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2024 Inflation Comes For Your Oysters

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Oysters | CNN Image

Americans are paying more for oysters happy hours.

According to experts, the buck-an-oyster offer is all but dead, with some eateries raising costs as high as $2.50 per oyster.

Oyster happy hours are just one of the many aspects of American life that have become more expensive as prices have risen in recent years. While the US Federal Reserve has made progress in slowing the rate of price rises, inflation has remained persistently over the target, and Americans have been paying more for everything from groceries to rent to, yes, going to their neighborhood bar for an oyster deal with friends.

Inflation Comes For Your Oysters

Wholesale oyster prices skyrocketed to triple-digit highs in 2022 and only started falling late last year. However, according to the most recent Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute analysis, general inflation pushed retailers to hike store pricing to prevent losing money on surplus oyster stock, even as sales and wholesale expenses fell.

Oysters used to be plentiful and (relatively) inexpensive, which made them ideal for pub fare.

“Historically, Americans would consume a lot of wild oysters, and because they were so abundant, they were at such a low price,” said Julie Qiu, co-founder of the Oyster Master Guild, a New York City-based oyster teaching organization. “People kind of anchored their perception of oysters being a cheap food until all the wild oysters pretty much went away.”

While Wells Fargo reports that wholesale oyster prices have dropped from the previous year’s high of $117 per gallon to $88, long-standing supply concerns compounded by climate change may imply that the prices shown on oyster bar menus will not fall anytime soon.

The largest supply issue driving market changes is a scarcity of wild-caught oysters, which industry experts say has been a concern for over a decade.

“We’ve had a number of both man-made and natural events that have caused problems with oysters,” said David Branch, sector manager at the Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute. He cited the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and a series of storms in Louisiana as high-profile disasters that destroyed oyster beds and drove the business to transition from wild-caught to farm-raised oysters.

Branch believes farms now provide up to 60% of the current oyster supply, an almost complete shift from 20 years ago when 70% of oysters were wild-caught.

Qiu echoed Branch’s conclusion, noting that the remaining wild oyster reefs are a mere fraction of their historical numbers.

“We are really relying on intensively farmed oysters, which means that they require a tonne of labour and personalised handling from people and sophisticated machinery,” she told me. “That is beginning to trickle down the supply chain. It comes into a restaurant, and the business has mark it up by a specific percentage to pay labour costs.”

While efforts to rehabilitate wild oyster reefs are underway, climate change complicates matters.

In addition to rising temperatures, extreme flooding and rain may alter ocean salinity, introduce new predators, or allow new diseases to thrive.

“Climate change hinders consistent growth… “There are just so many things that can go wrong when farming oysters,” Qiu added.

Despite the problems in the oyster market, demand has not slowed. According to Branch, interest in shellfish is increasing, fuelled by Gen Z and millennials eager to expand their culinary horizons. However, he claims that increased demand, along with dwindling supply, is driving prices even higher.

Inflation Comes For Your Oysters

“The industry has been trying to catch up and replace the loss of what we had with our wild-caught (supply),” he told me. “It’s still expanding, but it just hasn’t been as quick to fill the gap with what we had.”

Qiu is aware of the increasing interest in oysters as a luxury appetiser. She remains optimistic, however, that restoration efforts and sustainable farming will allow the sector to increase supply and stabilise pricing in the long run.

“We hope that one day we will get back to that space where you can have oysters as an affordable, healthy protein,” she told me.

SOURCE | CNN

Kiara Grace is a staff writer at VORNews, a reputable online publication. Her writing focuses on technology trends, particularly in the realm of consumer electronics and software. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for breaking down complex topics.

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Taylor Port Launches Sentinels Vintage Port

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Taylor’s Port has announced the release of its new Taylor’s Sentinels Vintage Port

Taylor Port has announced the launch of Taylor’s Sentinels Vintage Port, a blend of wines made from its assets in and around the Pinhao Valley.

The four estates—Terra Feita, Junco, Casa Nova, and Eira Velha—are all located inside the original 1756 border and have received Feitoria status, the highest certification for Tayor Port vineyards.

Sentinels derive their name from the granite pillars known as “Marcos de Vitoria” that guard the demarcation line that separates the top-grade Port sections and is home to numerous Taylor Port mansions. From 1758 to 1761, 335 stone stakes were constructed to designate this region.
Fruity

The Pinhão Valley style is rich, deep, and delicious, despite differences in altitude, orientation, sun, wind exposure, and grape variety mix throughout the estates.

Sentinels Vintage Port’s mix is based on ‘parcel selection’, a laborious procedure of selecting wines from specific plots on each estate. Like Taylor’s Single Quinta Vintage Ports, Sentinels Vintage Ports will be created in years when no traditional Taylor Port Vintage is produced.

Taylor Port Thrilled

These vintages produce wines that have the potential to age and improve in the bottle while remaining approachable and delicious while young.
Thrilled Taylor’s managing director, Adrian Bridge, said the company is “thrilled” to unveil the line.

He stated, “This publication demonstrates our dedication to creating excellent Ports that honour the legacy of our ancient lands. The Taylor’s Sentinel blend honours our heritage while demonstrating our commitment to quality.

Taylor’s head winemaker, David Guimaraens, described it as a “tribute to the unique terroir” of the Pinhão Valley.

He stated, “Each estate adds its own flavour to the blend, resulting in a nuanced and harmonious wine. It is a true expression of Taylor’s long legacy and precise craftsmanship.

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Brad Pitt And Angelina Jolie’s Winery Court Battle Heats Up

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Starbucks Is Making A Popular Add-On Free Of Charge

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Starbucks drinks with soy, oat, almond, or coconut milk will no longer cost extra.

Starting next week, Starbucks customers will no longer be charged more for adding nondairy milk to their orders. According to the corporation, removing the non-dairy milk premium will result in customers paying around 10% less than they did previously.

In recent years, Starbucks has seen an increase in orders with milk replacements, similar to non-dairy alternatives in grocery shops. Starbucks began offering oat milk on its menu in 2021. After adding a shot of espresso, non-dairy milk is now the second most popular order change at Starbucks.

starbucks

Starbucks Is Making A Popular Add-On Free Of Charge

Starbucks has significantly changed since new CEO Brian Niccol took over the troubled company in September.

Starbucks said on Wednesday that sales and customer visits were down for the third consecutive quarter.

Starbucks’ global revenues at outlets operating for at least a year fell 7% last quarter, while customer transactions decreased by 8%.

“Our financial results were very disappointing,” Niccol stated during the company’s quarterly earnings call. “It is clear we need to fundamentally change our strategy to win back customers and return to growth.”

Bringing back condiment stations and Sharpies.
Starbucks is moving swiftly under Niccol.

starbucks

Starbucks is reducing promotional discounts through its mobile app to encourage customers to pay full price for its coffees and teas. Niccol aims to redefine Starbucks as a luxury brand that avoids discounting.

Despite reducing discounts, Niccol stated that the company had no plans to hike pricing next year. Starbucks has raised its costs in recent years, driving away some customers.

Starbucks also announced this week that it is removing its contentious olive oil-infused drinks from the menu, less than a year after its introduction.

The “Oleato” drinks will be removed from Starbucks’ menus in the United States and Canada beginning in early November as part of Niccol’s aim to simplify a menu he recently described as “overly complex.”

starbucks

Starbucks Is Making A Popular Add-On Free Of Charge

In addition, Niccol stated on Wednesday that Starbucks intends to reinstate self-service condiment stations in locations. The business eliminated them at the start of the Covid-19 epidemic in 2020.

“Both our customers and our baristas say it would help them speed up orders,” he said.

Baristas who write customers’ names on drink orders in marker will also return as part of Niccol’s aim to create a coffeehouse ambiance at the business and give it a “human touch.”

Starbucks (SBUX) shares were steady during regular trading but rose 0.5% after hours.

SOURCE | CNN

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McDonald’s Quarter Pounder Back On The Menu After Testing Rules Out Beef Patties As E. Coli Source

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Los Angeles —McDonald’s announced on Sunday that Quarter Pounders will be back on the menu at hundreds of its locations after testing ruled out beef patties as the cause of the E. coli outbreak linked to the popular burgers. The outbreak killed one person and affected at least 75 others in 13 states.

According to McDonald’s statement, the US Food and Drug Administration continues to believe that slivered onions from a single supplier are the most likely source of contamination. McDonald’s said it will resume selling the Quarter Pounder at affected restaurants—minus the slivered onions—in the next week.

As of Friday, at least 75 people in 13 states were sick, according to federal health officials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 22 persons were hospitalized, two of whom suffered a serious kidney disease consequence. One person died in Colorado.

McDonald’s Quarter Pounder Back On The Menu After Testing Rules Out Beef Patties As E. Coli Source

Early FDA analysis revealed that the uncooked slivered onions used on the burgers “are a likely source of contamination. ” McDonald’s has confirmed that Taylor Farms, a California-based produce company, supplied the fresh onions used in the outbreak-affected locations, which came from a facility in Colorado Springs.

When the outbreak was revealed on Tuesday, McDonald’s removed the Quarter Pounder burger from menus in numerous states, primarily in the Midwest and the mountains. McDonald’s said on Friday that slivered onions from its Colorado Springs facility were supplied to about 900 of its restaurants, including those in transit hubs such as airports.

On Tuesday, the firm announced that slivered onions sourced from the factory were removed from its supply chain. McDonald’s will discontinue sourcing onions from Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs factory “indefinitely.”

According to McDonald’s, the 900 McDonald’s restaurants that previously received slivered onions from Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility will start selling Quarter Pounders without slivered onions.

McDonald’s reported that the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s testing ruled out beef patties as the source of the illness.

The Department of Agriculture acquired many fresh and frozen beef patties from various Colorado McDonald’s outlets linked to the E. coli inquiry. The department reported that all samples tested negative for E. coli.

Taylor Farms announced on Friday that it had preemptively recalled yellow onions supplied to consumers from its Colorado facility and is continuing to cooperate with the CDC and FDA in their investigation.

While it is unknown whether the recalled onions were the source of the illness, numerous other fast-food restaurants, including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Burger King, removed onions off their menus in specific areas this week.

As of Friday, Colorado had the most illnesses recorded, with 26. The CDC reported that at least 13 persons were affected in Montana, 11 in Nebraska, 5 in New Mexico and Utah, 4 in Missouri and Wyoming, 2 in Michigan, and 1 in Iowa, Kansas, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Washington.

McDonald’s stated Friday that it did not remove the Quarter Pounder from any further restaurants but that some occurrences in states outside the initial region were related to travel.

McDonald’s Quarter Pounder Back On The Menu After Testing Rules Out Beef Patties As E. Coli Source

According to the CDC, several persons who got sick reported traveling to other states before symptoms appeared. At least three persons reported eating at McDonald’s throughout their trip. Illnesses were reported from September 27 to October 11.

The outbreak is caused by infections with E. coli 0157:H7, a bacteria that produces a deadly toxin. According to the CDC, it causes over 74,000 infections in the United States each year, resulting in over 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 fatalities.

Symptoms of E. coli poisoning can appear fast within a day or two of eating contaminated foods. They often include fever, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, as well as indicators of dehydration such as decreased urination, increased thirst, and dizziness. The illness is particularly deadly for children under the age of five, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems.

SOURCE | AP

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