Pour a Foamy Mug of Rejected Cereal

Pour a Foamy Mug of Rejected Cereal

July 6, 2019
Lisa M. Spencer

Kellogg’s in Manchester, England has teamed up with UK brewery, Seven Bro7thers, to put new “pop” in the beer business.

The two companies are making beer using Rice Krispies and Coco Pops not perfect enough to make it into the cereal box.

As part of its sustainability efforts, Kellogg’s is repurposing misfit rice-based flakes that are too large, too small, overcooked, uncoated, or discolored and that would, in the past, have been used as animal feed.  The cereals replace malted barley in beer recipes.

These beers follow on the heels of a similar partnership which used rejected Corn Flakes to create “Throw Away IPA” in 2018.

Video Spotlight: Kellogg’s is making beer using discarded corn flakes

This post is based on the Independent article, Kellogg’s launches new beers made from Rice Krispies and Coco Pops waste, by Katie O’Malley, June 13, 2019; the Business Green article, Sip, sparkle, and drink: Kellogg’s turns cereal waste into beer, by Toby Hill, June 13, 2019 (requires a subscription); and the Facebook video, Kellogg’s is making beer using discarded corn flakes, by NowThis Food, December 18, 2019. Image source: Shutterstock / Y_L

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Chocolate Companies Lack Traceability on Child Labor

Chocolate Companies Lack Traceability on Child Labor

July 2, 2019
Lisa M. Spencer

Nearly 20 years have passed since the world’s largest chocolate companies, including Mars, Hershey, and Nestle, promised to reduce or eliminate child labor from their cocoa supply chains.

However, today, there are over two million children working in the cocoa industry in West Africa, where about two-thirds of the world’s cocoa is grown.  Chocolate companies still struggle to trace their supply chains back to the individual farms where cocoa comes from, despite spending large amounts of money to try to improve living conditions, access to education, and farming techniques in the area.

That lack of visibility is what makes it difficult for them to verify that the cocoa they purchase has not been grown or harvested with child labor.

Video Spotlight:

This post is based on the Washington Post article, Cocoa’s child laborers, by Peter Whoriskey and Rachel Siegel, June 5, 2019; and the YouTube videos, The Harsh Realities of Child Laborers in the Cocoa Industry, by Annenberg Media, November 4, 2016, and Tackling child labour on cocoa farms in Ivory Coast, by SABC Digital News, Continue reading →

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Toyota Catches Up On Safety Features For 2020

Toyota Catches Up On Safety Features For 2020

June 26, 2019
Lisa M. Spencer

To further goof-proof its vehicles, Toyota plans to add two new safety features to some 2020 model vehicles.

One prevents rollaway accidents by automatically switching the car to “park” if it is left running.

The other averts carbon monoxide poisoning in an enclosed area like a garage by automatically shutting off the engine if it’s left running.

These features are increasingly important with hybrid cars that sit silent when the gas engine is off, yet the car is not completely shut down.

Toyota lags behind Ford and GM in implementing these features.  Consumer Reports believes its policies that downgrade ratings on vehicles lacking such safety checks has led to greater willingness on the part of automakers to add these important features.

Video Spotlight: AutoComplete: Future Toyotas will be able to shift to Park and shut themselves off if you forget

This post is based on the Consumer Reports article, Toyota announces fixes designed to prevent rollaway and carbon monoxide deaths, by Jeff Plungis, June 13, 2019; and the YouTube video, AutoComplete: Future Toyotas will be able to shift to Park and shut themselves off if you forget, by Roadshow, June 13, 2019. Image source: Shutterstock / Continue reading →

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