- Big chains are trimming their footprints in 2026 — Wendy’s may close up to 350 U.S. restaurants, Pizza Hut about 250, and Papa John’s roughly 200.
- Brands blame inflation, rising labor costs, and shifting tastes, and many are leaning on menu innovation and value deals to win customers back.
- Standout closures include Red Lobster’s Times Square flagship after 23 years, plus abrupt local shutdowns at some Denny’s and Red Robin locations.
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- FSA warns people not to eat any Inarah’s Frozen Foods/New York Crispy items (chicken, beef, fish and vegetarian) after the company couldn’t show they were produced or handled safely.
- Businesses across the UK have been told to stop sales immediately and carry out withdrawals/recalls; consumers are advised to dispose of affected products at home.
- The alert covers all pack sizes and dates labelled from Inarah Frozen Foods Ltd (Walsall), Four Seasons Food Group (Stoke-on-Trent) or KBH Foods — so it’s worth checking your freezer.
- Grilling season — but ground beef hit a record $6.90/lb last month (about +19% year‑over‑year), sparking sticker shock at the supermarket.
- U.S. cattle herd has fallen to about 86.2 million (the smallest since 1951) after droughts, heatwaves and higher feed/fertilizer costs, and rebuilding a herd takes years.
- The U.S. still leads the world in meat per person and beef demand is fairly price‑inelastic, so Americans are likely to keep buying beef — meaning higher prices could stick around.
- A Public Health Wales study found more than a quarter of 16–29-year-olds in Wales eat a takeaway at least twice a week — the highest rate of any age group.
- Young people blame convenience, phone ordering and discount apps (and changing workplace/social habits), with many ordering solo and frequently.
- Experts warn this may raise obesity risk and say making healthier choices easier and teaching portion sizes are key to addressing the problem.
- A Falkland Estate farm in Fife has had to slaughter 271 cattle after a government inspection found them unidentifiable and untraceable — possibly one of Scotland’s largest such incidents.
- Rules require cattle to be ear‑tagged and movements logged on ScotEID; without traceability animals cannot enter the food chain and may be put under permanent movement restriction.
- The loss could be worth up to £500,000, with compensation reported unlikely and the farm possibly facing slaughter costs, fines or cuts to support payments.
- Kinshasa’s Masina Market sells a surprising variety of wild foods—from baskets of squirming caterpillars to giant rodents, snakes and antelope—some of which even appear on trendy restaurant menus.
- Wild meat (viande de brousse) is a cultural staple and primary source of animal protein across the Congo Basin, supporting many livelihoods despite laws protecting endangered species.
- Ongoing Ebola outbreaks, often linked to hunting or butchering wildlife, haven’t stopped demand, making public-health and conservation conversations especially fraught.
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