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Instacart hopes to expedite deliveries with 'first available shopper' option
Instacart is adapting to the pandemic with a flexible delivery option focused on speed over fixed schedules.
Google Maps now highlights restaurants with delivery options
Google Maps is still useful for grabbing a bite to eat even in the midst of widespread COVID-19 lockdowns, it seems. Google has rolled out updates to its Android and iOS apps that highlight restaurants with delivery (and, for some reason, takeout) options -- you just need to tap a button at the main screen to see what's available. It won't let you order food unless there's direct integration, alas, but it could help you browse neighborhood eateries if you're eager to support a local business during the pandemic.
Instacart workers go on strike after rejecting mild concessions
Instacart hasn't had success trying to avert a strike over a lack of COVID-19 protections. The Gig Workers Collective has declared that a shopper strike is "still on" after asserting that Instacart's concessions were inadequate. A change that sets the tip default to a customer's previous amount will likely offer "no meaningful benefit," the shoppers said, as that previous amount will frequently come from the pre-outbreak era. There's still no sick pay for workers who have to stay home due to health conditions that put them at high risk. The company also left hazard pay "completely unaddressed," according to the objectors -- an average pay per order of less than $10 still leaves shoppers "risking their lives for pocket change."
Amazon offers warehouse workers higher pay to handle Prime Now groceries
Amazon's focus on essentials during the COVID-19 pandemic has led it to offer special incentives to workers. Reuters has learned that Amazon is offering warehouse workers a $2 raise to $19 per hour if they're willing to pick and pack Whole Foods groceries for Prime Now. The company has already outlined plans to hire 100,000 workers to keep up with demand, but that clearly isn't enough in the very near term.
DoorDash will temporarily reduce or waive its commission fees
As cities and states across the US mandate that restaurants cut the capacity of their dining rooms -- or close them all together -- restaurateurs will have to rely heavily on delivery in the weeks ahead. Many eateries are already having a difficult time dealing with reduced revenue due to people staying home out of coronavirus concerns and DoorDash is aiming to help independent restaurants stay afloat by removing or reducing commission fees through the end of April. As of today, restaurants new to DoorDash can sign up and pay zero commission fees for 30 days. Eligible restaurants already onboard will pay reduced fees on delivery orders and won't be charged for pickup orders, but it's unclear as to how long this will be the case. A DoorDash spokesperson said, "Due to the rapidly evolving situation, we will be evaluating conditions week over week, as opposed to assigning a fixed duration and will continue to connect with our merchant partners throughout the process."
IKEA’s new vegetarian meatballs will taste more like meat
A trip to IKEA isn't complete without a plate of Swedish meatballs. While the company offers a vegetarian version of its iconic meal, the veggie meatballs don't taste much like meat. Joining the trend set by fast food chains like Burger King and KFC, the furniture giant plans to offer an updated vegetarian option of its meatballs that taste closer to traditional meat. According to the company's 2019 climate report, the new version of the food will be available starting this August.
Blue Apron considers selling itself as it bleeds customers
Blue Apron has been struggling in recent years, and that's leading the company to consider some extreme options. The online meal kit service has revealed that it's looking at "strategic alternatives" that include a merger, raising funds, offloading assets or selling the company outright. It warned that there was no guarantee anything would happen, but this is the kind of language companies frequently use when they're running out of options.
KFC expands its Beyond Meat test to Charlotte and Nashville
You knew KFC would expand its test of plant-based "chicken" when the Atlanta pilot sold out in five hours, and that expansion is close at hand. The fast food chain has announced that it'll widen the Beyond Fried Chicken test to restaurants in the Charlotte and Nashville areas between February 3rd and February 23rd "while supplies last." Charlotte-area residents can expect the meat substitutes at 19 locations in both Charlotte proper and surrounding towns like Denver and Salisbury, while people in the Nashville region can visit no less than 47 restaurants, most of them in surrounding cities.
Get ready to eat bugs if you want to live beyond 2050
By 2050 there will be an estimated 10 billion humans living on this planet. Beyond that being a lot of mouths to feed, those folks will be, on average, wealthier than today's population, with a taste for the foods found in regions like the US and Western Europe. But we simply don't have the capability, the land or the production resources to ensure that many people can eat a cheeseburger whenever the mood strikes. Luckily, researchers from around the globe are working on alternative-protein sources to supplement our existing beef, pork and chicken.
Smart garbage disposal composts your food scraps instead of grinding them up
Composting is a fantastic way that regular folks can help both combat climate change and reduce the pressure on local landfills, but the practice is fraught with having to wrangle slimy, smelly, and easily spillable food scraps. But with the Sepura mounted under your kitchen sink, all you have to do is scrape your plate.
Beyond Meat breakfast options are coming to Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s
Carl's Jr. started 2019 by adding plant-based Beyond Meat burgers to the menu at 1,000 of its locations across the US. It now plans to end the year by adding new Beyond Meat breakfast and lunch options -- something sister chain Hardee's will do as well.
Connected sous vide company Nomiku is shutting down
Nomiku, one of the companies that helped make sous vide immersion circulators mainstream, is shutting down. The small kitchen appliance maker announced the news on Friday afternoon, noting that it plans to discontinue both its WiFi Sous Vide Smart Cooker and prepared meal service, and is suspending operations, "effectively immediately."
Walmart will test driverless grocery deliveries in Houston
Walmart is about to experiment with autonomous grocery delivery in a big way. The big-box retailer is launching a pilot program in Houston that will use Nuro's self-driving R1 vehicle to shuttle food from "select" stores to customers who've opted into the program. The companies didn't outline how customers would enroll, but Houstonians can expect service to start in the "coming weeks."
DiGiorno and Stouffer's bring plant-based 'meat' to frozen Italian food
Nestle is expanding its plant-based 'meat' offerings to a category seldom covered in the meatless world: the frozen Italian food you buy when you'd rather not order in or start from scratch. It's introducing both a DiGiorno pizza (the Rising Crust Meatless Supreme) and a Stouffer's lasagna (the Meatless Lasagna) that use Sweet Earth's Awesome Grounds in place of ex-animals. While Nestle hasn't outlined their exact nutritional value, the mix of yellow pea protein, wheat gluten and multiple veggie oils promises the usual meat-like taste while delivering plenty of protein, fiber and, of course, reduced guilt.
Alexa can reorder your go-to Chipotle meal
It just became disconcertingly easy to have Mexican food show up at your door. Chipotle has introduced an Alexa skill that lets you reorder your favorite meals for delivery. If you're fond of a particular burrito bowl, you can have it sent without lifting a finger. You can't start an order from scratch, unfortunately, but it beats having to wade through the mobile app when you're already starving.
Google Maps will help you discover cities by following Local Guides
Google has a new strategy for helping you discover new restaurants: it's getting some of its most active contributors to show you around. The search firm has unveiled a test feature that will let you follow top Local Guides to see where they're going and what they recommend. Tap "follow" and you'll see their recommendations both in the For You tab as well as in the map view. If all goes well, you could find the best place to eat in an unfamiliar city by following a local who knows all the out-of-the-way eateries.
Instacart cuts quality bonuses for couriers
Instacart is still embroiled in pay disputes despite past dramas. Motherboard has learned that Instacart is scrapping a $3 quality bonus it provides to shoppers who receive five-star ratings. The incentive "did not meaningfully improve quality," according to email sent to workers, and will disappear on November 11th. There's no mention of a replacement. The timing is definitely raising concerns among workers, however.
Pizza Hut is testing pies with plant-based 'Incogmeato' sausage
Now that KFC has generated a frenzy over plant-based meat substitutes, it's the turn of sibling brands to generate some buzz. Pizza Hut has revealed that it's conducting a Phoenix test of a new Garden Specialty Pizza with Morning Farms' Incogmeato (yes, really) Italian "sausage" as a topping. On top of that, the pies will be served in unique Zume-made round boxes. They're not just for show. The circular shape uses less overall packaging than a square box, keeps the pizza hotter and is industrially compostable. In other words, you can feel better about the pizza's environmental impact well after you've finished the last bite.
Amazon sellers are shipping long-expired food
Whole Foods thrives on freshness, but Amazon's online store? Not so much. CNBC reports that Amazon's third-party sellers are all-too-frequently shipping food that has long-since expired, including products like year-old Hostess brownies and Teavana goods discontinued in 2017. At least 40 percent of sellers had over five complaints about expired food, according to findings from data firm 3PM. And in cases where multiple vendors are selling the same product, it's not always clear who you're buying from or whether or not it's fresh.
Astronauts bioprint beef in space for the first time
Lab-grown meat is no longer confined to Earth -- Aleph Farms and partners have successfully grown meat in space for the first time. The experiment, conducted aboard the Russian section of the International Space Station on September 26th, used a bioprinter from 3D Bioprinting Solutions to produce a cultivated beef steak. Aleph's growth technique replicates cows' muscle tissue regeneration process, just in artificial conditions -- the only big change for spaceborne creation is the faster maturation, since you can print from all sides at once instead of coping with the limitations of gravity.
