Taco Bell moves National Taco Day to Tuesday

September 18, 2024

Taco Bell

(NEW YORK) — For anyone who marks their calendars timed to food celebrations, Taco Bell has a new date for you to highlight in October that aligns perfectly with a delicious day of the week — Taco Tuesday.

The California-based fast food chain announced Tuesday that this year, National Taco Day will fall on Oct. 1, three days earlier than in previous years, to ensure the food festivity aligns with the beloved weekly tradition of Taco Tuesday.

The permanent date change to the first Tuesday of October was set in motion by the fast food chain with the help of the National Day Calendar, the authoritative entity that curates national days, weeks, months and other tentpole events.

“For years, we’ve celebrated National Taco Day on October 4th, but it’s always felt like there was a bigger opportunity to align it with something even more special — Taco Tuesday,” Marlo Anderson, founder of National Day Calendar, said in a press release. “Thanks to Taco Bell’s efforts, we’re excited to officially move National Taco Day to the first Tuesday in October, creating the Taco Tuesday of all Taco Tuesdays.”

This marks the latest milestone in Taco Bell’s ongoing Taco Tuesday journey, which included a petition that relinquished the trademark title in all 50 states last year.

Taco Bell’s Chief Marketing Officer Taylor Montgomery said in a statement that after the brand “liberated Taco Tuesday last year … we couldn’t just stop there.”

“With National Taco Day coming up, it felt unnatural for it to not fall on a Tuesday, and as some of the biggest advocates of Taco Tuesday out there, we knew we had to help shift the holiday permanently to give taco makers and lovers the opportunity to celebrate bigger and better every year,” Montgomery said.

To celebrate the new date for National Taco Day, Taco Bell plans to host a “frenzy of Tuesday Drop celebrations” kicking off Oct. 1 that will roll out all month long.

Senate probe reveals Boeing’s ‘troubling and recurring’ safety failings

The Boeing logo is pictured at the Boeing Renton Factory in Renton, Washington on March 12, 2019. (JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations published a memo Wednesday including new details about Boeing safety failings relating to the Alaska Airlines door plug incident in January.

The memo — released ahead of Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Michael Whitaker’s planned testimony before the subcommittee on Wednesday — suggested Boeing had failed to ensure adequate standards in multiple areas.

Boeing personnel, the memo said, “continue to feel pressure to prioritize speed of production over quality.”

The Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines incident saw a door plug on flight 1282 blow out minutes after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, leaving a large hole in the side of the Boeing 737 Max 9 plane. The plane safely made an emergency landing and no one was seriously injured.

The memo noted the results of a May 2024 employee survey that found only 47% of workers answered favorably to the statement, “Schedule pressures do not cause my team to lower our standards.”

Training also remains a problem, the memo said.

“Boeing is failing to ensure many of their employees have the appropriate education, training, skills or experience to effectively perform their assigned tasks,” it read.

The subcommittee said Boeing failed to ensure that nonconforming parts are appropriately documented, stored and dispositioned so that they are not installed on aircraft.

Quality inspection procedures — and FAA review of those procedures — also raised questions as to the qualifications and independence of inspectors, the memo said.

“Boeing personnel are allowed to inspect the quality of their own work,” it read.

“These troubling and recurring safety deficiencies raise questions about the FAA’s ability to oversee the quality and safety of Boeing aircraft through effective and lasting enforcement,” the memo said.

Wednesday’s memo and Whitaker’s testimony are part of a wider inquiry that began on March 19, investigating Boeing’s safety and culture practices following whistleblower allegations.

Fisher-Price recalling over 366K dumbbell toys due to potential choking hazard

Fisher-Price is recalling over 366,000 dumbbell toys that were sold as part of the brand’s Baby Biceps Gift Set. — United States Consumer Product Safety Commission

(NEW YORK) — Toy giant Fisher-Price is recalling hundreds of thousands of dumbbell toys due to a potential choking hazard.

The dumbbell toys were included in the Fisher-Price Baby Biceps Gift Set, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the recall on Thursday. About 366,200 recalled units were sold in the United States, with another 37,850 sold in Canada.

Fisher-Price states on its recall website that the gray caps on the dumbbell toys can separate, leading to a potential choking hazard for infants. The company recommends taking away recalled toys from kids immediately.

The CPSC states that the dumbbell toys were sold between April 2020 through August 2024 and were part of Fisher-Price’s Baby Biceps Gift Set, which includes three additional toys and is marketed as suitable for children ages 3 months and up.

According to Fisher-Price and the CPSC, the dumbbell component features a plastic gray bar and red and orange plastic “weights” with gray caps on each side of the bar. The recalled dumbbell toys bear the model number GJD49 on the back of the kettlebell toy in the gift set.

The toys were manufactured in China and Vietnam and sold in the U.S. at stores nationwide, according to the CPSC. The toys were sold at Buy Buy Baby, Fred Meyer, Hobby Lobby, Kohls, Marshalls, Target, TJMaxx and Walmart stores and online at Amazon.com, Target.com, Walmart.com, Zulily.com and other websites, retailing for about $18.

Fisher-Price says it has received seven reports of incidents where the gray caps separated from the toy, but has not received any reports of injuries as a result of the incidents.

Customers with the recalled dumbbell toys can reach out to Fisher-Price for a $10 refund on the company’s recall website, which also provides instructions on how to dispose of the recalled toys. Fisher-Price says a receipt or proof of purchase is not required to receive a refund for the dumbbell toy.

ABC News has reached out to Fisher-Price for comment.

Amazon launches new Amazon Saver private label to help shoppers save, take on Walmart, Target

Amazon

(NEW YORK) — Amazon is expanding its grocery footprint, simplifying online shopping and launching a “new no-frills brand” to help consumers stretch their dollar, while taking aim at rival retail competitor Walmart.

On Wednesday, the retail tech giant, which owns Whole Foods as well as its own grocery service Amazon Fresh, announced expanded Prime member savings both in-store and online, the launch of a new private label brand, Amazon Saver, and enhancements to the online user experience.

“We’re always looking to make grocery shopping easier, faster, and more affordable for our customers,” Claire Peters, worldwide vice president of Amazon Fresh, said in a statement. “With expanded Prime member savings, the introduction of the new Amazon Saver brand, and simplified online shopping, it’s now easier than ever to get your weekly grocery shopping done on a budget with Amazon Fresh — whether you’re browsing the aisles or filling your online cart.”

What is Amazon Saver?

Amazon’s new private label brand, Amazon Saver, will offer an array of grocery staples from crackers and cookies to canned fruit and condiments.

Most Amazon Saver items will be priced under $5, and Prime members will get an additional 10% off these products.

“Amazon Saver complements our selection of private-label brands, designed to provide the best value for a wide range of grocery products,” the company said in a press release. “We’ve just started to roll this new private label out with several products, and will add more than 100 items to the Amazon Saver selection over time.”

As of time of publication, some items include a 42-ounce can of oats for $3.99, several flavors of 15-ounce coffee creamers for $3.49 each, and a 15-ounce can of traditional pizza sauce for $1.09.

Hitha Herzog, retail expert and chief research officer of H Squared Research, told ABC News’ Good Morning America that as a parent company, “Amazon has several different brands and grocery silos within the grocery umbrella — and with Amazon Saver, we are talking just basics.”

“What is different about Amazon is that the logistics of them handling the product to the customer is at the top. They are able to get this product very quickly,” Herzog said.

The new line from Amazon takes on other budget-friendly private labels like Great Value from Walmart, Good & Gather from Target, and Bowl & Basket from ShopRite.

Food prices post-pandemic continue to rise

Food prices have been volatile for both the at-home and away from home categories, with two of the six major grocery indexes — meats, eggs and produce, as well as dairy — on the rise, even as inflation cooled, according to August Consumer Price Index data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While there are some signs of stabilization after rapid increases during the last three years out of the COVID-19 pandemic — which resulted in massive supply chain issues with labor shortages from farms and producers to manufacturing and distribution — the cost of food is still a considerable expense.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, families spent more than 11% of their disposable income on food in 2023, with a little over 5% of that going to groceries.