There’s a lot of food news out there; here are some of the stories that caught our eye this week.

1. ‘Sugar Papers’ Show Industry’s Influence in 1970s Dental Program, Study Says (The California Report)

Hundreds of pages of newly-found documents show that the sugar industry worked closely with the federal government in the late 1960s and early 1970s to determine a research agenda to prevent cavities in children.

2. State Officials Appeal in California Egg Law Lawsuit (Farm Futures)

State attorneys general from Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Iowa, as well as Iowa’s Governor are opposing the law that went into effect January 1st requiring all eggs sold in California to be raised cage-free.

3. Latest McDonald’s Commercial Features Petaluma, California

The spot for the “Egg White Delight Egg Mcmuffin” describes Petaluma as “a quaint little town locals come together for a great sandwich.” According to SFGate, many of the town’s residents are up in arms about the spot.

4. Toxic Manure Lagoons Spark Battle Over Chinese-Owned Pigs in the U.S. (Center for Investigative Reporting)

Smithfield Foods’ new Chinese ownership might be exacerbating the problems faced by neighbors living near these giant factory farms.

5. From Our Prison to Your Dinner Table (Pacific Standard)

At America’s strangest workplace, laborers are making toys for kids, picking grapes for wineries, and farming tilapia for Whole Foods—all for $1.50 an hour.

6. Burger King Drops Soft Drinks From Kids’ Meals  (USA Today)

Soft drinks are still an option, but not listed on the Kids Meal menu, or included with kids meals.

7. Farmers Put Down the Plow for More Productive Soil (New York Times)

No-till and other soil-saving methods are slowing taking hold as solutions throughout the Midwest.

8. From the Drive-Through to the Pasture, Millennials Are Changing the Way We Eat (Take Part)

Silicon Valley tech companies may be rolling in angel-investor capital these days, but young people interested in something more tangible than apps—like, say, livestock—are poised to enter businesses dying for new blood at a highly opportune time.

9. Bad News on the West Coast: Pacific Sardines Are Collapsing (Pew Charitable Trusts)

The population of Pacific sardines, a crucial forage fish, has dwindled to the point that it can no longer sustain a commercial fishery.