The Daily Dish: McDonald's Is Making Moves Toward Sustainably Sourced Coffee

McDonald's Is Making Moves Toward Sustainably Sourced Coffee

Following its promises to use cage-free eggs and remove artificial ingredients from some of its menu items, McDonald's has now shifted its focus to coffee, announcing plans to source all its java from sustainable sources by 2020, Bloomberg reported. The fast-food chain is working on this initiative with environmental group Conservation International, the organization responsible for helping Starbucks develop sustainable sourcing practices. "Having a major brand like McDonald's taking a very visible step will definitely drive restaurants and brands of retail names to join in the sustainable coffee challenge," said Peter Seligmann, CEO of Conservation International.

Lady Gaga Will Be Promoting Her New Album in Dive Bars

Lady Gaga is heading to dive bars to promote her new album "Joanne." The album "has its roots in her early days and 'the music that lit up my heart when I first started writing' and singing in small venues," The Associated Press reported. Working with her tour partner Bud Light, Gaga is slated to perform at three different dive bars in three cities. Gaga revealed on Instagram that she will be visiting Nashville for the first stop on the tour. The audience will comprise contest winners, and Bud Light will stream each performance live on its Facebook page for those who are unable to attend.

How Investors — or Lack Thereof — Could Be the Key to Eliminating Factory Farming

Factory farming, which yields 99 percent of all meat in the United States and more than 70 percent of all meat in the world, may finally meet its demise as investors become increasingly wary of this kind of agriculture. "Nothing will force businesses to change faster than the risk of their financial backing being pulled out from under them," Leah Garcés, director at Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), told FoodNavigator. Factory farming raises a number of ethical concerns, and there are many negative aspects associated with the practice that have environmental and social impacts. "The global livestock sector is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the transport sector," said Alan Briefel, executive director of the Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return (FAIRR) initiative. "From an investment point of view, this leaves the factory farming sector critically exposed to potential new climate legislation as we transition to a lower-carbon economy."

Sushi Chain Apologizes for Putting Extra Wasabi in Foreigners' Food

A sushi restaurant chain based in Osaka, Japan, is in hot water after admitting to what critics are calling "wasabi terrorism." Workers for the chain, Ichibazushi, have admitted to heaping generous portions of wasabi onto unsuspecting foreigners' food, although they deny that it was outright discrimination. "Because many of our overseas customers frequently order extra amounts of pickled ginger and wasabi, we gave them more without checking first," the chain's operator told Channel News Asia. "The result was unpleasant for some guests who aren't fans of wasabi." The stunt went viral once customers started posting pictures of their overly spiced foods to social media. Ichibazushi claims to be looking into the accusations of racial discrimination. 

Customer Wins Suit Against Domino's Over Missing Pizza

A missing pizza is an annoyance, but not one so big that most people would be willing to go to court over it. One Australian man did, though, and this week he was awarded $1,200 after suing Domino's for a pizza that never showed up. According to 9 News, last year, personal injury and worker's compensation lawyer Tim Driscoll placed a pizza delivery order that never arrived. Driscoll reportedly called the restaurant after an hour, and the manager apologized for the delay and offered him a refund of $37.35. But then the refund never came, either. Driscoll said that after a year of trying to get his refund, he finally got annoyed enough to take the issue to court. Domino's reportedly did not show up, and the judge ruled that the chain had to pay $1,203 to cover both the cost of the missing delivery order and Driscoll's legal fees. Domino's is reportedly considering appealing the decision.