Breaking The Law For Food
Good food is often worth the time, effort, or money required to produce it, but in these cases, people have gone above and beyond (and often taken illegal measures) in their food related pursuits:
• Truck Disappears with $400,000 of King Crab: A truck transporting 25,000 pounds of Russian King Crab went missing last month after leaving a warehouse in Los Angeles. When the truck failed to make its delivery in Seattle, the trucking company discovered that the driver used false documents to get hired and is part of a fraud ring.
• Naomi Campbell vs. Cadbury: Supermodel Naomi Campbell is considering suing Cadbury over an ad it ran and initially refused to pull. The ad for the Dairy Milk Bliss bar used Campbell's name, proclaiming, "Move over Naomi, there's a new diva in town. I'm the world's most pampered bar." Cadbury eventually pulled the ad but maintains it was meant to be light-hearted. Campbell remains unamused.
• Death Penalty for Food Safety Crimes in China: Recent reports of unsafe food have created widespread public anger in China. On Friday, the top court issued a notice that established the death penalty for crimes that interfere with food safety and lead to fatalities.
• Record Mexican Bologna Bust: It's illegal to bring bologna (and other pork products) into the U.S. from across the border in Mexico. In early May, one unlucky driver learned this the hard way when he was stopped by police at the port of entry to Saint Teresa in New Mexico with 35 rolls (385 pounds) of Mexican bologna in the back of his truck.
• Red Bull Doesn't Actually Give You Wings: Early Monday afternoon, a man stole five cases of Red Bull from a Boston area supermarket and attempted to flee. But because he remained within the speed limit during the resulting chase, he's being charged with failing to stop for police, reckless driving, resisting arrest, and larceny — no speeding ticket.
• Dessert Truck Turf Wars: Two ice cream trucks in Uniontown, Pa., are at war with each other. One truck accused the other of attempting to run it off the road, and another incident escalated to the point that police were called to the scene. While no charges have been filed, police warned the drivers that if these incidents continue, their permits could be revoked.
The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for previous columns.