To get you ready for the upcoming holiday weekend (yes I know you are planning to sneak out early tomorrow!) here is what is new and interesting from the worlds of restaurants, business, and food.

An update to the salmonella outbreak: The government has confirmed that they are starting to check into the possibility that tomatoes may not be the source of the outbreak. There have been many cases of people getting the illness where the patient has told investigators that the tomatoes they consumed were in something else, like salsa. Because of the high number of cases and the amount of time they encompass, officials are looking into whether another piece of produce that was served with the tomatoes could be the culprit. They are also looking into the possibility that the bacteria came from a warehouse that has been spreading the bacteria unknowingly to many shipments of produce. However, the government does say that tomatoes are still a primary suspect in the outbreak.

In another sign of this harsh economy, Starbucks' leaders announced yesterday that they plan to close 600 stores and reduce the number of new stores they will open. They blamed the poor economy for making people make tough choices about what to spend their money on. The company also acknowledged that they may have over extended themselves in recent years by opening so many stores, including some that were so close together they created the “Starbucks on every corner joke” (which the comedian Lewis Black does a really funny joke on- but just a warning, Black really likes to use naughty words).

The next creation in the move to a better environment is hitting the big time: a new, greener milk jug. The new jug, which is currently available at stores such as Costco and Sam’s Club, is designed to be stacked which means that milk doesn’t have to be shipped in crates which is great news. This means that shipping costs are lower, which leads to lower prices for you the consumer. The new jugs also supposedly keep milk fresher longer, which is great for people who do not drink it very quickly. There has been one complaint about the new design: many people say they have trouble pouring out of the newly designed top. To combat this, many stores have started setting up demonstrations on how to poor the milk, so that it goes into your glass and not all over the table.

Finally, studies have determined that the items in our grocery stores are shrinking. Recent articles have pointed out that cereal, ice cream, butter, and many other products are no longer the same size they used to be. In some cases, shoppers have even discovered that items known as quarts and pints are now no longer technically those designations. The main issue people are taking with this is the fact that the prices are staying the same and they are not being informed of the changes until they happen to check the weight of the item. Manufacturers are blaming rising overhead prices or are really fitting the customers’ needs. But most manufacturers are simply denying there has been a change.