Mediavore

Grasshopper Invasion to Ravage Millions of Acres of Crops; Are Sugar and Fat as Addictive as Drugs?

• Scientists have discovered that addictive sugar and fat combinations in food can affect the brain just “as cocaine or heroin” do. [KABC]

• March’s unusually warm weather spelled an early end for Vermont’s maple syrup season. [NYT]

• A predicted grasshopper infestation this summer could damage millions of acres of crops like barley, corn, and beets. [WSJ]

• Though the Senate committee on agriculture passed a school lunch bill, it did so with much less funding than the Obama administration had hoped for. [Diner’s Journal/NYT]

• 80-year old Tony Garcia, who went missing Friday after leaving lunch at an L.A. Shakey’s on Foothill, was found safe by Sherriff’s deputies later that night. [KTLA]

• NATO is shuttering burgers bars and pizzerias at Afghanistan bases to improve focus and efficiency. [BBC]

• Food and candy together are set to form 50% of Easter retail sales. [Gourmet Retailer]

Newsday reporter Sumathi Reddy is the Wall Street Journal’s new restaurant reporter. [NYO]

• A group of French and Italian researchers are investigating the genome structure of Périgord truffles. [NYT]

• Environmental activists are using social media to attack Nestle about its use of Indonesian palm oil. [WSJ]

• Italy’s famed asparagus season is under way. [WSJ]

Grasshopper Invasion to Ravage Millions of Acres of Crops; Are Sugar and Fat as