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NASA<\/p>\n
Welcome to Open Tab, a weekly roundup of news, gossip, and stories that have stayed open in my tabs all week. Last week we covered rumors of cat killing and various other scandals at Horses<\/a>.<\/p>\n When explorers in the days of yore set out to discover colonize new lands, they loaded up their boats with hardtack, salted meat, and peas. They suffered from scurvy and sickness, and their diet was distinctly unglamorous. Space explorers of today have it much better, even as the food preservation challenges have gotten tougher. This week, the Artemis II mission began. It\u2019s the first crewed mission to orbit the moon since 1972. Launching with them? Five distinct hot sauces, tortillas, an ominously named \u201cvanilla breakfast drink,\u201d and many other comestibles.<\/p>\n Also this week, we\u2019re chatting about the lawsuit (or lack thereof) against David Protein, what wholesale food distributor Sysco\u2019s immense new acquisition might mean for restaurants, and spice company Burlap & Barrel\u2019s lawsuit against the Trump administration. But before all that: Please note that Reese\u2019s has committed to changing its recipe back<\/a> to the original after sustained public outcry\u2014including in this column<\/a>. Do you think this is a direct result of my focused, public complaining? Hard to say!<\/p>\n On the evening of April 1, Artemis II launched from Florida. That launch came after much preparation, including extensive plans around the crew\u2019s menu. According to NASA, the crew had a lot of say on the menu for the 10-day journey. \u201cCrew members sample, evaluate, and rate all foods on the standard menu during preflight testing, and their preferences are balanced with nutritional requirements and what [the spacecraft] can accommodate,\u201d according to the NASA website.<\/a><\/p>\n There are five hot sauces aboard, as well as \u201cspicy green beans,\u201d \u201cbarbecued beef brisket,\u201d and something called \u201cpineapple drink.\u201d All told, there are 189 unique menu items, all of which are designed and packaged to be optimized for space. Good luck to the astronauts, and hopefully they enjoy their 58 tortillas, no more, no less.<\/p>\n This deal is important. Sysco, the country\u2019s largest provider of food and other goods to restaurants and other food service providers, acquired Restaurant Depot, another massive supplier that mostly serves independent restaurants, for $29.1 billion. This isn\u2019t just another merger\u2014it\u2019s two restaurant supplier colossi becoming one in a deal that will likely be scrutinized for antitrust issues.<\/p>\n Put simply, if this deal does indeed go through in 2027, it would be pretty calamitous for the small, independent restaurants we love. Namely, the cost of their food will probably increase, making their margins even tighter or forcing them to pass on that cost to the diner. Personally, I can\u2019t afford a $55 roast chicken, and I don\u2019t want my favorite spots to close down\u2014should we all write to our congresspeople or something?<\/p>\n A few weeks ago, a class action lawsuit was brought against David Protein\u2014you know, from the bars<\/a>? And the cod<\/a>?\u2014claiming that we were all Regina Georged by the company. The suit claimed David severely misrepresented the calorie and fat content of each bar, which allegedly has 400% more fat and 80% more calories than advertised.<\/p>\n The internet was atwitter, the outrage was brewing, and founder Peter Rahal took to X to dispel rumors<\/a>\u2014which of course only made things more intriguing. Apparently, Rahal was telling the truth. This week the class action has been unceremoniously dropped without any explanation. Was there a backdoor settlement? Did all parties sit down together at a cozy coffee shop and have a heart-to-heart? It\u2019s impossible to know (but I\u2019m choosing to think it\u2019s option number two).<\/p>\n Tariffs have been one of the biggest strains on the food and beverage industry of late. Restaurant costs are still skyrocketing<\/a>, and the wine and spirits industry is in turmoil too<\/a>. Spice company Burlap & Barrel has also been feeling the pain. That\u2019s why, according to its two cofounders, it\u2019s suing the Trump administration. \u201cThe Boston Tea Party, as you may remember from history class, involved tossing crates of tea into Boston Harbor to protest the high taxes, or tariffs, imposed by King George. Sound familiar? Don\u2019t worry, the only body of water we\u2019ll be throwing spices is a pot of soup,\u201d they write.<\/p>\n