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February 2023

Food, product, service, dining, shopping information

Bachelor on the Cheap Logo small 08032022Saving money + finding the best deals

I enjoy helping others by providing great consumer content.  I work hard to provide consumer insights, researching all things shopping which hopefully turns your food, product, service and dining endeavors into better shopping experiences.  Your input and feedback is invaluable in creating and posting that content.

If you can, please join the 1% of readers who give, helping BachelorontheCheap.com expand on that great content, providing product/service/food reviews, cost comparisons, safety alerts, recalls, etc. 

If BachelorontheCheap.com has given you $3 worth of consumer information knowledge, please tip.  Your support is truly appreciated! ~ Mike

$pend Wisely My Friends...

~ Mike


Boast and post!

Bachelor on the Cheap Logo small 08032022TPost your events and announcements!

Wichita Metro businesses can now promote their events and make announcements for their business on BachelorontheCheap.com. It's another way to get your name out there to help generate some online and social media buzz, driving new customer traffic to your website and into your establishment!

It's easy, just email the essentials to [email protected]:

  • Business Name
  • Business Address
  • Phone Number
  • The event details or announcement info and/or the link to it
  • Images/banners are welcomed

The best part, it's free, although a tip of just $3 is appreciated.  C'mon, it's basically free advertising, no sales calls, no recurring fees....  Information will be posted as directed by you and a link to your  event/announcement on Bachelor on the Cheap will be sent for your review.

Your event/announcement is dedicated to you, a stand alone page, taking readers to your website.  Those new and potential customers can also find you in the Bachelor on the Cheap Search directory as well as in the Wichita Events & Announcements category posts.  It's also another way to get picked up with an additional listing for your business in Google search results. 

Reach new customers, get started today!


FDA Provides Update on Proposed Human Foods Program and Office of Regulatory Affairs Restructuring

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it has begun a national search for a new Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods and is providing an update on last month’s proposed restructuring of the agency’s Human Foods Program and Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) to enhance coordination, prevention and response activities. Today’s updates include additional details about the proposed structure, status of activities and timeline for next steps. 

“My search for a new Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods is underway, the first recruitment effort open to both external and internal candidates under the agency’s expanded Title 21 hiring authority for a foods-related position. I’m looking forward to starting the interview process and making a selection for this important position as soon as possible,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. “There have also been a number of questions about the proposed operational changes for ORA and how these plans will work with changes to the Human Foods Program. I cannot stress enough that my vision is focused on a new, agency-wide model where the activities and responsibilities of the regulatory programs and ORA are better synced to improve efficiency and effectiveness with clear decision rights so that everyone knows who has authority.”

For the proposed Human Foods Program, one key to success will be an empowered Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods who will report directly to the FDA Commissioner. The agency is focused on identifying a candidate that has the expertise to provide leadership over the FDA’s nutrition and food safety programs (including programs aimed at preventing and responding to chemical, microbial, and other hazards). The ideal candidate will have executive-level and real-world experience sufficient to lead the newly envisioned Human Foods Program and its vast remit. This individual will also have clear line of authority over the proposed Human Foods Program, which would include the existing components of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), the Office of Food Policy and Response (OFPR), and certain human foods-related components of ORA. 

To ensure the new Human Foods Program and all other regulatory programs at the FDA are successful, work on an agency-wide transformation effort of how the programs and field functions are organized and operate is underway. The FDA’s proposal will create a new model that better integrates ORA’s enterprise-wide expertise in field-based operations with product subject matter experts who sit in all the agency’s programs. The Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods and other program leads will be charged with setting strategic direction for food inspections and have authority over program resource allocation. To achieve these goals, the agency has started the process of: 

  • Assessing specific functions of ORA, CFSAN and OFPR to be unified into a new Office of Integrated Food Safety Systems Partnerships that will engage with state, local, tribal, and territorial food safety regulatory partners. The assessment will also include how best to enhance connectivity with international food safety partnership programs.  
  • Analyzing inspection and compliance functions that sit within both ORA and program offices across the agency to determine opportunities to streamline operations and clarify decision-making authority at each step of the inspection process as well as integrate new automation and information technology (IT) support. The new processes will enable ORA and program personnel to function as a multidisciplinary team, eliminating sequential steps, immediately bringing the best expertise to bear on the problem at hand, and speeding decisions.
  • Determining how best to empower the Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods and leaders of other programs, along with the Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs, to oversee program and field resource allocation, including publicly mapping the budget to functional activities to provide clarity on resource allocation.
  • Ensuring seamless coordination across the FDA and state-operated food laboratory operations by evaluating the foods laboratory programs, including the relationships, roles, and responsibilities among CFSAN, CVM, ORA and state-operated laboratories. 
  • Improving the FDA’s ability to conduct risk prioritization to deliver the highest public health benefit by performing an extensive evaluation of how the Human Foods Program accomplishes risk management, particularly risk prioritization, given the multitude of demands and the scarce resources, and how this can be used to guide dynamic work planning and resource allocation. 
  • Planning for greater enterprise transformation of certain ORA IT functions, which will be coordinated with the FDA’s Office of Digital Transformation (ODT). This move builds on the existing project to create an enterprise-wide platform for managing inspections and compliance activities. ODT will drive upgrades to FDA-wide IT systems.
  • Evaluating training programs, including for FDA investigators, to see how they can best serve the needs of both the FDA, regulatory partners and regulated industry. This will include assessing whether some training functions or roles should be unified into the Human Foods Program and other product programs. 

In addition, the FDA is announcing that this vision will include moving cosmetics regulation and color certification functions out of CFSAN and into the Office of the Chief Scientist. This proposed move will better align the expertise of the agency’s cosmetics subject matter experts with the Chief Scientist who is focused on research, science, and innovation that underpins the agency’s regulatory mission, and recognize the evolution and innovation in this product space. Further, this shift will leverage the FDA’s areas of expertise across the agency as it works to implement the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022. The office will closely collaborate with the FDA’s Human Foods Program, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Minority Health and Health Equity and Office of Women’s Health.

“Our proposal specifically tackles issues identified in two independent evaluations of our food programs, one conducted by the Reagan-Udall FoundationExternal Link Disclaimer and an internal evaluation of the agency’s infant formula response. We’ve heard loud and clear that the current resource distribution and operational model between the FDA’s regulatory programs and field operations are siloed and there’s too much duplication. We intend to fix this and strengthen both the regulatory programs and field force,” Commissioner Califf said. “Both subject matter experts in the programs and the expertise of our investigators in the field will see more interaction as part of multidisciplinary teams that have clarity on who is in charge of making decisions.”

The FDA is seeking to finalize its proposal this Fall. This process includes the development of a reorganization package that contains the newly designed structure, an established budget, and a detailed mapping and crosswalk of staff from the current to new organization. The package then undergoes a thorough review before advancing to Congress for a 30-day notification period where members may raise any concerns that the FDA may need to address. Afterwards, the FDA will issue a Federal Register Notice, provide notification to and engage, as needed, in negotiations with the Unions for impacted staff, prior to initiation of the new proposal. The FDA will continue to engage with stakeholders throughout this process.

Additional updates will be provided as work on this important proposal continues to unfold.

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.



FDA Takes Action to Restrict Unlawful Import of Xylazine

Agency Aims to Maintain Availability for Legitimate Use in Animals while Preventing Importation for Illicit Purposes

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it has taken action to restrict the unlawful entry of xylazine active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dosage form drug products into the country to address a growing public health concern. The chemical xylazine has increasingly been found in illicit drugs such as illicitly manufactured fentanyl and other drugs and increasingly detected in overdose deaths.

This action aims to prevent the drug from entering the U.S. market for illicit purposes, while maintaining availability for its legitimate uses in animals. 

Veterinarians legitimately use drug products containing xylazine to sedate large animals such as horses and deer, but it is not safe for use in people and may cause serious and life-threatening side effects. It has been identified as a contaminant found in combination with opioids such as illicit fentanyl and in combination with other illicit products that contain stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine. People who use illicit drugs may not be aware of the presence of xylazine. 

While xylazine is not an opioid, it is dangerous because it can depress breathing, blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature to critical levels. Additionally, people who inject drugs containing xylazine can develop severe skin wounds and patches of dead and rotting tissue that easily become infected and, if left untreated, may lead to amputation. These wounds can develop in areas of the body away from the injection site and may become life-threatening. The agency previously communicated to health care providers about the risks to patients exposed to xylazine in illicit drugs. 

“The FDA remains concerned about the increasing prevalence of xylazine mixed with illicit drugs, and this action is one part of broader efforts the agency is undertaking to address this issue,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. “We will continue to use all tools at our disposal and partner with the Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal, state, local agencies and stakeholders as appropriate to stem these illicit activities and protect public health.” 

The action taken today is designed to ensure that imports of drugs containing xylazine into the country are intended for the legitimate veterinary supply, including active pharmaceutical ingredients en route for processing by a manufacturing facility that makes FDA-approved xylazine, for compounding of animal drugs at state-licensed compounding pharmacies or by licensed veterinarians, as well as approved finished products being imported into the U.S. Under the import alert, xylazine offered for import is subject to heightened FDA scrutiny, and FDA staff may detain the shipment if it appears to be in violation of the law. As part of their entry review, FDA staff will consider specific evidence offered by importers that the incoming product is properly labeled, not adulterated, and for legitimate veterinary use.

“We recognize the public health effects of xylazine tainting these illicit drugs and are continuing to ensure that legitimate product is restricted to veterinary use only,” said Tracey Forfa, J.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. 

The FDA and its Office of Criminal Investigations is collaborating with federal, state and local partners to investigate xylazine-related activities that could be subject to criminal prosecution, including online and in-person conduct. Additionally, the agency is coordinating with animal health stakeholders to ensure that drugs containing xylazine are available to veterinarians for legitimate use. The FDA will continue to provide updates on this work as appropriate.

The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products. 


Sedgwick County Zoo - Wichita

Sedgwick County ZooThe Sedgwick County Zoo is home to 3,000 individual animals of nearly 400 species.

These residents are grouped geographically and in settings that duplicate their natural habitats. Exhibits include: Africa, North America, Tropics, Children’s Farms, Amphibians and Reptiles, Koch Orangutan Chimpanzee Habitat, Cessna Penguin Cove, Downing Gorilla Forest, Slawson Family Asian Big Cat Trek and South America/Australia, which is among the largest walk-through aviaries in the United States.

One of the most important concepts influencing our exhibit design is experiential learning. Exhibits are designed so guests are immersed in the animal’s world for an empathetic learning experience. Exhibits provide maximum opportunity for the animals’ natural behaviors. Most areas include components in which visitors walk freely among plants and animals.

Awards & Accreditations

Sedgwick County Zoo has been recognized with national and international awards for its support of field conservation programs and successful breeding of rare and endangered species.

The Sedgwick County Zoo is a not-for-profit organization, accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things.

Admission Prices

5555 W Zoo Blvd, Wichita, KS 67212

via scz.org


Wichita Riverfest

Wichita RiverfestMusical entertainment, family fun, contests, food, and experiences of all kinds come to Wichita for the annual 9-day extravaganza!

The jam-packed, fun-filled event is the largest, longest-running, and most anticipated festival in the region.

The festival features local and national musical entertainment, children’s activities, athletic contests, water activities, performing and visual arts, cultural experiences, and everyone’s favorite, festival food.

The event has been named one of the 100 Best Festival Destinations in the United States by travel and leisure organizations.

Event Schedule

via www.wichitariverfest.com


Mamma Mia, Jimmy John’s®! New Caprese Salami Pesto Sandwich, Available for a Limited-Time

Capreses Salami Pesto SandwichJimmy John’s® is giving its fans a taste of Italy, without the need for a passport, with the introduction of the New Caprese Salami Pesto sandwich. For a limited time, the brand known for its Freaky Fast!® service is showing consumers that “mozz is boss” with its twist on the classic Italian sandwich.

Just in time for Spring, this bold new sandwich is piled high with time-honored Italian ingredients, like slow-roasted tomatoes, all-natural Genoa salami, basil pesto, balsamic glaze, olive oil, oregano, onion, mayonnaise and then topped with award-winning fresh mozzarella. One bite will take you away to Italy and make you say, “that’s amore”!

“We set out to develop a sandwich that was full of delicious Italian flavors,” said Dustin Hilinski, Director of Culinary Innovation at Jimmy John’s. “But we also wanted to make it unique to Jimmy John’s, which starts with hand-sliced salami – because we’ve always hand-sliced our meats as that makes all the difference – and then layer the other ingredients atop our iconic, freshly baked bread to create the most satisfying sandwich.”

The New Caprese Salami Pesto sandwich is perfect for any meal but won’t be on the menu for long. These sandwiches can be found in person, online, or on the app through Freaky Fast Rewards®. Learn more about Jimmy John’s at jimmyjohns.com or stop by your local Jimmy John’s and try one today!