EVENING NIGHTCAP: Walmart Got PLAYED. YES To Milano! Red #3 Gets Cancelled.

 

 ► Some good news! US regulators are banning the use of Red Dye #3 (and no, it's not Carrot Top or Lohan). The petroleum based additive will be removed from all food and pharmaceutical products.  Food manufacturers have until January 2027 and pharma until January 2028 to find a replacement. Interestingly, the dye was banned from lipsticks years ago but not from candy. Sounds like US regulators don't give a shit what you ingest but DO care about what you slather on your luscious, pouty lips. Red Dye #3 has already been banned for food use in Europe, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand because they care about the public's health, unlike greedy American companies. For years, studies have show the dye can cause cancer when eaten by rats. Read More 

Image: Center For Science In The Public Interest

Comment: There are 9,201 US food products that contain red dye #3. It's in all sorts of candy, food, drinks, and medicines.  For example, it's in Pez, candy corn, Jelly Belly, toaster pastries, some frostings, certain ice creams and frozen yogurts, maraschino cherries, Vigo yellow rice, gummy vitamins, vegetarian meats, any cookies or cupcakes with red sprinkles, imitation bacon bits, and even in kid's formula such as PediaSure Strawberry Shake. Check your labels!

 

► The last time Walmart changed their logo was in 2008. Wow, that's a long time ago. Anyhoo, for the past few days, the company has been yapping and making a big to-do about a unveiling a new logo that will reflect a new era for the company...or some BS like that. Well, after what I'm sure was a complex endeavor that cost a shit load of money, months of testing, and countless hours of internal debate by company execs, the company unveiled it's new look. If you're thinking, "WTF? That's it?" you're not alone. Read More and Read Some More

Comment: As one Twitter poster said, "It’s amazing that Walmart probably spent $25,000,000 and used 100 different marketers to slightly change the Pantone color on their logo after probably 2 years of market research.”   If this is the company's way of modernizing itself to evolve with shoppers, then it got played by the marketing agency that sold them on this. Ha, ha, ha!

On the left is the old logo vs. the new 2025 version. Photo: Walmart / Vice.com

Old font vs. the new 2025 font. Photo: Walmart / Vice.com

 

► Fans of Pepperidge Farms Milano cookies can rejoice!  The cookie that resembles a flip phone is introducing 3 new flavors to make you ditch that pesky New Year resolution to eat healthy. Joining the lineup:  Strawberry White Chocolate, Lemon White Chocolate, and Coconut White Chocolate. The new flavors will start parading into stores soon. Milano's new nepo kids will make their store debut soon, pushing all the other cookies around like Apple Martin at her debutante ball. In case you're wondering, the suggested price $5.09 / per package. Read More

Comment: I love Milano cookies! I look forward to eating all 3 new flavors. I already know that Lemon White Chocolate will be my favorite since I love anything with lemon. As a separate note: I  was recently asked to buy Girl Scout Cookies. Damn...those things have gotten expensive! A box of my favorite Tagalongs is $6.00 and you only get 14 cookies. A package of Milano Dark Chocolate is $3.99 at Target (or Tarjaaaay) and you get 15 cookies.  

 

Photo: All Recipes.com