News
Solo Cup Closing 3 Plants
June 9, 2010 4:58 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Solo Cup Co., which makes single-serving food and beverage containers, will close three factories, eliminating 1,240 jobs, because of growing capacity at its 10 other North American plants. The company said Tuesday that it plans to shutter factories in North Andover, Mass.
Frozen Food Distributor Fined In Worker's Death
June 9, 2010 4:57 am | CommentsLYNDHURST, Va. (AP) — A Lyndhurst frozen food distributor has been fined $14,000 in connection with the death of an employee. The News Virginian of Waynesboro reports that a state Department of Labor and Industry investigation found serious safety violations at Burris Logistics. According to the state report obtained by the newspaper, 27-year-old Matt Megginson was crushed when a forklift he was operating crashed into a wrapping machine in November.
Coffee Companies Accused Of Forming Cartel
June 9, 2010 4:56 am | CommentsBERLIN (AP) — German regulators say they are fining several coffee companies a total of euro30 million ($35 million) for illegal price fixing. The Bonn-based Federal Cartel Office said Wednesday that it has fined eight German coffee companies or their local subsidiaries — Tchibo, J.
BP Gives Fishermen $49 Million
June 9, 2010 4:54 am | CommentsNEW ORLEANS (AP) — BP PLC says 90 percent of the compensation checks it has issued so far have gone to fishermen. The British oil giant said Tuesday in a Twitter message that as of the day before it had issued about 18,000 checks totaling $49 million. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley earlier called out the National Guard to help spread the word among coastal residents in his state that they can apply to BP for compensation for losses stemming from the spill.
Report: FDA Struggles With Food Safety
June 8, 2010 6:06 am | CommentsMary Clare Jalonick Associated Press Writer - June, 8, 2010 WASHINGTON (AP) — A new report says the Food and Drug Administration is stretched thin and needs to reorganize to better keep the nation's food safe. The report released by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council Tuesday says the agency needs to become more efficient and better target its limited dollars to prevent foodborne illness outbreaks.
Japanese Whistleblowers Allege Whale Meat Embezzlement
June 8, 2010 5:00 am | CommentsSYDNEY (Kyodo) — Two former Japanese whalers allege that both crewmembers and the semiofficial Institute of Cetacean Research are involved in large-scale whale meat embezzlement, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Tuesday. The two whistleblowers spoke to the ABC's Foreign Correspondent program about hundreds of kilograms of whale meat being stolen for either personal consumption or to sell to restaurants.
Egg Farm Settles Animal Cruelty Allegations
June 8, 2010 4:53 am | CommentsTURNER, Maine (AP) — Maine's largest egg farm and prosecutors agreed Monday to settle animal cruelty allegations spurred by an activist group's undercover video that showed birds living in squalid conditions and being mistreated. In a settlement approved in Lewiston District Court, Maine Contract Farming admitted that it did not providing adequate shelter and sustenance to 10 hens at its farm in Turner last year.
Slaughterhouse Manager Acquitted In Child Labor Case
June 8, 2010 4:52 am | CommentsWATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A former kosher slaughterhouse manager convicted on federal financial fraud charges was acquitted Monday in Iowa state court of child labor violations. A jury found Sholom Rubashkin not guilty of all 67 child labor violations he faced involving 26 teenagers from Guatemala and Mexico who worked at the Agriprocessors plant in Postville.
Arizona Citrus Processing Plant To Close
June 8, 2010 4:51 am | CommentsMESA, Ariz. (AP) — One of the last citrus processing plant in the Phoenix metropolitan area is closing its Mesa facility after operating since the 1930s. The board of the Mesa Citrus Growers Association decided in May to close the plant as the number of citrus orchards has dwindled and crop prices haven't kept up with production costs.
Maker's Mark Makes First New Bourbon In 52 Years
June 8, 2010 4:51 am | CommentsLORETTO, Ky. (AP) — It seemed like any other day at the Maker's Mark Distillery, as workers dunked tops of whiskey bottles into tubs of red wax. Only this time, the bottles were different — and so was the bourbon. Since the late 1950s, the quaint distillery tucked into the Kentucky hills has churned out just one product — Maker's Mark.
ConAgra Sells Gilroy Foods Unit
June 8, 2010 4:50 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — ConAgra Foods Inc. said Monday it agreed to sell its Gilroy Foods & Flavors business to Olam International for $250 million. Gilroy Foods makes dehydrated and vegetable products, and ConAgra said it had about $300 million in revenue in fiscal 2010. The deal includes manufacturing facilities in California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oregon, and a warehouse in California.
Chavez Keeping An Eye On Pepsi, Coca-Cola
June 7, 2010 4:40 am | CommentsCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez announced plans Sunday to take over more private companies in Venezuela and also said his government should review the use of water by transnational companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Chavez said during his weekly TV and radio program that he has approved decrees for the "forced acquisition" of two companies: Alentuy CA, which makes aluminum cans and other products, and Envases Internacional SA, which makes containers for the food industry.
Experts Sniff Out Safe Seafood
June 7, 2010 4:39 am | CommentsPASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) — William Mahan bends over a bowl of raw shrimp and inhales deeply, using his left hand to wave the scent up toward his nose. Deep breath. Exhale. Repeat. He clears his palate with a bowl of freshly cut watermelon before moving on to raw oysters. Deep breath. Exhale.
Coke To Distribute Dr. Pepper
June 7, 2010 4:38 am | CommentsATLANTA (AP) — The Coca-Cola Co. says it will distribute certain drinks made by Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. as part of a $715 million deal. The agreement was announced Monday morning. Under the terms of the deal, Coca-Cola will distribute Dr Pepper and Canada Dry ginger ale in the U.
ConAgra Plant Flooded With Job Applications
June 7, 2010 4:38 am | CommentsDELHI, La. (AP) — Officials say about 1,700 people have applied for 240 hourly jobs at the ConAgra Foods Inc. sweet potato processing plant near Delhi, and the first 80 will be hired by July 12. The opening is expected in September. Plant human resources director Dan Downard and Jeff Lynn, executive director of the state's Fast Start training program, tell The News-Star that about 500 applicants have been invited to a pre-employment class next week.
Vermont Slaughterhouse Workers Charged With Cruelty
June 7, 2010 4:37 am | CommentsMONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Two former employees of a now-closed Vermont slaughterhouse have been charged with animal cruelty for the excessive shocking of calves with an electric prod, prosecutors said Friday. The state Attorney General's office issued arrest warrants for Christopher Gaudette, 37, and Frank Perretta, 51, both of Grand Isle.
Fundraiser Focuses On Gulf Seafood
June 7, 2010 4:36 am | CommentsBERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Eat a shrimp, support a Gulf of Mexico fisherman. That's the thinking behind the "Dine Out for the Gulf Coast" campaign in which restaurants across the country will be putting a little fish philanthropy on the menu. During the event, scheduled for June 10-12, participating restaurants will be donating to the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund.
What Makes Oil 'Extra Virgin'?
June 4, 2010 4:57 am | CommentsCARMEL VALLEY, California (AP) — Extra virgin, light, with lemon, unfiltered, cold-pressed: the variety of olive oil on most supermarket shelves is dazzling. But what does it all mean? These terms might be common currency among foodies and the farmer's market crowd, but they have never been enforceable, or legally defined in the U.
McDonald's Pulls Cadmium-Tainted Glasses
June 4, 2010 4:56 am | CommentsLOS ANGELES (AP) — Cadmium has been discovered in the painted design on "Shrek"-themed drinking glasses being sold nationwide at McDonald's, forcing the burger giant to recall 12 million of the cheap U.S.-made collectibles while dramatically expanding contamination concerns about the toxic metal beyond imported children's jewelry.
Hershey Workers Vote On Labor Deal
June 4, 2010 4:56 am | CommentsHERSHEY, Pa. (AP) — Workers at the hometown plants of chocolate manufacturer Hershey are voting on a labor deal that could cut hundreds of jobs. Employees began voting Friday morning on a restructuring agreement that would expand one of the plants in Hershey and turn the original factory built by founder Milton Hershey into an office building.
