Lightning Round: Barley, Coffee, Tacos and Other Key Commodities

What else has been going on this week in the world of food, drink, and franchising? It’s time for a weekend link roundup:

• Hershey and Cargill have teamed up to encourage sustainable farming practices among cocoa growers in the Ivory Coast. ~ Food Dive
• A bad barley malt crop in Montana, thanks to early sprouting from a sudden rainstorm, translates to likely higher prices for beer next year. ~ Missoulian
• Taco Bell has made another move in its epic Breakfast War against McDonald’s – the restaurant chain is reportedly testing a new breakfast menu, wrapping breakfast burrito fillings and a jalapeño honey sauce inside a flaky pastry shell for a breakfast biscuit taco. ~ USA Today
• The Taco Bell breakfast biscuit taco has clearly gotten under McDonald’s Corp’s skin, because the competing franchise has just announced another promotional round of free small McCafé coffees during breakfast at participating McDonald’s locations nationwide. ~ Foodbeast
• How can you use social media to boost sales at your restaurant? ~ Business Review Australia
• AB InBev announced plans to outsource its media buying division – so far it’s unclear what this will mean for the direction of the company as a whole. ~ Ad Age
• SABMiller Plc made a bid to buy out Heineken NV, in an effort to strengthen its own position as rumors about AB InBev acquiring the world’s second largest brewing company grow stronger – unfortunately for SABMiller, Heineken rejected the bid. ~ Businessweek
• As California suffers through another weekend heatwave, what does the state’s continuing drought mean for its organic dairy farm industry? It isn’t good. ~ Grist
• What’s going on in the world of corn? Check out this infographic. ~ Top Masters in Health Care