News
Washington State Gets Beer, Candy Tax
June 1, 2010 5:57 am | CommentsOLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Along with the month of June come new sales taxes in Washington on candy, bottled water and mass market beer. Applying the state sales tax to candy is a little confusing because it doesn't apply to sweets with flour content that are still considered food. And the beer tax doesn't apply to microbrews, to give state brewers a break.
Police Guard Farm In Animal Abuse Case
June 1, 2010 5:46 am | CommentsPLAIN CITY, Ohio (AP) — About 150 law enforcement officers are guarding highways around an Ohio dairy farm where animal welfare activists want to stage a protest after a video showed cows being kicked and poked with pitchforks. A Chicago-based group called Mercy For Animals released the undercover video last week.
Pilgrim's Pride Investing $30M In Georgia Plant
May 28, 2010 5:00 am | CommentsDOUGLAS, Ga. (AP) — Pilgrim's Pride says it will hire as many as 1,400 local workers and invest $30 million to re-open its idled Coffee County chicken processing complex by January. Company executives joined Gov. Perdue in Douglas on Wednesday to kick off the re-opening of the plant, which is expected to process about 1.
California Schools Want To Ban Sports Drinks
May 28, 2010 4:59 am | CommentsSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California students seeking a lunchtime electrolyte boost would be out of luck under a bill passed Thursday by the state Senate. The measure would prohibit sales of sugar-sweetened sports drinks in public middle schools and high schools. It's sponsored by Gov.
Hong Kong Rejects Tainted Milk Lawsuits
May 28, 2010 4:59 am | CommentsHONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong judge on Thursday rejected a lawsuit and claims for compensation by the parents of four Chinese children who were among thousands sickened two years ago by tainted milk powder. Hong Kong's Small Claims Tribunal adjudicator Ada Yim ruled that the case should be handled by mainland Chinese courts since the plaintiffs are from the mainland and their children were poisoned there.
Plastic Wrap Company Makes Products People Don't Notice
May 28, 2010 4:58 am | CommentsSHANNON, Miss. (AP) — Adlam Films makes stuff people don't think about, even though they use it every day. For example, the family owned company makes the clear plastic wrap that protects individual bags of microwave popcorn for brands such as Orville Redenbacher's and Act II. Adlam also makes the laminating materials that are sold to many schools and are used by FedEx Office — formerly FedEx Kinko's.
Farmers Fight 'Superweeds'
May 28, 2010 4:58 am | CommentsHARVARD, Ill. (AP) — Blue Star Vineyard grape grower Jeff Pankow is careful about what herbicides and chemicals are used on his acres near Harvard. He is cautious to protect his vines and the wine they eventually will produce. And he is cautious to prevent superweeds. So-called superweeds haven't cropped up in McHenry County, but herbicide-resistant weeds have been growing in Illinois for several decades, and farmers are taking steps to prevent the spread of resistant strains.
Jones Soda Signs Deal With Walmart
May 28, 2010 4:57 am | CommentsCHICAGO (AP) — Jones Soda Co. shares gained nearly 84 percent Thursday, after the drink maker said it inked a deal to sell its soda at Walmart stores. THE SPARK: Jones Soda said the deal will expose its products to millions of new customers while boosting the number of distribution outlets by 10 percent.
Japan, Australia Head To Court Over Whaling
May 28, 2010 4:56 am | CommentsCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia said Friday it will challenge Japan's whale hunting in the Antarctic at the International Court of Justice, a major legal escalation in its campaign to ban the practice despite Tokyo's insistence on the right to so-called scientific whaling. Japan's Foreign Ministry called the action regrettable at a time when 88 member-nations of the International Whaling Commission were discussing a proposal that could allow some limited whaling for the first time in 25 years.
Could Molson Coors Bid On Foster's?
May 27, 2010 11:16 am | CommentsMONTREAL (AP) — A member of the Canadian founding family of Molson Coors Brewing Co. wants to see the company become a top global beer producer but won't say if it is interested in making a bid for Australia's Foster's. "Our appetite as Molson Coors Brewing Co. is to be one of the best and biggest brewing companies in the world and we're always looking for opportunities to grow," Geoff Molson told reporters Wednesday after speaking to the Montreal Chamber of Commerce.
Mexico Pull Junk Food From Schools
May 27, 2010 11:15 am | CommentsMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico is looking to battle the bulging waistlines of its children by banning the sale of junk food in its schools, including many of the traditional treats generations of kids have grown up with. Getting the ax along with modern soft drinks and sweets will be salted tamarind candy, pork rinds and atole, the thick and sweet cornstarch-based beverage served piping hot in the morning.
Trans Fat Limits Equal Healthier Foods
May 27, 2010 11:15 am | CommentsLOS ANGELES (AP) — Holy fish sticks! Scientists finally have some good news about fat in our foods. Contrary to fears, most food manufacturers and restaurants did not just swap one bad ingredient for another when they trimmed artery-clogging trans fats from products and menus, an analysis finds.
Raw Milk May Have E. Coli
May 27, 2010 11:14 am | CommentsST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Officials are warning consumers about potential E. coli contamination in raw milk sold by the Hartmann Dairy Farm near the south-central Minnesota town of Gibbon. The Minnesota Department of Health said Wednesday it has linked three cases of E. coli to unpasteurized milk from the dairy.
Dairy Wants Review Of Abuse Video
May 27, 2010 11:13 am | CommentsMARYSVILLE, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio dairy farm has asked veterinarians to independently review an animal rights group's video of cows being punched, kicked and poked with pitchforks. Conklin Dairy Farms Inc. said in a statement Thursday that the undercover video shot by Mercy For Animals is missing context of how the farm is operated responsibly.
Green Groups Settle Farm Pollution Suit With EPA
May 27, 2010 11:13 am | CommentsDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will gather information about factory farms to determine whether more should be regulated as part of a settlement with environmental groups concerned about water pollution. The EPA reached the settlement Tuesday with the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and Waterkeeper Alliance.
Commerce Dept. Declares 'Fishery Disaster' In Gulf
May 26, 2010 5:03 am | CommentsNEW ORLEANS (AP) — U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke has declared a Gulf of Mexico fishery disaster for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama because of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The declaration would authorize emergency unemployment pay for commercial and charter fishermen if Congress approves President Barack Obama's proposal for such payments.
Sabra Opens Virginia Plant
May 26, 2010 5:02 am | CommentsCOLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. (AP) — Snack dip company Sabra is cutting the ribbon on its new Virginia manufacturing plant as it goes after a growing American appetite for hummus. New York-based Sabra Dipping Company makes a range of refrigerated dips and spreads that are all certified kosher and vegetarian.
Video Shows Dairy Cow Abuse
May 26, 2010 5:02 am | CommentsCLEVELAND (AP) — An animal welfare group said Tuesday that a graphic video it secretly recorded shows workers at a dairy farm beating cows with crowbars, stabbing them with pitchforks and punching them in their heads. The video was recorded in an undercover investigation at Conklin Dairy Farms Inc.
Australia Delays Decision On $1.4B Sugar Deal
May 26, 2010 5:01 am | CommentsSYDNEY (AP) — Australia has delayed a decision on whether to allow China's Bright Food Group to proceed with a 1.75 billion Australian dollar ($1.4 billion) offer to buy the sugar division of building materials producer CSR Ltd. The Foreign Investment Review Board filed an order on May 19 to delay the decision for 90 days while it considers the Chinese food and retail conglomerate's offer for CSR's Sucrogen division, which includes its sugar and renewable energy business.
Foster's To Separate Beer, Wine Units
May 26, 2010 5:00 am | CommentsMELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Foster's Group Ltd. said Wednesday it will split its global beer and troubled wine businesses into separate listed companies, as the Australian brewer and winemaker warned of a $1.1 billion write-down in the value of the wine operations. Foster's said in a statement that earnings for the fiscal year ending June 30 were expected between 1.
