This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
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Dating back to the first Thanksgiving, Americans have formed community around the shared enjoyment of food. While ours is not the only country that does so, Americans’ traditional enjoyment of the potluck is in many ways characteristically democratic — the medley of tastes and textures shared at a potluck speaks to a national character that is less concerned with aesthetic refinement and a hefty price tag than with full bellies and good conversation.
If you are unfortunate enough to never have enjoyed a hearty potluck — unlikely if you were raised as an evangelical, particularly Baptist — it’s important that you envision the most opulent hodgepodge of sides and mains and desserts you have ever seen. The dishes are as diverse in tastiness as the loving hands that prepared them are diverse in personality and life story. Some people bring a bag of chips and salsa. Others bring their grandmother’s famous chili. Still others bring the dishes that will be wiped clean before second-rounders jostle their way to the front of the line with Costco-sized paper plates in hand.
Dessert comes in two courses: first, the cookie you teeter on the edge of your mountain of dinner food, and second, the more serious dessert helping. It&#8217;s the one you grab after throwing out your paper plate and making your way back to the potluck line after allowing a polite pause following everyone’s first helping. Every Sunday that a church hosts a potluck, no electrical outlet is left unused as the church’s mothers line the halls with steaming crockpots of barbecue meatballs and seven-layer Mexican dip. The intriguing medley of smells makes its way to your nose just as the final hymn’s refrain is sung.
The seminal 2000 book &#8220;Bowling Alone&#8221; by Robert D. Putnam could easily have a companion volume titled &#8220;Eating Alone.&#8221; For many Americans, even many who live with spouses and children, food is eaten over phones or across from TVs. The attention of the eater is split between screened entertainment and the food itself, rather than his own family and the food itself. Faced with a culture where enjoyment of food is no longer a social activity, individuals, particularly mothers and homemakers, are less likely to spend time cooking a meal that is consumed with such casual dismissal. From this, the culture of Uber Eats and single-serve microwave dinners has taken hold, further cementing our lonesome culture of eating. The American potluck bucks the trend of eating alone.
In a world where social gatherings, when they do occur, are built around the coming Instagram post about the event, the idea of setting up white folding tables and mismatched crockpots for your friends to eat a delicious meal that has no common theme may seem out of place. And it is. We are starved for socialization, but the perfection thrust upon us by curated lives on Instagram can make it seem like only people who have their lives, homes, and cookbooks in order can socialize around food that isn’t bought at a restaurant.
But the American potluck allows you to socialize with a large crowd in a low-pressure environment. You can contribute to the gathering without the entire planning and execution of the event falling on you. With the potluck, your only task is to bring one dish, a dish you would probably have cooked anyway if you had stayed home (assuming you weren’t planning to order in again). Maybe your house really is way too tiny to host, and your cooking skills really are too lacking to draw a crowd. Even so, the potluck lets you form community around food while only contributing a cheese, salami, and cracker platter from the grocery store.
For those who can cook, or who are interested in learning how, the potluck fosters community around home-cooked food. It is different in this way from a group of friends who make a habit of trying the best Thai restaurants the city has to offer every Thursday night. It’s not that this might not be a great way in itself to avoid a culture of lonely eating, but it is too expensive for most and unrealistic for families with young children. The democratic genius of the American potluck lies in the fact that every income level, family size, and age can enjoy what it has to offer with equal vigor.
What’s more, the potluck fosters a community of recipe-sharing, a phenomenon that is dying out with older generations of parents. There is something far more personal and friendship-inducing about asking Mrs. Johnson for the recipe for her au gratin potatoes than asking her for the name of the restaurant you saw her at on Instagram. Recipe-sharing expands our abilities as cooks while encouraging a community that offers distinct food options that we have created ourselves in our own home kitchens.
Churches are perhaps the most obvious place where potlucks can and should happen. But any group can host a potluck. The host need only provide some plastic cutlery and paper plates, instructing each guest to bring enough to feed his or her family and a few more. If you have never enjoyed a potluck, let me be the first to assure you that it is the most low-risk yet high-reward way to begin investing in real relationships that build lasting communities in a uniquely American way.
***
Sarah Wilder is a wife and mom living on a small homestead in Michigan. She is a cultural commentator and a writer, and her work is regularly published in outlets such as Chronicles Magazine, 1819 News, and American Mind.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

GettyImages-2165942839

Grandma’s Favorite After-Church Tradition Might Be The Cure For America’s Loneliness

Church

Food

Friends

Upstream

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a response to Democrat Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, who was defending New England favorite Dunkin&#8217; from the ire of MAHA.
The exchange came after Kennedy Jr. took aim at Dunkin&#8217; during a rally last week at Brazos Hall in Austin, Texas.
“We’re going to ask Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks, ‘Show us the safety data that show that it’s OK for a teenage girl to drink an iced coffee with 115 grams of sugar in it,&#8217;” RFK Jr. said at the time. “I don’t think they’re going to be able to do it.”
“No one is taking away your Dunkin&#8217;. But isn&#8217;t it reasonable to ask whether a drink loaded with 180 grams of sugar is safe?” RFK Jr. wrote in response to Healey’s tweet, which included an illustration of a Dunkin’ beverage cup and text beneath it saying, “Come and take it.”
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No one is taking away your Dunkin&#8217;. But isn&#8217;t it reasonable to ask whether a drink loaded with 180 grams of sugar is safe? <a href="https://t.co/nV6KLOBf94">https://t.co/nV6KLOBf94</a>
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His position was further clarified after the rally.
“Secretary Kennedy also announced the closure of the GRAS (generally recognized as safe) loophole, requiring any new food ingredient to provide proof of safety,” MAHA Action, a Kennedy-aligned nonprofit, said in a statement <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hhs-secretary-kennedy-announces-nutrition-requirements-for-medical-licensing-baby-formula-safety-standards-at-austin-rally-for-real-food-302701305.html">posted</a> on Monday. 
“Companies including Dunkin&#8217; Donuts and Starbucks will be required to produce safety data they were supposed to have maintained. The reforms aim to ensure American foods follow the highest safety and nutritional standards globally.”
RFK Jr. railed against the GRAS loophole during a “60 Minutes” appearance last month.
“That loophole was hijacked by the industry, and it was used to add thousands upon thousands of new ingredients into our food supply,” Kennedy said at the time. “In Europe there’s only 400 legal ingredients. This agency does not know how many ingredients there are in American food.”
“There is…no way for any American to know if a product is safe if it is ultra processed,” he added.

Dunkin

RFK Jr. Takes Not So Sweet Dig At Democratic Governor In Dunkin’ Donuts Fight

Health

MAHA

Massachusetts

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Several fast food chain execs have jumped into the fray, mocking the viral video of McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski awkwardly promoting the new Big Arch burger.
Pete Suerken, president of Wendy’s, shared a <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/wendys-international_peteknows-activity-7434960151893200896-gMPz">video</a> on Wednesday featuring him trying one of the restaurant’s iconic Baconator burgers. Suerken stepped up to the grill and slapped down the patties, flipped them over, and reiterated the fast food chain’s motto that their burgers were “fresh, never frozen.” 
He also trolled a popular McDonald’s complaint about the soft serve machines always being broken. Suerken portioned out a Frosty and said, “Is this set up today? Oh, wait, our machines are always working.” 
The exec sat down to enjoy a Baconator with a Frosty and some fries. He recorded himself taking a large bite and saying, “This is exactly what a good hamburger should be.” Next, Suerken dipped his fries in his Frosty.
It wasn’t just Wendy’s getting in on the joke. Burger King posted a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@burgerking/video/7612805160967884063?lang=en">video</a> to its official TikTok page on Monday, showing company president Tom Curtis taking a big bite of the chain&#8217;s famous Whopper burger.
“Only one thing missing — a napkin,” he said after chowing down. Burger King wrote in the caption, “Thought we’d replay this.”
The controversy is going worldwide. The North Vancouver–based company A&amp;W Canada also released a video of popular company spokesperson Allen Lulu dressed in an outfit similar to what Kempczinski wore in the original McDonald’s video. 
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Lulu did a parody of the original, holding up an A&amp;W Teen Burger and jokingly calling it a “burger product” and remarking on the “unique bread some would call a bun” and “lettuce, which is green.” He also noted the “pickles,” which he described as making the burger “taste pickly.”
He also took a huge bite of the burger before inviting Kempczinski to join him for lunch. “Just you, me, and a couple of Teen Burgers,” he says in the clip.
The original McDonald’s video was posted to Kempczinski’s Instagram last month, but <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-mcdonalds-ceo-struggles-through-new-big-arch-burger-goes-viral">went viral </a>only recently. In it, the fast food CEO uses awkward language to describe the new menu offering, calling it a “product” repeatedly before taking a nibble he described as a “big bite.”
Viewers said it appeared Kempczinski was inauthentic and didn’t really care for the food at all. “What’s the opposite of genuine and authentic?” one popular Instagram comment said.
“This man does not like that ‘product,’” another person agreed.

Big Arch fail

Wendy’s, Burger King Pile On After McDonald’s CEO’s Big Arch Taste Test Fail

BURGER WARS: Wendy's, Burger King Roast McDonald's CEO's Big Arch Taste Test Fail

Burger King

Fast-Food

McDonald’s

viral video

Wendy's

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
Buzzwords such as &#8220;all natural,&#8221; &#8220;farm fresh,&#8221; &#8220;superfood,&#8221; and &#8220;probiotic&#8221; have flooded supermarket shelves for years. The labels are pastoral. The fonts are earthy. But marketing has a way of borrowing the language of tradition without restoring its substance.
Health bloggers will tell you to shop the perimeter of the grocery store to select the best options. And yet the same consistently available fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat, cheese, and bread are there around every turn of the cart. Strawberries in February. Tomatoes in January. Blueberries without a season.
What if we weren’t meant to eat strawberries and tomatoes in February? What if late winter, especially in colder regions, was designed for cruciferous and root vegetables such as beets and broccoli, along with fall harvests that store well and sustain?
Instead of chasing superfoods imported from thousands of miles away, seasonal eating invites you to eat what grows abundantly where you live. Reduced time from harvest to plate often means greater nutrient retention and bioavailability. You get your fill of what’s thriving; then you let it go until it returns. Nature, it turns out, already built the meal plan.
Leafy greens and citrus dominate winter harvests for a reason. Greens provide vitamin K and minerals such as calcium. Citrus is rich in vitamin C. Together, they support immune function and assist the body’s ability to utilize vitamin D during months with less sun exposure. In summer, fruit ripens heavy and sweet, offering hydration and quick glucose fuel when activity levels rise and heat increases sweat loss. Fall brings storable foods such as squash, potatoes, apples, and roots, dense starches that sustain as temperatures drop.
Buy what’s in season first. Build meals around abundance instead of preference. From there, proximity becomes the goal. Farmers markets are often the easiest entry point, offering direct access to growers who can tell you when stone fruit peaks and when the broccoli will fade. Then you can go further, joining Community Supported Agriculture programs or herd shares for dairy, splitting beef shares, or ordering bulk dry goods through wholesale cooperatives such as Azure Standard to reduce reliance on conventional distribution chains. Seasonal eating becomes less about finding the right label and more about knowing who grew your food and when it was harvested.
Here’s how I do it. When tomatoes are vibrant and lining farmers market tables in July, I eat them daily — until I don’t want to look at another tomato slice for the next year. Beyond their peak summer flavor, tomatoes are one of the rare foods that actually become more beneficial when cooked. Heat breaks down their cell walls, making lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, more bioavailable, meaning the body can absorb it more efficiently. While some vitamin C is lost in the process, simmering tomatoes into sauce, especially with olive oil or meat, enhances the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients, reflecting a glimpse of wisdom behind traditional cooking methods.
So I find a farmer who sells inexpensive cases and host a sauce-making party with a few friends. We simmer, can, and stack the pantry shelves. In winter, lasagnas, tomato soups, and homemade ketchup, bbq, and enchilada sauces curb any craving for a fresh tomato my family might have. I also dehydrate several jars of sun-dried tomatoes for nights when we want a cast-iron skillet of &#8220;marry me chicken.&#8221;
When blackberries peak, I freeze trays of them for smoothies in January. If corn is cheap and sweet in late summer, I blanch and freeze it for winter soups. Basil becomes pesto, and peppers are blistered and frozen for winter fajitas.
Jams and jellies are beautiful, but be mindful of unnecessary sugar. Preservation is about smoothing the transition between seasons, especially during the hungry gap cold regions experience in late winter when fresh harvests are scarce, and stored crops carry the table.
Meat ties the rhythm together year-round. While produce shifts dramatically, animal protein provides steady nourishment. In colder months, especially, many people naturally gravitate toward higher-fat cuts and slow-cooked dishes, meals that feel grounding and warm. Seeking out local beef from nearby ranchers deepens that connection. When you buy a quarter or half animal, you learn to cook differently. You utilize more nose-to-tail cuts, from roasts and short ribs to bones for broth, allowing nothing to go to waste. 
Here’s what’s on my table this week. I love to start with warm marinated olives. Gently heat extra virgin olive oil with garlic, citrus peels, herbs, and crushed red pepper flakes. Add green olives, cover, and remove from heat. Serve with sourdough for dipping. For a side, I&#8217;ll have citrus kale salad. Massage chopped kale with olive oil, salt, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Add orange slices and fennel fronds or dill. Finish with toasted nuts and shaved Parmesan or feta. Then there&#8217;s the main course, slow-cooked braised beef roast with sheet pan root vegetables: carrots, beets, turnips, and potatoes tossed with fresh herbs, chopped garlic, and a spoonful of your fat of choice, roasted until tender.
I learned many of these cooking skills from my grandmother. In 2018, after years of practicing them quietly at home, I began teaching preserving and homesteading classes to others. People were tired of chasing labels, trying to navigate what was good. They wanted tools, not trends. We aren’t sitting on the porch shucking peas and corn with our families anymore. But maybe it’s time we bring some of that back.
Seasonal eating won’t make you immune to illness. But it does something quieter and arguably more important. It restores awareness. You begin to notice when asparagus arrives. You anticipate zucchini season. You miss melons in winter, and that absence makes their return sweeter. When we accept that not every fruit belongs in every month, we relearn something modern culture has flattened. We trade convenience for connection to our food and the seasons that were shaping it long before we ever touched a cart.
***
Lindsey Hickman is a lifestyle writer covering the intersection of news, health, faith, and modern life, focused on the human stories behind today’s headlines.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Caucasian woman slicing a Butternut Squash on a wooden cutting board.

You’re Eating Out Of Season — And It’s Costing You More Than You Think

Nature

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski has gone viral on social media after a video of him tasting the new Big Arch burger started circulating online.
Viewers made comments about the fast food chain exec’s awkward demeanor and wording, saying it was clear that he hated the “product” and didn’t really want to eat it.
“I love this product, it is so good. I’m going to do a tasting right now, but I’m going to eat this for my lunch, just so you know,” Kempczinski says in the video, which was shared to drum up interest in the new addition to the McDonald’s menu.
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He explained how the burger has “two quarter-pound patties, a delicious Big Arch sauce, and of course, some lettuce, along with crispy onions and pickles.”
Kempczinski awkwardly approached the burger, noting that he “didn’t even know how to attack it,” before taking a hesitant bite, which he described as being bigger than it actually was.
“Mmm, that is so good, that’s a big bite for a Big Arch,” the CEO said, showing the camera the tiny nibble he took out of the massive burger.
Social media commenters didn’t hold back with their mockery.
“What’s the opposite of genuine and authentic?” one popular Instagram comment said.
“That was the smallest first bite I’ve ever seen,” another person agreed.
“This man does not like that ‘product,’” another person wrote.
“Watching the McDonald&#8217;s CEO tentatively nibble on the Big Arch like it&#8217;s a radioactive artifact from the dollar menu, calling it &#8216;product&#8217; instead of food, is the most unintentionally hilarious endorsement fail since New Coke,” one X commenter <a href="https://x.com/RoyalMelanite/status/2028020316644249747">added</a>.
The video was posted to Kempczinski’s Instagram last month, but didn’t go viral until now, just days before the Big Arch is set to debut on McDonald’s menus nationwide on Tuesday, March 3. This fact led to some fans wondering if the awkward video and its promotion is nothing more than a way to get attention for the new fast food menu offering.

Big Arch

WATCH: McDonald’s CEO Struggles Through New Big Arch Burger, Goes Viral

General

U.S.

United States

The grandson of the man who invented Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is speaking out against The Hershey Company, accusing the multinational confectionery company of cheaping out on ingredients and spoiling the product his family created.
Brad Reese, 70, claims that real ingredients have been replaced with cheap, ultra-processed additives that have altered the taste of the popular candy.
“My grandfather, H. B. REESE (Who Invented REESE’S), built REESE’S on a simple, enduring architecture: Milk Chocolate + Peanut Butter. Not a flavor idea. Not a marketing construct. A real, tangible product identity that consumers have trusted for a century,” Reese shared in a LinkedIn post.
“But today, REESE’S identity is being rewritten, not by storytellers, but by formulation decisions that replace Milk Chocolate with compound coatings and Peanut Butter with peanut butter style crèmes across multiple REESE’S products,” the post continued.
“I can’t just let it go. They’re lowering the quality of ingredients, charging the same price and probably giving you a smaller product size,” Reese <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/02/18/business/grandson-of-reeses-founder-alleges-hershey-has-switched-to-cheaper-ingredients-sparking-family-feud/">told</a> The New York Post in a follow-up interview. “I’m really embarrassed as a member of the Reese family.”
The Hershey Company, based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, said in a statement that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are made with real peanut butter and milk chocolate, but admits they’ve done “recipe adjustments.” 
“Our iconic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are made the same way they always have been; starting with roasting fresh peanuts to make our unique, one-of-a-kind peanut butter that is then combined with milk chocolate,” a statement from The Hershey Company <a href="https://www.abc27.com/hershey/the-hershey-company-responds-to-allegations-over-reeses-ingredient-changes/">said</a>, per ABC27 News. 
“As we’ve grown and expanded the Reese’s product line, we make product recipe adjustments that allow us to make new shapes, sizes and innovations that Reese’s fans have come to love and ask for, while always protecting the essence of what makes Reese’s unique and special: the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter.”
According to the <a href="https://www.hersheyland.com/products/reeses-milk-chocolate-peanut-butter-cups-1-5-oz.html">website</a>, traditional Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups include: Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Skim Milk, Milk Fat, Lactose, Lecithin, PGPR), Peanuts, Sugar, Dextrose, Salt, and TBHQ &amp; Citric Acid (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS). 
Reese indicated that the spinoff versions of the classic candy are the culprits. The Florida resident said he recently purchased and tossed out a Valentine’s Day-themed bag of Reese’s Mini Hearts. 
“It was not edible,” Reese <a href="https://apnews.com/article/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-hershey-chocolate-1a66ec75247fd146888b7a747a740cd3">told</a> The Associated Press in an interview. “You have to understand. I used to eat a Reese’s product every day. This is very devastating for me.”

Reese’s

CANDY CIVIL WAR: Reese’s Heir Calls Out What’s Being Put In America’s Favorite Treat

Business

chocolate

Pennsylvania

President Trump signed a bill on Wednesday that overturns Obama-era restrictions on whole milk for school children.
The <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/222/text">Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act</a> allows schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to serve whole and 2% fat milk, a departure from the former standards set by the Obama administration. Previously, schools in the program were required to serve skim and low-fat milk.
“Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, whole milk is a great thing,” Trump said at the signing ceremony on Wednesday, which was attended by dairy farmers and their kids, per the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/whole-milk-school-lunches-trump-5572176286b322d844bb76d52906e2c7">Associated Press</a>. 
&#8220;With this legislation, schools will finally be able to expand their offerings to include nutritious whole milk,&#8221; the president said. &#8220;This is the perfect follow-up to the new Real Food pyramid.&#8221; The bill includes provisions for parents who prefer non-dairy alternatives, which were previously only allowed with a doctor’s note.
&#8220;We&#8217;re eliminating that rather ridiculous policy, allowing parents to choose what is best for their child, which is a big move,&#8221; Trump said, per <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/health/whole-milk-headed-back-school-cafeterias-after-trump-signs-health-law-experts-benefits">Fox News</a>.
The newly passed bill reverses the largely unsuccessful Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, championed by Michelle Obama, which aimed to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rfk-jr-could-do-what-michelle-obama-actually-promised-healthy-lunches-for-low-income-students">curtail childhood obesity</a> by reducing calories and fat in school lunches. 
The Department of Agriculture shared a photo of President Trump with a milk mustache on X Sunday. The accompanying text said, “The Milk Mustache Is Back. Drink Whole Milk.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Drink up, America.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DrinkWholeMilk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DrinkWholeMilk</a> 🥛 <a href="https://t.co/eemI31G1wx">pic.twitter.com/eemI31G1wx</a>
— Dept. of Agriculture (@USDA) <a href="https://twitter.com/USDA/status/2010530263676375178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The bill comes just one week after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced major changes to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rfk-flips-the-food-pyramid-and-announces-massive-changes-to-dietary-guidelines">reported</a>. 
The new guidance flipped the food pyramid upside down, advising Americans to eat whole foods, prioritize healthy fats and protein, and limit or avoid ultra-processed foods. Kennedy and Rollins declared the war on “healthy fats,” which included whole milk, was over.
These changes follow RFK&#8217;s Make America Healthy Again initiative, which he’s championed since before Trump took office. During a 2024 Fox &amp; Friends <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBwLt1dJ6mH/">interview</a>, RFK was asked what he would do to improve school lunches. 
He replied, “I’ll get processed food out of lunches immediately. About half the school lunch program goes to processed food… We’re creating a diabetes problem in our kids, by giving them food that is poison and I’m going to stop that.”

Donald Trump

‘The Milk Mustache Is Back’: Trump Reverses Obama-Era Ban On Whole Milk In School Lunches

'The Milk Mustache Is Back:' Trump Reverses Obama-Era Ban On Whole Milk In School Lunches

Department of Health and Human Services

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President Trump

school

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into major grocery store chains in the state for potentially misleading consumers by spraying organic-labeled produce with pesticides.
&#8220;I&#8217;m investigating major grocery chains for spraying organic produce with pesticides without telling consumers,&#8221; Paxton posted to X on Monday. &#8220;It&#8217;s not only wrong for grocers to mislead consumers about chemicals being sprayed on their food—it may very well be illegal.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: I&#8217;m investigating major grocery chains for spraying organic produce with pesticides without telling consumers.
It&#8217;s not only wrong for grocers to mislead consumers about chemicals being sprayed on their food—it may very well be illegal. <a href="https://t.co/lMK2yawntb">pic.twitter.com/lMK2yawntb</a>
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/2010742903891751416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
Consumers who spend money on organic produce generally expect that harmful synthetic pesticides are not being used, though some naturally derived pesticides are permitted on organic foods.
Paxton said the pesticide in question is called Produce Maxx, which is an EPA-registered antimicrobial pesticide containing high concentrations of hypochlorous acid and considered a form of chlorine.
More than 50 retail brands across 10,000+ stores in North America use Produce Maxx, <a href="https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2024/apr/11/instagram-posts/videos-misrepresent-producemaxx-antimicrobial-wash/">according</a> to PolitiFact. It&#8217;s unclear how many spray &#8220;organic&#8221; foods as well.
&#8220;Consumers buying organic produce assume they haven’t been treated with pesticides,&#8221; a press release from Paxton&#8217;s office <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-investigates-major-grocery-chains-spraying-organic-produce-pesticides">said</a>. &#8220;They don’t know that stores are spraying pesticides on the organic produce while it’s on the shelf.&#8221;
If a customer is unaware of such in-store spraying, they might not wash their organic produce. This is an issue since federal law &#8220;requires produce sprayed with chlorine to be rinsed with drinking water before consumption to maintain USDA organic certification,&#8221; the release explained.
&#8220;Many grocery stores hide their misting equipment and Produce Maxx containers from customer view and provide no signage or warning labels about the pesticide treatment and the need to wash the organic produce,&#8221; the office charged.
&#8220;There should be no shortcuts when it comes to food safety, and my office will ensure that Texas consumers are not misled about the state of the produce they purchase,&#8221; Paxton said.
If Texas grocery stores continue using antimicrobial pesticides like Produce Maxx on organic produce, they must disclose this to customers, while also including instructions to rinse this food before consumption, he said.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/drink-up-america-usdas-whole-milk-promo-has-the-perfect-trump-twist?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=‘Drink+Up%2C+America’%3A+USDA’s+Whole+Milk+Promo+Has+The+Perfect+Trump+Twist">‘Drink Up, America’: USDA’s Whole Milk Promo Has The Perfect Trump Twist</a>

Fresh fruits, berries and vegetables on the market stall a farmer’s market

Is Your Organic Produce Being Sprayed With Pesticides?

groceries

Ken Paxton

Organic Food

Texas

Red downward arrow in front of house. Illustration of the concept of falling prices of real estate properties.

The Quality Of Literally Everything Is Declining. I’m Investigating To Find Out Why

Corporations

cost of living

Culture

Entertainment

Housing

Inflation

Matt Walsh

Opinion

A former employee has filed a lawsuit against Campbell’s, alleging that he was wrongfully terminated after lodging a complaint against an executive.
Robert Garza, a Michigan-based cybersecurity expert who worked remotely for the company, filed a lawsuit against his former employer this week. Garza claimed that he was fired in January, just three weeks after filing the complaint.
The tech worker said he recorded an in-person meeting with chief information security officer Martin Bally while the two were meant to be discussing a salary increase last year. Garza said he captured an hour-long tirade, which included derogatory comments about the product and various nationalities.
“We have sh*t for f*cking poor people. Who buys our sh*t? I don’t buy Campbell’s products barely anymore,” Bally allegedly said at one point during the 75-minute-long recording.
The exec also allegedly claimed the ingredients were man-made. “It’s not healthy now that I know what the f*ck’s in it,” a person on the recording says. “Bioengineered meat — I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3-D printer.”
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Bally is also accused of disparaging employees from India. “F*cking Indians don’t know a f*cking thing,” a speaker on the recording said. “They couldn’t think for their f*cking selves.”
Campbell’s has not confirmed the authenticity of the recording, but has released a statement refuting the claims. The company also said Bally has been placed on leave.
“If the comments heard on the audio recording were in fact made by Mr. Bally, they are unacceptable. Such language does not reflect our values and the culture of our company. We do not tolerate that kind of language under any circumstances. Mr. Bally is temporarily on leave while we conduct an investigation,” the company said in a <a href="https://www.thecampbellscompany.com/newsroom/news/company-statement-on-the-garza-lawsuit-and-alleged-audio-recording/">statement</a>. “We are proud of the food we make, the people who make it and the high-quality ingredients we use. The comments heard on the recording about our food are not only inaccurate — they are patently absurd.”
The Daily Wire reached out to Campbell’s for additional comment.
Garza claims he reported the incident to his manager but was terminated 20 days later. He said he didn’t come forward before now because he was taking time to process what happened.

Campbells Soup

Campbell’s Soup Exec Accused Of Calling Product ‘Sh*t For Poor People’

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Tyson Foods will close a major beef plant in Lexington, Nebraska, with about 3,200 employees in January after U.S. cattle supplies dropped to their lowest level in nearly 75 years, the meatpacker said on Friday.
The closure in the heart of cattle-feeding country signaled that supplies will remain tight, forcing meatpackers to pay steep prices for cattle to process into steaks and hamburgers.
Beef prices have set records due to low supplies and strong demand, raising costs for consumers. President Donald Trump said last month that he was working to bring down prices.
Tyson said it will also reduce operations at a beef plant in Amarillo, Texas, to a single, full-capacity shift, affecting about 1,700 workers.
&#8220;Tyson Foods recognizes the impact these decisions have on team members and the communities where we operate,&#8221; the company said in a statement.
Tyson said the changes were expected around January 20 and that it will increase production at other facilities to meet customer demand.
Beef prices soared this year as cattle supplies dwindled and meatpackers increasingly competed for limited supplies of livestock.
Ranchers slashed their herds after a years-long drought burned up pasture lands and hiked feeding costs. Some have slowly started to rebuild their herds, though it takes at least two years to raise full-grown cattle.
Tyson&#8217;s beef business suffered adjusted losses of $426 million in the 12 months ended on September 27 and $291 million over the previous year. The meatpacker projected the unit will lose $400 million to $600 million in the 2026 fiscal year.
&#8220;We all expected a plant to be closed at some point in 2026,&#8221; said Rich Nelson, chief strategist for Allendale. &#8220;I&#8217;m a little surprised they&#8217;re doing it preemptively.&#8221;
Losses in Tyson&#8217;s beef business were a turnaround from the fat profits it and other processors reaped during the COVID-19 pandemic, when meat prices soared as infections among plant workers slowed output.
The Lexington plant can process roughly 5,000 cattle per day, or about 5% of total U.S. slaughtering, but it has already been operating below capacity, said Matt Wiegand, commodity broker for FuturesOne in Nebraska. Its closure will shock the city of about 10,000 residents and hurt local feedyards that fatten cattle, he said.
&#8220;Tyson&#8217;s announcement will have a devastating impact,&#8221; said U.S. Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska. &#8220;It&#8217;s no secret that just a few years ago, packers like Tyson were making windfall profits while the rest of the industry was continuously in the red.&#8221;
In Amarillo, Tyson&#8217;s plant can slaughter roughly 6,000 cattle per day, according to industry estimates.
The White House had no immediate comment.
Trump has sought to boost beef imports from countries such as Argentina to ease prices for U.S. consumers, angering American ranchers. On Thursday, he removed 40% tariffs he had imposed this summer on Brazilian food products that slowed imports of beef used to make hamburger meat.
Trump has also accused meatpacking companies of driving up U.S. beef prices through manipulation and collusion, and ordered the Justice Department to investigate.
(Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Nia Williams and Bill Berkrot)

Beef

Tyson Foods To Close Major U.S. Beef Plant As Cattle Supplies Dwindle

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The Tick That Makes People Allergic To Meat — And The Climate Cult Wants To Breed Trillions More

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