Lock, Stock, Two Smoking Quarrels

the end of tobacco, malt liquor wars and little yogurt cups make a big mess

What the fork is going y’all. Matt here and I hope y’all are hungry bc we got plenty of news to chew.

Sunny D, nostalgia 80’s drink and hate crime against orange juice, has entered the seltzer wars. Seems bold considering the company’s history of marketing specifically towards kids. Or maybe they’re banking that we all grew up and crave malt liquor now. 

Over the past year alone, premixed cocktails have jumped in popularity by 42% so it’s no surprise companies like Sunny D or even Mountain Dew have started their own canned cocktails. I’m more partial to THC seltzers and can’t wait to see more of those enter the market. I haven’t been able to stomach the flavor combination of OJ + vodka since college. 

me and my roommates lookin for mixers

Speaking of poison, California just introduced legislation that would ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone born after Jan 1 2007. It’s a bold idea but not a new one, the legislation is based on a law in New Zealand. Even Russia is trying to phase out smoking. There’s also a local law in Brookline, MA that banned tobacco sales to anyone born after 2000. It’s been done before and so far, so good. 

California is the largest market in the US for big tobacco and they immediately tried to trick voters to vote against these restrictions; luckily it failed. A tobacco lobbying firm attacked the statewide ban saying it will “impact jobs” and have “repercussions in the economy”, which isn’t entirely wrong. In 2021 California netted a whopping $1.5 billion in tobacco tax revenue alone. So that gap in the budget is gonna have to come from somewhere. 

If you’re a smoker living in California, relax. You won’t be ticketed or anything. Enforcement is strictly for businesses. The legislation is aimed at blocking younger generations from addiction before they have access and ultimately phase tobacco sales out of businesses entirely. 

Last year the American Lung Association released data showing lung cancer as the leading cause of death for Californians and 1 in 5 Americans. In LA we even have this giant digital billboard that counts every time someone dies of lung cancer. Which is a real fucking bummer to stare at when you’re stuck in traffic. Now if only someone could do something about the leading cause of death in kids.

Danone is being sued by several environmental groups over their lack of accountability when it comes to the company’s plastic usage. The environmental groups who brought the suit are using a French law known as “duty of care” to hold the world’s largest yogurt maker accountable for their use of plastics in every step of manufacturing.

Plastics almost always end up in the ocean, comprising 80% of marine waste. Fucking staggering. But this also begs a larger conversation about who, in the chain of customer, retailer, and manufacturer, should be responsible where a product ultimately ends up. 

Danone defends their record of reducing plastic by 12% since 2018. Last October Danone even joined other conglomerates such as Nestle demanding world leaders hold these companies accountable for human rights violations and environmental impact. Which comes across as performative considering how much time and money they spend lobbying elected officials. 

companies when they’re caught doing irreversible harm

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Tomorrow will be the first time that we won’t have a recipe for our Sunday subscribers BUT for good reason. Our office’s kitchen ceiling started caving in from the heavy rains and contractors are trying to fix it. Also the newly married Michelle has Covid and she’s recovering. So, shits been kinda fucked all week. We’re gonna have TWO recipes for the Sunday subscribers next week and we appreciate y’all’s patience. 

Until next week, keep those ovens warm. 

Matt (and Michelle)