It still tastes like chicken: Chicken comes in all kinds of variations and dishes. There are chicken wings, chicken parm… and… chicken laboratory? Yes, those are chicken parts that are created entirely in a lab. In November 2022, the Food & Drug Administration allowed a company, Upside Foods, to produce lab-grown poultry for the first time. Then, in 2023, Good Meat got the green light and has been producing lab-grown chicken meat and selling it in Singapore ever since. So, how is it made? Cells are taken from an egg or a living animal and the ones that most closely resemble chicken meat are used to produce more cells. The material is put into vats similar to those used in breweries and the cells grow until they can be formed into that perfect chicken breast. So where is this going? Will grocers eventually have to identify if chicken meat was grown in a lab? I would really like to know if my food is the product of science or nature. —Bill Wilson
Who let the dogs out? It’s been a few years since Washington State updated its guidelines on which stores allow dogs, and grocery shoppers are now reporting more frequent sightings of the four-legged friends. But are shoppers upset and on the wrong track when they report the dogs to the local health department? Tri-City Herald The newspaper tried to set the record straight with a guide to the regulations grocers must follow, which include obtaining individual permits from the state, posting signs that dogs are allowed in the store, and limiting menu items to beverages made in a food processing facility and non-TCS foods such as prepared meals. Dogs are also not allowed on tables, chairs, benches, seats or other furnishings, according to the report. —Tim Inklebarger
It is a miracle: A year ago, Wegmans stopped producing its own brand of sodas, WPOP, saying that the product, first introduced in 1991, would no longer meet Wegmans’ standards in 2023. But now, after two years of development, the retailer has launched a healthier soda that competes with products like Olipop and Poppi. The new soda, Wonder Pop, comes in cream soda, strawberry cream soda, cola, lemon-lime and grape flavors and is also organic, prebiotic, probiotic and contains additional fruit purees and juice. How is it going so far? “Customer reviews on e-commerce have been very positive and we are seeing new customers purchasing these items who have not previously purchased similar items,” a Wegmans spokesperson said The Democrat and the Chronicle. Truly a miracle. —Chloe Riley
OK, this is scary: Many grocers are gearing up for trick-or-treating season by offering customers mini-sized candy bars and other Halloween candy starting now. That’s the case in Iowa, and if WNBA star Caitlin Clark’s home state is doing it, we all can, too. So why would one buy a bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (if your house doesn’t have the best, I’m not ringing your doorbell) only to have them sit for three months? According to Peggy Stover, a professor at the University of Iowa (really, another Caitlin Clark ad?), they probably won’t. Iowa stores, however, have been quick to try to capitalize on annual events. Back-to-school items were available as early as June, and Stove said it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Christmas decorations and the like on shelves in the coming weeks. Dare we say anything about the holiday’s red-headed stepchild, Thanksgiving? No, not when we can feast on Halloween candy and smell the scent of Christmas peppermint for another month. —BW
Shaq is back: Basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal is making headlines again, but not because of his vertical jump. O’Neal made a surprise appearance at Walmart in Doral, Florida on Tuesday to promote his new candy, which is expected to hit the market in September, reports news site BRProud.com. The report noted that more than 100 people came to see the basketball legend as he handed out samples of his upcoming Shaq-a-licious XL gummy bears. Surprised, customers didn’t realize Shaq was in the store until he came over the PA system and asked customers to join him in the candy section. The delicious chews come in original and sour varieties in a variety of flavors, including peach, berry punch, orange, green watermelon, mixed berry and pineapple. —TI
