Markets, science, and culture on the plate — the business and biology of what we eat.
Samyang revived the frying fat at the centre of the 1989 scandal it was acquitted of, and sold 7 million units in a month at double the usual price. Launch dates, prices, the no-drain jjajang method, the reported reception figures, and where it sits against Shin Ramyun.
Most people outside Korea meet buldak as a pink packet of instant noodles. In Korea it started as a restaurant dish, drove a national spice boom in 2006, and produced a trademark fight that ended in the Patent Court of Korea.
Everything Sprouts recalled alfalfa sprouts under its own and the Calco brand after a 15-state outbreak sickened 55 people with E. coli, Salmonella or both.
The Bandit Cyclone, a vacuum-powered apple harvester, debuted in Washington orchards claiming 35% better efficiency and 50% fewer bruises than handpicking.
India's FSSAI issued 150+ notices to Nestlé India, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola India, Mondelez and others over misleading ads and labelling, with licence suspensions and one cancellation.
A Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak has grown to 341 cases across seven countries with 34+ hospitalizations and one death; investigators point to imported eggs used by food service.
Wendy's named ex-McDonald's marketing chief Tariq Hassan to a new Chief Marketing and Customer Growth Officer role after six straight quarters of same-store sales declines.
USDA confirmed H5N1 in a 1.2 million-hen Utah egg operation — the state’s first 2026 commercial detection — breaking a month-long lull and raising egg-supply concerns.
FDA and CDC linked an E. coli O145 outbreak to frozen GreenWise organic blueberries at Publix — 12 infected, 4 hospitalized — prompting a recall.
Kroger agreed to buy regional grocer Giant Eagle for $1.65 billion, adding 197 supermarkets and about $9 billion in annual sales.
A practical instant-ramen tier list — S, A and B — covering Shin Ramyun, Buldak, Indomie, Neoguri and more, by popularity and quality.
Buldak vs Shin Ramyun compared — soup vs stir-fry, heat, flavor and who each is for — so you can pick the right Korean ramen.
The highest-impact ways to upgrade instant ramen — egg, cheese, green onion, butter, kimchi — plus the broth trick that changes everything.
The best instant ramen to buy on Amazon US — Shin Ramyun multipacks, Buldak variety packs, Indomie, Nissin — and why variety packs are the best first buy.
The best vegan and vegetarian instant ramen — Indomie Vegan, Nongshim Soon Veggie, Koyo, Lotus Foods — plus how to read the seasoning packet.
Korean vs Japanese instant ramen compared — spice, noodles and broth — so you can pick the right style for your taste.
The best premium instant ramen worth paying more for — Shin Black, Prima Taste Laksa, Japanese tonkotsu kits, A-Sha — ranked by quality.
The best budget instant ramen that still taste great — Jin Ramen, Indomie Mi Goreng, Samyang, Nissin — ranked by flavor-per-dollar.
The best soupless Korean instant noodles — Chapagetti (jjajang), Paldo Bibimmyeon, Buldak — for when you want sauce-coated noodles, not broth.
The best cheesy Korean ramyun — Cheese Buldak, Carbonara Buldak — plus how to make any ramyun cheesy with one slice of cheese and an egg.
Shin Ramyun Original vs Shin Black compared — broth, spice, richness and value — so you know which Shin Ramyun to buy.
The best mild and non-spicy Korean ramyun — Chapagetti, Jin Ramen Mild, Anseongtang and more — for anyone who loves the noodles but not the burn.
The spiciest Korean ramen ranked by heat — from Buldak 3x (Nuclear) down to Shin Ramyun — with reported Scoville levels and tips to cool it down.
A ranked, beginner-friendly guide to the best Korean instant ramyun — Shin Ramyun, Buldak, Neoguri, Jin Ramen, Chapagetti and more, with a comparison table.
Kellanova recalled two MorningStar Farms products — Buffalo Chik’n Nuggets and Hot & Spicy Sausage Patties — over possible plastic contamination, with no injuries reported.
Cocoa futures spiked to a five-month high near $5,250/tonne in late June 2026 before easing — up ~26% on the month but ~46% below a year earlier as supply recovers.
The Protein Brewery raised €18M after its Fermotein became the first whole-food novel mycelium ingredient approved under the EU Novel Food Regulation.
Papa John’s is accelerating closures — 44 stores across 17 states in Q1 2026 — part of a plan to shut ~300 North American restaurants by end-2027 as the pizza slump deepens.
Red Lobster closed its Times Square flagship after 23 years as CEO Damola Adamolekun pursues a turnaround projecting ~$2.1M net income in fiscal 2026.
Arabica coffee prices jumped in late June 2026 as rain disrupted Brazil’s harvest, spiking ~3.4% on June 23, though prices stay well below 2025’s $4-plus record.
U.S. beef prices keep setting records as the cattle herd falls to 86.2 million head — the smallest since 1951 — with retail beef up nearly 13% YoY and more rises forecast.
Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper launched a shared QR-code system covering 140+ beverage ingredients, with near-full portfolio coverage pledged by end of 2027.
Darden reported Q4 FY2026 sales up 13.7% to $3.72B, with LongHorn Steakhouse same-restaurant sales (+9.5%) far ahead of Olive Garden (+2.4%); it raised its dividend 8% and added a $1.5B buyback.
Nara Organics recalled all lots of its organic infant formula on June 13, 2026 after the FDA and CDC linked it to three infant botulism cases — a precautionary pull, with no formula testing positive.
Q1 2026 results show Korea’s noodle giants splitting the map: Samyang’s U.S. sales rose 37% to ~$120M on Buldak, while Nongshim grew profitably in China and Japan.
A personal, first-person review of Nongshim's Shin Ramyun — the noodles, the heat, the too-salty broth, and exactly how I cook it after hundreds of bowls.
US ingredients group Ingredion agreed to buy Britain's Tate & Lyle in a recommended all-cash deal at 595 pence per share (~$3.6B equity), creating a roughly $10 billion food-ingredients company.
Kraft Heinz is reorganizing into three regions (effective July 1, 2026) and reshuffling leadership — months after scrapping a planned breakup into two companies, betting a $600M turnaround can revive the packaged-food giant.
Yum! Brands has agreed to sell Pizza Hut for $2.7 billion, splitting it between private-equity firm LongRange Capital (everything outside China) and Yum China, to focus on KFC and Taco Bell.
Nara Organics has voluntarily recalled all of its powdered infant formula after three babies were hospitalized with botulism — the second US formula-linked botulism outbreak in seven months. Here are the facts and what parents should do.
A Reddit fast-food debate is built on a real ACSI shift: Jersey Mike?s edged Chick-fil-A 84 to 83 in customer satisfaction. The bigger story is whether fast food still feels worth the price.
Full official-label nutrition comparison of 30 best-selling US instant ramens — conventional vs. wellness — on sodium, protein, saturated fat, fiber, sugar, calories, and price, per package as eaten.
Samyang's creamy-spicy spin on its fire-chicken noodle became the gateway Buldak — the one even spice-shy eaters reach for. Here is what it is, why it works, and how to cook it.
After bird flu sent egg prices to record highs, U.S. prices fell 44.7% year-over-year in March 2026 and the USDA expects 2026 prices down roughly 30%. Now producers are drowning in eggs as costs rise.
Korean instant ramyeon exports crossed $1.5 billion in 2025. Here is the data, the brands, and the unlikely cultural moments behind the rise — and why China, not the US, is the biggest buyer.
South Dakota became the 8th US state to restrict cultivated meat, with Gov. Larry Rhoden signing a five-year moratorium (July 1, 2026–June 30, 2031) after rejecting an outright permanent ban.
Samyang Buldak went from a 2012 product hunch to a billion packs a year — and in 2024 it got recalled in Denmark for being too spicy. The story of the fire noodle, the challenge that made it famous, and the ban that backfired.
Fix Dessert Chocolatier's viral "Dubai chocolate" helped push pistachio prices from about $7.65 to $10.30 a pound and drove a 40% surge in UAE pistachio imports from Iran.
The International Olive Council pegs 2025/26 global olive oil output near 3.44 million tonnes — down about 4% — as drought trims Spain's crop and the world's top region, Jaén, revises its outlook down roughly 20%.
Korean ramyeon began in 1963 as a 10-won answer to post-war hunger, built on a soup recipe handed over in secret at a Tokyo airport. How a cheap wheat noodle became a national comfort food — and how it differs from Japanese ramen.
Kadeau, the Danish restaurant that filed for bankruptcy as Covid hit in March 2020, earned three Michelin stars in the 2026 Nordic guide — more than a decade after opening.
After hitting an all-time high of $4.40/lb in February 2025, arabica futures slid back toward $2.50/lb by mid-2026 as Brazil heads for a record harvest. Analysts expect prices around $2 or lower.
Sysco is buying Jetro Restaurant Depot for about $29.1 billion to break into the cash-and-carry channel — 166 warehouses, ~$16 billion in sales and 725,000 independent restaurant customers.
Maryland-based Clover Hill Dairy recalled all of its cheese after a multi-year Listeria outbreak linked to its requeson sickened 9 people across 3 states, killing one. The state suspended the plant on May 30, 2026.
In a tightly controlled Virginia Tech crossover trial, adults aged 18–21 ate more calories and snacked when not hungry after two weeks of ultra-processed food. Slightly older adults did not.
South Korean kimchi exports are on track to top 2024's record $163.6 million, yet the country is running a kimchi trade deficit of $22 million as cheap Chinese imports flood its own restaurants.