Welcome back to Open Tab<\/em>, our weekly roundup of the news, gossip, and stories that have stayed open in my tabs all week. It\u2019s officially that moment in summer when everyone leaves town. Usually that means I\u2019m alone in the city, with a chance to walk into restaurants that typically have a line out the door. This year, though, I\u2019ve been traveling too. Last weekend I was on Martha\u2019s Vineyard, where I paid an arm and a leg for farmstand cherry tomatoes and used them in a bright, light lunch that was a welcome relief during a very humid weekend.<\/p>\n If your non-farmstand cherry tomatoes have also felt more expensive, you\u2019re not alone. The country is in the midst of the biggest grocery price hike in half a century. Grocery prices have increased 33%<\/strong> in the US since the beginning of 2019, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The USDA\u2019s Economic Research Service predicts those prices will rise another 2.9%<\/strong> in 2027. Yikes.<\/p>\n Unrelatedly, our ingenious food editors have published clever ways to stretch affordable pantry staples into delicious dishes. I\u2019ll just leave that here for the next time you crash out after seeing the price of eggs or whatever.<\/p>\n No more bad news? Not quite. I was thrilled to read about some of the industry\u2019s wins \u2014 cocktail recipe royalties, educational exchange programs, and, yes, occasionally healthcare. I also loved reading about a Times Magazine writer\u2019s story that has taken Washington, D.C., by storm. The wide-eyed earnestness of the medical professionals he quotes recommending steak for all three meals reminded me of the fervor of one woman who told me she hadn\u2019t eaten a vegetable in three years.<\/p>\n In case you missed it: there\u2019s also a new reflection from Anthony Bourdain\u2019s longtime assistant and co-author, writer Laurie Woolever, who checked in with friends and Bourdain family members about their feelings on the film.<\/p>\n A couple of weeks ago, I worried about cyclosporiasis. Unfortunately, it seems I was more correct than I knew. The parasitic outbreak is still spreading: an anonymous source told The New York Times<\/em> that the CDC has linked the outbreak to six more states:<\/p>\n That brings the total number of affected states to 15<\/strong>. Two people in Michigan have died from the parasitic infection, though Michigan\u2019s Department of Health and Human Services wrote in a statement that both had \u201csignificant underlying health conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n But that\u2019s not all. Chipotle has removed items from its restaurants after at least 110 people<\/strong> in Minnesota were made ill by Salmonella. Plus, reporting revealed that Taco Bell\u2019s parent company was made aware of the risk of cyclospora in its lettuce weeks before it alerted the public. It\u2019s a bad week to be a fast-casual chain in America \u2014 stock prices of both Taco Bell and Chipotle took a significant dip this week.<\/p>\n Something is happening in Snack World. There\u2019s a definite sense of acceleration. In corner stores and grocery stores, shelves are stuffed with portable, ready-to-eat comestibles. To peek behind the curtain, my inbox is filled with endless PR pitches for products purported to be the hottest new snack on the market. The data backs it up: research from marketing firm Circana found that 55% of US adults eat at least three snacks a day<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Snacking has been redefined by functional nutrition. Snacks are juiced up with protein or fiber. We eat them between meals. We munch on them at our desks. And the company that sells superfood greens gummies was recently valued at $1.2 billion<\/strong> after its acquisition in April.<\/p>\n How did we get here? The big snack companies followed many of the same moves as the tobacco industry, suggests a recent report. They made long-lasting products that were ultra-portable and available everywhere. There is some evidence that snack makers even manipulated the crinkle of a bag to make you associate that sound with the reward of consuming a snack. We are all Pavlov\u2019s dog, and these companies are ringing a bell all day long.<\/p>\n Speaking of snacks, pickle seems to be the flavor du jour. When we put writer Elliott Harrell on the case, she found pickle chips, pickle marshmallows, and, inexplicably, pickle lube. It\u2019s clear, as she explains in her piece, that we\u2019re in something of a golden age of pickles.<\/p>\n The writer behind this story is a senior editor at Bon App\u00e9tit. He reports on nearly everything for the magazine. A Rhode Island native, he is currently based in New York City, where he can usually be found searching out the city\u2019s best bakeries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" American food safety is in its flop era: CDC-linked cyclospora outbreaks in 15 states, Chipotle salmonella, Taco Bell warnings, and 33% grocery 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food safety is in its flop era: CDC-linked cyclospora outbreaks in 15 states, Chipotle salmonella, Taco Bell warnings, and 33% grocery 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Summer of Food Safety Failures<\/h2>\n
\n
Have You Noticed That Snacks Are\u2026Everywhere?<\/h2>\n
How Snack Companies Hooked Us<\/h3>\n
The Golden Age of Pickles<\/h3>\n
About the Reporter<\/h2>\n