California is Making Food Safer

California is the first U.S. state to ban four potentially harmful food and drink additives that are linked to disease. The California Food Safety Act now prohibits the use of brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye 3, commonly found in candies, fruit juices, and cookies. These substances are already banned in many countries.

Supporters of this law are reassuring consumers that popular products are not going to suddenly vanish from stores; rather, companies who use these ingredients are going to have to change their recipes to include healthier alternatives. The law will take effect in 2027, which will give the manufacturers time to reformulate their products.

There was a false claim that California aimed to ban Skittles. Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel clarified that Skittles with alternative ingredients are already sold in the European Union, where these additives are banned. The law doesn’t ban foods but requires companies to use safer alternatives.

Other countries, including the EU, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Japan, have banned these additives. Major brands like Coke, Pepsi, Dunkin’, and Panera have removed them from their products voluntarily.

National Cheeseburger Day Has Arrived

September 18th is National Cheeseburger Day. In honor of this momentous occasion, fast food chains across the country are offering deals to hungry customers.

Through September 22, patrons who buy one item from the menu at Wendy’s will receive a junior bacon cheeseburger for just one cent.

At Burger King, customers who sign up for the Royal Perks program will get a free cheeseburger once they spend at least one dollar.

Several other chains, such as Smashburger, Krystal, and Carl’s Jr. are also using this annual event as a means of attracting business.

In the fast-food business, profits are generally low and customer loyalty is hard to come by. According to CNN, “Chains unveil big giveaways, typically tied to their mobile apps, to help drive business. Pushing people to the app has helped to drive more repeat customers.”

Wishing you all a Happy National Cheeseburger Day!

Driverless Cars to Expand Service in San Francisco

In August of 2023, the California Public Utilities Commission passed a vote that allows driverless car companies Waymo and Cruise to expand their operations in San Francisco. Until now, Cruise and Waymo were only permitted to offer limited service within the city. This vote enables both companies to charge a fare for rides at any time of day or night, on any street within the municipality.

Waymo and Cruise are similar in concept to companies such as Uber or Lyft, just without the human driver. While some first responders are concerned that driverless vehicles have not yet perfected the method of getting out of the way of emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks, other travelers are hopeful that driverless vehicles will help to limit traffic fatalities, which are on the rise in San Francisco.

Gas Prices Reach Summer High

According to Reuters.com, the cost of gasoline has gone up considerably this August. Gas prices across the nation have hit an average of $3.86 per gallon, an all-time high for 2023. This is a 7% increase over prices that were seen just one month ago. In certain states, such as California and Washington, the cost has risen above $5.00 per gallon.

The abnormal timing of this price increase has some people perplexed. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at price tracker GasBuddy.com noted that, “We tend to see prices declining going into the fall.”

The price jump can be attributed to several refineries that are closed for maintenance. This impacts the available supply of oil. Heat waves, like those the United States has experienced this summer, also affect refinery production.

Despite the steep cost of filling the tank, gas prices are still below where they were in August of 2022. Labor Day travelers may still hope to get some relief at the pump.

United Airlines Unveils New Seats

As airlines struggle to recover from COVID-19 losses, United Airlines displayed its new model for front-of-the-plane seats. The new seats, which will be used on narrow-body domestic flights, include wireless armrest charging stations, setback screens, large tray tables, privacy barriers between seats, and winged headrests to increase comfort.

Other airlines, including JetBlue and Delta, have also upgraded their seats recently in hopes of attracting travelers who are interested in paying higher fees for additional luxury.

United’s new seats will soon be showcased on the Boeing 737. They are being manufactured by aviation technology group, Safran. Mark Muren, managing director of identity for United, said, “There’s no one seat that can probably fulfill all of our needs but this is the one we want to build our future around in the domestic space”.