Following the burst of the economic bubble in the early 2000s, a new economic indicator arose: the Lipstick Index. Coined by Leonard Lauder, the former chairman of Estee Lauder, the concept is that economic hardship drives increased sales of lipstick as consumers turn away from costly items and towards inexpensive fripperies. With no particularly strong […]
Category Archives: food safety
26
Aug
Aug
In last week’s article we took a look at some ways in which the food service industry is stepping up its game, partially in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic. We highlighted the role of innovation in changing the transactional face of how fast food outlets do business, specifically in terms of grappling with […]
12
Aug
Aug
In a time when we are still wrangling with the thorny concept of ‘alternative facts,’ we may also be experiencing a form of ‘alternative connectedness,’ striving to create a balance between the social and health-safeguarding imperative to remain physically distant and our fundamental human need for contact. And given these two competing drives, it’s logical […]
30
Jul
Jul
During the past couple of months, it may have felt as though time has slowed down or even stopped entirely. In the time of the pandemic, as we all strive to make it through ‘The Great Pause’ with our bodies, minds, and relationships (relatively) intact, it is easy to think that we are living an […]
16
Jul
Jul
It’s summer! Yes, we know that at times right now it can be hard to know which day of the week it is let alone which month we’re in. But despite the lack of traditional markers – hello pool parties, cook-outs, family get-togethers, firework displays, and often fruitless searches for stores with a ready supply […]
22
Apr
Apr
With the media cycling medical updates, new transmission figures, and personal stories of contagion and survival for COVID-19 24/7, we were hoping to bring you some good news this week. Food Contact Surfaces, while striving to provide information on matters relating to food safety, also enjoys incorporating elements of quirkiness and levity along with cutting […]
03
Mar
Mar
In Europe of the early modern period, one now common item came to be regarded first with suspicion and then with outright fear. A silent killer, it appeared to afflict only the wealthy classes, leaving its victims writhing in cramping constipation, succumbing to the malaise of intense nausea, and enduring the twin torments of diminished […]
13
Jan
Jan
Here at Food Contact Surfaces, we’re dedicated to bringing you news you can chew on. In – dare we say it – highly digestible articles, we’ve examined the Case for Crickets as a high protein snack as well as the Crisis of the Contaminated Cheeto, and are constantly alert to food analyses that tease out […]
20
Aug
Aug
Mola mola, a fish so bizarre-looking that they named it twice. Mola, from the Latin for ‘millstone,’ is the scientific name for the Sunfish, one of three species in the Mola genus. In French and Spanish, the Sunfish is translated as ‘Moon Fish,’ in Chinese it’s the ‘Toppled Wheel Fish,’ and in German it’s known […]
24
Jul
Jul
In case you haven’t noticed – maybe you were still sleeping off the over-indulgences of the July 4th festivities, on a digital detox, or off the planet roaming the universe somewhere – this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Yes, that’s right: for those of us ‘experienced’ enough to remember […]
