our guests. Given the facts, the lawsuit constitutes a reckless and improper attack on Subway’s brand and goodwill, and on the liveli- hood of its California franchisees."

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Ruling on a new motion to dismiss, Tigar found July 7 that Dhanowa’s claims should be nixed with prejudice since she had apparently never purchased tuna sandwiches from Subway. He also accepted Subway’s argu- ment that no consumer would be misled into thinking its tuna products didn’t contain other ingredients—mayo- nnaise, bread, other things normally found in a tuna sandwich—and dismissed claims made on that basis.

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But Tigar declined to dismiss claims that Subway’s tuna contains “other fish species, animal species or miscel- laneous products.”

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While Subway argued that any non-tuna DNA discovered in tests must have come from the eggs in mayonnaise or cross-contact with other ingredients, Tigar said it is possible it comes from ingredients consumers wouldn’t expect to be in a tuna sandwich.

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"Even if the court accepted Subway’s statement that all non-tuna DNA must be caused by cross-contact with other Subway ingredients, it still would not dismiss the complaint on this basis," Tigar wrote. "Whether, and to what extent, a reasonable consumer expects cross-contact between various Subway ingredients is a question of fact."

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He also denied Subway’s motion to dismiss claims its tuna products have no tuna at all "because a reasonable consumer would expect that a product advertised as 'tuna' to contain at least some tuna as an ingredient."

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As for claims of fraud in advertising, Tigar found Amin provided enough details for why the company’s descrip- tions could be misleading if there are other ingredients besides tuna in a tuna product. He also said at this stage in the litigation, nothing in the law requires Amin to provide specifics about the lab tests she and her attorneys had run on the tuna product.

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Subway’s lawyer Mark C. Goodman did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

Walmart Panics

Spooked by backlash on social media, retail giant yanks its Juneteenth Ice Cream from freezer shelves 

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By JARRETTE FELLOWS, JR., Editor

 

LOS ANGELES (MNS)Rattled by a potential backlash about the debut of its new dessert product Juneteenth Ice Cream, Walmart corporate officials pulled the item, which commemorates Juneteenth after criticism appeared on social media.

 

The ice cream, consisting of a swirl of red velvet and cheesecake flavors, features what appears to be an inoffensive proclamation: "Share and celebrate African-American culture, emancipation and enduring hope."

 

But some on social media have accused Walmart of using Juneteenth as a marketing scheme. One was comedian Roy Wood Jr., who tweeted, "Would you like some Juneteenth Ice cream on a Juneteenth plate as you sip your beer in a Juneteenth Koozie?"

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Another man named Christopher, tweeted, "So what type of toppings do you put on this mess? Crushed souls and shackle-shaped sprinkles??? It’s a no for me."

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Still a third tweeter who goes by the name, Uncle Samp, shared, "Walmart backed Juneteenth ice cream is in the same vein as what's happened to BLM, and Pride, and Anti Work. As our ideas become more 'main- stream' we have to think of how to protect them from being recuperated and de-radicalized."

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Estelle Goodlow, who said she read about the backlash and subsequent reaction by Walmart management on Facebook, laughed at Walmart's "overreaction. I think it's funny that they would pull the ice cream. I don't see anything wrong with it. I'm disappointed. I would have both some."

 

Walmart was apolegetic and released a statement to media outlets: "Juneteenth holiday marks a celebration of freedom and independence. However, we received feedback that a few items caused concern for some of our customers and we sincerely apologize. We are reviewing our assortment and will remove items as appropriate."

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Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, two months after the Confederacy had surrendered. It was about 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 was signed by President Abraham Lincoln freeing slaves in Texas.

Grower, Plenty, names

Arama Kukutai CEO 

SAN FRANCISCO (MNS)Plenty Unlimited Inc., an indoor, vertical farming technology company that can grow clean produce year-round, anywhere in the world, announced the appointment of Arama Kukutai as Chief Executive Officer.

 

Kukutai is a seasoned entrepreneur and visionary leader in the agritech industry, currently serving as co-founder and partner at Finistere Ventures, a pioneering venture firm dedicated to identifying and nurturing promising agribusiness and food tech companies. He brings to his role over two decades of leadership within farming, agriculture investment and sustainability, and will oversee Plenty’s growth into a scaled vertical farming company. Matt Barnard, co-founder and former CEO, will continue to serve as Executive Chairman of the Board. 

 

"Indoor agriculture has long promised a solution to the challenges

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Arama Kukutai

facing traditional growing, including solving year round supply, supply chain disruption, high water use and widespread pesticide and chemical use,” said Kukutai. "It has taken Plenty a decade of work to solve the technology and operating challenges in order to build economically viable, scalable farms that can deliver clean, nutritious and delicious food here in America, and globally in years to come. 

 

"With our Compton Farm opening this year, Plenty will lay a huge marker in proving the viability of a new wave in food quality, security and sustainability. I'm excited  to be leading Plenty's evolution from R&D to growing the business at scale," Kukutai said.

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Kukutai has been an investor in Plenty and a part of Plenty’s Board of Directors since September 2016. Prior to his work with Plenty and Finistere, Kukutai served as executive chairman of PKW Farms, a successfully diversified investment entity involved in dairy farming and aquaculture activities in New Zealand, Asia and Australia. He also led the New Zealand government’s Trade & Investment agency in North America.

 

"I am delighted that Arama has agreed to lend his formidable experience to the role of CEO, and I look forward to supporting him as Plenty accelerates its growth," said Barnard. "Arama has been part of our visionary team from the beginning, and with his own farming heritage of running large farming operations throughout his career, he is committed to the Plenty promise to build sustainable, intelligent farms that deliver healthy, safe produce with a focus on premium flavor."

 

About Plenty

Plenty is rewriting the rules of agriculture through its technology platform that can grow clean produce anywhere in the world, year round, with unprecedented yield and peak season quality. Plenty’s proprietary approach preserves the world’s natural resources, makes nutritious produce available to all communities and creates resilience in our food systems against weather, location, pests and climate. Plenty's headquarters are in South San Francisco, and the company operates the largest of its kind indoor plant science research facility in Laramie, Wyoming. Plenty is currently building the world's highest-output, vertical, indoor farm in Compton,

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INCREDIBLE EDIBLE LORE

Art's Famous Chili Dogs Hangs up the buns after 8 decades

LOS ANGELES (MNS)After a run of 80 years, Art’s Famous Chili Dogs in South LA has hung up the buns.

But not before one customer who had been coaxed to try one of the eatery’s chili dogs for years finally relented.

 

“For year’s my dad and my brother been telling us to come try it out,” Brianna Guzman told KABC News. “So, this is the first time and I’m just sad about it. It was really good.”

 

Guzman chowed down on the Jumbo Chili Dog, immediately realizing after the first bite what she’d missed all these years. Sadly, she wouldn’t be able to return.

 

Christopher Oliver said he grew up in the neighborhood and has been a customer of Art's Famous Chili Dog Stand for over three decades.

 

“Sorry to hear that it’s not going to be in business anymore. It really hurts, it really hurts my heart,” Oliver told KABC. “Now I’ve got to go back and explain to my kids, this is my last chili dog.”

 

Art’s Famous Chili Dogs, was a familiar sight at1410 W. Florence Ave. for 80 years, founded in 1939 by frank- furter entrepreneur, Art Elkind, who was its owner until 1990. After Elkind passed, Darrell Nelms bought it in 1994, remodeled it and kept the popular spot operative until March 8, 2020. Nelms’ daughters Fallon and Naijah Nelms co-owned the stand with their mother.

“This was our father’s dream" to own and operate the chili dog grill, Fallon said of Darrell, who himself passed in 2018. 
Fallon told KABC of she and Naijah’s valiant effort to keep the chili dog stand open, but in recent years haven’t been able to attract enough foot traffic to justify keeping the doors open, 80 years ago, Elkind sold the dogs for only 10 cents.

 

Looking back four decades

 

A chemical engineer, Elkind turned to selling hot dogs when unable to find work during the Great Depression. He opened the joint two miles west of its current location at Florence and Normandie Avenues. Elkind claims to have invented the chili dog when he was selling hot dogs and chili from a pushcart when someone suggested that he combine the two (other hot dog vendors have disputed this legend). He did, however, invent his own hot dog steamer, which kept all of hot dog’s ingredients at the same temperature, and for using a hot dog which was only part pork and had no natural casing, which contributed to his chili dogs’ unique flavor.

 

This stand quickly became well-known for its chili dogs and also for the personality of Elkind. He was described as a classic New Yorker, who was tough on the outside but kind on the inside.

Elkind died of a heart attack in October 1990.  

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Metropolis News Service.​

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