Mediavore

Cheerios Are a Drug; Senate Considers Federal Soda Tax

• The Senate is considering a federal tax on soda and other sugary drinks to pay for a health-care overhaul. [WSJ]

• The FDA issued a warning to General Mills for the health claims it makes on behalf of Cheerios, which the agency called a “serious violation” of federal law. [WSJ]

• Megacorporations are starting to grasp the marketing power of locavorism, with even Lay’s potato chips positioning itself as a local food. [NYT]

• Diners have plenty of reasons to love the recession, including the end of prix fixe tyranny and the ability to negotiate with sommeliers. [NYP]

• A combination of new avenues of access and more sophisticated processing techniques have made sea urchins easier to get than ever before. [NYT]

• Costco doesn’t take food stamps, and many of the residents in East Harlem, where the chain will soon open its first Manhattan location, aren’t happy about it. [NYT]

• A former employee of catering company Mangia 57 has filed papers with the Division of Human Rights, alleging anti-Semitic treatment by his boss and co-workers. [NYP]

• Tasti-D-Lite will open 35 more locations in New York over the next ten years. [Urbanite/amNY]

• The New York State Department of Labor is holding hearings regarding the distribution of tips after banquets. [Crain’s]

• Mental-health advocates are up in arms about Psycho Donuts, a new California shop whose name they find offensive. [MenuPages San Francisco]

• The Belgian city of Ghent will be the world’s first to adopt a weekly meatless day, during which all city employees will go vegetarian. [BBC via Epi-Log/Epicurious]

Cheerios Are a Drug; Senate Considers Federal Soda Tax