foods

A viral video showing a woman freezing her açaí bowl to get it past security has sparked a warning from experts, who say the hack could lead to a £5,000 fine for UK travellers

Social media, particularly TikTok, has emerged as a breeding ground for so-called “travel hacks.” Holidaymakers frequently rely on content creators for guidance on maximising their flights and hotel experiences.

Nevertheless, much of the guidance discovered online should be approached with considerable scepticism, particularly when it doesn’t originate from a qualified professional. This has proven true with one passenger’s footage, which has captured the attention of travellers and has now been viewed more than a million times.

In the footage, she demonstrates how she smuggles her açaí bowl through airport security: by freezing it before placing it in her hand luggage, reports the Express.

The post sparked confusion in the comments section, with one viewer questioning: “Wait, how did you get this through security?”, and another cautioning: “Pretty sure this is still considered a liquid.”

Now, travel specialists are offering their verdict – and they have one stark warning.

According to Amanda Parker, spokesperson for Netflights, freezing açaí bowls or similar liquids to stop security screening isn’t merely ineffective – it could lead to your snack being seized or, worse still, a substantial penalty.

“According to official government guidelines, you’re not allowed to carry frozen items in your hand luggage,” the travel expert clarified.

“Even though this açaí bowl is frozen, it’s still considered a liquid and security will treat it as a liquid.

“Your treat may start to thaw when you pass through airport security, and if it exceeds the 100 ml liquid limit, it’ll be going straight in the bin. Plus, the spillage while you carry it, not worth the hassle.”

And the danger doesn’t stop at security checks, as travellers jetting back to the UK could find their bowl’s contents triggering alarm bells with customs officials.

Numerous favourite toppings and ingredients – from dairy products to seeds and fresh fruit – violate UK border regulations.

“There are restrictions on bringing food back to the UK, too. Meat, dairy, fish, fruit, veg, nuts and seeds are all no-nos,” Amanda cautioned. “You could face a £5,000 fine if you break these rules.

“As açaí bowls are normally topped with nuts and seeds, plus they’re dairy, it’s important not to freeze your açaí bowl for your flight home to the UK, as you could pay the price.”

Shares of leading private-label snacking and beverages manufacturer TreeHouse Foods (THS 3.47%) rose 31% this week as of 2 p.m. ET on Friday, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Octus, a global financial intelligence firm, learned that private equity firm Investindustrial was working on trying to acquire the beleaguered packaged foods company for $3 billion.

This news sent shares rocketing higher, following the stock’s decline from $40 to just $15 over the last year.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire?

While these types of M&A (mergers and acquisitions) updates are often speculative at best, there may be reason to believe in this potential bid.

In 2022, Investindustrial purchased a large portion of TreeHouse Foods’ meal preparation business for $950 million. So there is a history between the two.

One possible scenario could be that Investindustrial saw success from its previous deal and is coming back for seconds with TreeHouse’s stock cratering.

Now trading with an EV-to-EBITDA (enterprise value-to-earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) ratio of 8, TreeHouse is quite reasonably valued, even with its minimal growth rates.

Furthermore, the company is home to a portfolio of steady private label categories, such as baked snacks, tea and coffee, broth, hot cereal, powdered beverages, refrigerated dough, and pickles.

As private-label brands continue to grow market share in the consumer-packaged goods category — and remain popular among Gen Z and millennial shoppers — a well-priced buyout could make a lot of sense for InvestIndustrial.

For investors currently holding the stock, I would leave the arbitrage opportunity to the traders and move on from the debt-heavy, low-growth business. Its valuation is appealing, but it might be better off left to private equity to turn around.

The findings come as Robert F Kennedy Jr advances plans to ‘Make America Healthy Again’ under President Donald Trump.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States has released the summary of a new survey confirming that ultra-processed foods make up a majority of Americans’ caloric intake.

The study, published on Thursday, involved tracking the meals and snacks of Americans from August 2021 to August 2023.

During that period, 55 percent of the calories consumed by Americans came from ultra-processed foods, according to a mean calculated by the survey authors.

That number was even higher for younger people involved in the study. Youths ranging from age one to 18 reported that nearly 62 percent of their diet was highly processed. That number dipped to 53 percent among adults over age 19.

Ultra-processed foods are common and can take a variety of forms, from pre-packaged snacks, frozen foods and bottled soda drinks.

But Thursday’s findings are likely to add fuel to a campaign under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr to reform the US diet, as part of his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign (MAHA).

Just one day before the latest CDC numbers were published, Kennedy used his social media account to once again blame high-calorie, processed foods for a variety of ailments.

“Genes don’t cause epidemics. They may provide a vulnerability, but you need an environmental toxin — and we know what it is. It’s sugar and ultra-processed foods,” Kennedy wrote on the platform X on Wednesday.

Studies have repeatedly shown links between highly processed foods and detrimental health conditions like obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Kennedy, however, has been criticised for seeking “environmental toxins” to explain conditions like autism, which researchers largely believe to result from a variety of factors, including genetic ones.

Thursday’s survey results are part of a long-running study tracking what American adults and children eat and drink on a daily basis through interviews, body measurements and laboratory testing.

Known as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the study has its limitations: Interviews rely on self-reported food consumption, for instance.

But its origins stretch back to the 1960s, and since 1999, the study has continued without interruption, according to the CDC. About 5,000 people take part each year.

In the latest edition of the survey, researchers found that income played a significant role in how much ultra-processed foods were consumed per household. High-income groups corresponded with lower mean percentages of highly processed foods consumed.

This was particularly pronounced among adults. For those whose salaries were equivalent to 3.5 times the federal poverty level or more, a mean of 50.4 percent of their diet was comprised of processed foods.

That number rose to 54.7 percent for those whose incomes were slightly above, at or below the federal poverty level.

The survey also identified the primary culinary culprits behind Americans’ consumption of highly processed foods.

Sandwiches, including burgers, were the highest source of ultra-processed foods, comprising 7.6 percent of the calories consumed by youth and 8.6 percent for adults. Sweet bakery foods were the next highest category, at 6.3 percent for minors and 5.2 percent for adults.

Sweetened beverages and savoury snacks were also prominent sources of calories.

But the study did contain some positive news, showing that the mean consumption of ultra-processed foods had decreased.

In the survey period from 2013 to 2014, adults consumed a mean of 55.8 percent of their calories from highly processed items. But by the current period, that number slid to 53 percent.

Del Monte’s losses have piled up as consumers choose healthier or cheaper alternatives.

Del Monte Foods, the 139-year-old company best known for its canned fruits and vegetables, is filing for bankruptcy protection as consumers in the United States increasingly bypass its products for healthier or cheaper options.

Del Monte announced the bankruptcy filing late Tuesday.

Del Monte, which also owns the Contadina tomato brand, College Inn and Kitchen Basics broth brands and the Joyba bubble tea brand, has secured $912.5m in debtor-in-possession financing that will allow it to operate normally as the sale progresses.

The Walnut Creek, California-based brand has assets and liabilities ranging from $1bn to $10bn, according to a filing in a New Jersey bankruptcy court.

“After a thorough evaluation of all available options, we determined a court-supervised sale process is the most effective way to accelerate our turnaround and create a stronger and enduring Del Monte Foods,” CEO Greg Longstreet said in a statement.

The company has seen sales growth of Joyba and broth in the 2024 fiscal year, but not enough to offset weaker sales of Del Monte’s signature canned products.

“Consumer preferences have shifted away from preservative-laden canned food in favour of healthier alternatives,” Sarah Foss, global head of legal and restructuring at Debtwire, a financial consultancy, told the news agency The Associated Press.

Grocery inflation also caused consumers to seek out cheaper store brands. Last month, the consumer price index report showed a 0.3 percent increase in the price of food and 2.2 percent compared with this time last year.

Another blow is expected from US President Donald Trump’s 50 percent tariff on imported steel. This went into effect in June and will also push up the price that Del Monte and others pay for cans.

Del Monte Foods, which is owned by Singapore’s Del Monte Pacific, was also hit with a lawsuit last year by a group of lenders that objected to the company’s debt restructuring plan. The case was settled in May with a loan that increased Del Monte’s interest expenses by $4m annually, according to a company statement.

Del Monte’s stock is about even from the market open, and it is up 4.62 percent over the last five days.

Half a decade ago, shoppers were met with long lines, empty shelves, food and water shortages due to the coronavirus pandemic at the Whole Foods Market in downtown Los Angeles in 2020. Now the company is dealing with similar problems because of a cyberattack on a distributor. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

June 12 (UPI) — A cyberattack has crippled distribution channels for one of the nation’s top organic food distributors, leading to empty shelves at grocery stores nationwide.

Rhode-Island-based United Natural Foods Inc., a major supplier to Whole Foods, became aware of the attack on June 5th, a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission said. UNFI said the breach affected its ability to fulfill customer orders.

“It’s affecting operations in a very, very significant way,” an employee at a Sacramento Whole Foods told NBC News. “Shelves don’t even have products in some places. The shipments we receive are not what we need, or we did need it but it’s too much of one product because UNFI can’t communicate with stores to get proper orders.”

A spokesperson for Whole Foods apologized and said the company is working to restock the shelves as quickly as it can. In a statement, UNFI acknowledged the ransomware attack.

“We have identified unauthorized activity in our systems and have proactively taken some systems offline while we investigate,” UNFI said in the statement. “As soon as we discovered the activity, an investigation was initiated with the help of leading forensics experts and we have notified law enforcement. We are assessing the unauthorized activity and working to restore our systems to safely barring them back online.”

UNFI said it is working closely to keep its customers updated amid the confusion and distribution disruptions.

At a quarterly earnings meeting Tuesday, UNFI CEO Sandy Douglas told investors that it is supplying customers on a “limited basis.”

“We are partnering with customers across the country and across our formats in various short term modes to serve their needs as best we possibly can,” he said. “Any way that we can help them with their needs, we’re doing.”

Douglas said the company is working with the FBI and other authorities to track the source of the breach and why UNFI’s security systems failed.

The UNFI security breach comes amid a series of cyberattacks on retailers in recent weeks that have crippled the operations of several high profile retailers with ransomware.

SAVVY shopper Kat Leech knows all the best snacks to pick up in M&S – and the ones that are best avoided. 

The 29-year-old from Manchester has more than 130,000 followers on her popular TikTok and Instagram accounts, where she’s known as Kat Saves. 

4

4

4

4

She does this full-time helping shoppers find the best deals in their favourite supermarkets – and she’s exclusively told The Sun her recommendations for M&S shoppers. 

The posh supermarket is known for its good quality food, and Kat says some of their items are identical to or even better than the branded versions. 

One of her top picks is the tomato ketchup, which is only £1 for a 495g bottle. 

“I honestly think it’s better than Heinz, it’s better than any other ketchup I’ve tried,” she raves. 

For comparison, a 460g bottle of Heinz ketchup costs £2.50 on the Ocado website – so that’s a saving of £1.50 and you’re getting a slightly bigger bottle. 

Another great dupe is the M&S Salt & Double Vinegar Extreme Ridge Cut Crisps, which Kat says is “completely identical to the Salt and Vinegar McCoy’s”. 

You can get a six-pack of the McCoy’s Salt and Malt Vinegar for £2.35, while a 150g packet of the M&S version costs £1.70. 

If you have more of a sweet tooth, Kat recommends the Extra Cream Custard Creams. 

She says the biscuits are “so much nicer” than the custard creams you get in most supermarkets.

“I think normal custard creams don’t seem to have much cream in the middle these days, but the ones from M&S have got loads more in there,” she says.

Plus, they’re only 50p for a 175g pack.

Another of her picks is the High Protein Vegan Chocolate Crunch cereal, which is perfect for those wanting to get more protein into their diet. 

“It’s one of those things I just buy every time I go to M&S – I just think it’s really nice,” she says. 

It costs £3 for a 500g pack. 

Kat also recommends that shoppers look out for the supermarket’s Pizza Night Dine In deal, which lets you get two pizzas and two sides for £12. 

“All the pizzas in their pizza deal are also amazing and great value for money as well,” Kat says. 

She likes the Mighty Meaty pizza in particular, which comes with marinated chilli chicken, pepperoni and dry-cured, oak and beechwood-smoked bacon. 

The sides include onion rings, chips and mac and cheese bites. 

M&S might have a reputation for being on the expensive side, but Kat says a lot of its fresh produce is good value. 

“A lot of the salad vegetables, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, they’re exactly the same price as any other supermarket,” she says.

“But I think the quality is just a lot better. They last longer in your fridge. 

“I’ve seen a lot of people complain that if you get like a cucumber from Aldi then it will just go off the next day or something. But I think with M&S, things like that just typically last a lot longer.”

What should you avoid in M&S?

While Kat is a huge M&S fan, she says there are some products that aren’t worth the money. 

For example, she isn’t a lover of their pasta ready meals as she says you can get similar ones much cheaper at other supermarkets.

“I tried the carbonara ready meal and I thought it might just have been a little bit expensive for what it was. You can get better or the same and cheaper elsewhere,” she says.

Kat also recommends avoiding ready-to-go lunches section as she believes they are “way overpriced for what you get”. 

This is partly because M&S doesn’t do lunchtime meal deal offers, apart from in its train station or petrol station outlets. 

She says that if you’re wanting to grab a quick ready made lunch, you’re better off trying elsewhere for better value. 

The blogger says she recently got a caesar salad for £4.25 and it “had nothing special about it” despite the price. 

“Something like that you could probably make yourself for a lot cheaper as well and probably make it nicer,” she says. 

How to save money at M&S 

Kat is also an expert at saving money on her supermarket shop. 

As with all supermarkets, she says you should go in with a list so you don’t get tempted by the expensive desserts and snacks. 

The 29-year-old also says to look out for M&S’s dine-in deals which pop up from time to time. 

There’s the pizza one we mentioned earlier but there’s also similar deals for pasta, Indian food and date nights. 

Plus M&S often has multi-buy offers like three for £12 or three for £8 on things like picnic food. 

M&S does have a loyalty card but it works a little differently to the other supermarkets so you should familiarise yourself with how to use it. 

Rather than letting you collect points, Kat says the Sparks card can help you get discounts off certain items or even free things. 

She says the Sparks card works best if you shop at M&S regularly as it will give you more tailored offers – but that shouldn’t mean you spend there unnecessarily.

She will usually check for what offers are available on her loyalty card before she goes into the store. 

Another of Kat’s tips is to stick to the M&S value range, which is known as Remarksable Value. 

She says a lot of the prices in this range are similar to budget supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl.

But don’t forget to do a price comparison before you go to the shops.