News
Photo Of The Day: Muppets Help With Healthful Eating
December 21, 2010 8:50 am | Comments(AP) — This undated file photo courtesy of Sesame Workshop/Richard Termine shows "Sesame Street" characters Elmo, second from right, and Super Grover, right, as they pose with four new Muppets representing healthy food groups; fruits, vegetables, dairy, and grains as part of their "Food For Thought: Eating Well on a Budget" initiative in New York.
Kroger Recalls Pet Food In 19 States
December 21, 2010 3:40 am | CommentsDecember 21, 2010 CINCINNATI (AP) — The Kroger Co. is recalling select packages of pet food in 19 states, saying the products might contain aflatoxin, which poses a health risk to pets. The company said in a statement Saturday it is recalling select bags of Pet Pride Cat Food, Pet Pride Kitten Formula Food, Old Yeller Chunk Dog Food, as well as Kroger Value Chunk Dog Food and Kroger Value Cat Food.
Pecan Farmers Reap High Prices
December 21, 2010 3:37 am | CommentsDecember 21, 2010 LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Dona Ana County pecan farmers are receiving the highest-ever price for their crop, with the in-shell, per-pound price pushing $3 in New Mexico. Jim Brueggen, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's statistical service in New Mexico, said the previous record was an average price of $2.
Photo Of The Day: ConAgra Stumbles
December 21, 2010 3:36 am | Comments(AP) — In this March 24, 2010 file photo, Reddi Wip dairy whipped topping lies in a cooler case for sale at the Heinen's grocery store in Bainbridge Twp., Ohio. ConAgra Foods Inc. said Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010, a poor consumer response to promotions was part of the reason its fiscal second-quarter net income fell 16 percent, but the results met Wall Street's expectations.
Man Gets Jail Time For Honey Import Fraud
December 21, 2010 3:33 am | CommentsDecember 21, 2010 SEATTLE (AP) — A 70-year-old Washington state man has been sentenced to a year in prison followed by six months of home detention after admitting the honey he imported was from China — not Thailand or the Philippines, as he claimed. Chung Po Liu of Bellevue also must pay $400,000 in restitution.
Cargill Plant Installs $4.2M Cow-Cleaning System
December 21, 2010 3:28 am | CommentsDecember 21, 2010 FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — A global beef processor has installed a $4.2 million cow-cleaning system at its Central Valley plant in an effort to improve food safety. The new apparatus at the 60-acre Cargill factory in Fresno uses spinning bristles and high-pressure nozzles filled with anti-microbial solution to remove dirt and debris from cow carcasses before the hides are removed, The Fresno Bee reported.
ConAgra 2Q Income Falls 16 Percent
December 21, 2010 3:25 am | CommentsDecember 21, 2010 OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Poor shopper response to promotions helped cause ConAgra Foods Inc.'s fiscal second-quarter net income to fall 16 percent. ConAgra initially benefited from the economic downturn as people ate at home more. But increased competition led many food makers and retailers to rely heavily on discounts and other promotions to drive sales.
Photo Of The Day: Feeding The Bees
December 20, 2010 4:00 am | Comments(AP) — In this Dec. 11, 2010 photo, beekeeper Terry Klein, 70, of TM Klein and Sons Honey, is shown next to a bee hive packed in straw and sheltered for the winter in a barrel on his property in St. Charles, Mich. Klein is one of many Michigan beekeepers worried that efforts to combat an invasive plant that is crowding out native vegetation could leave them without a key source of nectar and pollen that helps keep their honeybees productive and healthy.
Raw Milk Cheese Recalled
December 20, 2010 3:48 am | by What Do Consumers Need To Do?</SPAN> </SPAN></SPAN> </DIV> | CommentsThe FDA, in cooperation with other state and local public health agencies, is warning consumers not to eat any Sally Jackson cheeses. The products were processed under conditions that create a significant risk of contamination of the unpasteurized raw milk and finished cheese, and Sally Jackson cheeses have been identified as one possible source of eight cases of E.
Green Mountain Coffee Completes $905M Acquisition
December 20, 2010 3:40 am | CommentsWATERBURY, Vt. (AP) — Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. said Friday it completed the $905 million acquisition of competitor Van Houtte. The deal allows Green Mountain to cement a stronger foothold in the Canadian market. Green Mountain expects the acquisition to slightly weigh on earnings per share in the next 12 months.
25,600 Pounds Of Ground Beef Recalled
December 20, 2010 3:37 am | CommentsALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says a company is recalling thousands of pounds of meat sent to businesses in New Mexico. The agency's Food Safety and Inspection Service said Friday that Dallas-based Winn Meat Co. was recalling 25,600 pounds of ground beef products that were improperly labeled and potentially adulterated.
Sara Lee May Sell To World's Largest Beef Company
December 20, 2010 3:34 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Sara Lee Corp.'s shares surged after a report that it is considering a sale to JBS SA, the world's largest beef company. The Wall Street Journal reported that people familiar with the matter said JBS approached Sara Lee with an offer, and the talks have been off and on for several months.
Senate Passes Food Safety Bill, Again
December 20, 2010 3:28 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Sunday passed a sweeping bill to make food safer, sending it to the House in the waning days of Congress. It was the second time the Senate passed the bill, which would give the government broad new powers to increase inspections of food processing facilities and force companies to recall tainted food.
Humane Society Claims Pigs Abused At Smithfield Farm
December 17, 2010 3:31 am | CommentsRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Humane Society of the United States said Wednesday that an undercover worker at a farm owned by the world's largest pork producer saw breeding pigs abused and crammed into small gestation crates. The animal welfare organization released the results of a monthlong undercover investigation at a Waverly, Va.
$90M Beef Plant Planned In North Dakota
December 17, 2010 3:28 am | CommentsBISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Korean investors and North Dakota cattle ranchers plan a $90 million beef plant in the state that could process about 1,200 animals each day for overseas and domestic markets. The Kim and Price Corp. plant would export about 60 percent of its beef to South Korea and sell the rest in the U.
Meat Processor Gets Pollution Penalty
December 17, 2010 3:26 am | CommentsST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A western Minnesota meat processing plant has been given a $20,000 civil penalty for discharges of blood- and manure-contaminated water. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said Wednesday it has reached an agreement with Noah's Ark Processors. The agreement resolves alleged violations of water quality laws and rules at the company's meat processing plant and animal hide storage building in Dawson.
Dannon To Pay $21M For Unapproved Health Claims
December 17, 2010 3:22 am | CommentsPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Dannon Co. Inc. has agreed pay $21 million over health claims made for its Activia yogurt and DanActive dairy drink in settlements with state and federal regulators. The food company has claimed that beneficial bacteria in its Activia yogurt helps relieve irregularity and that its DanActive drink boosts immunity.
CDC Lowers Foodborne Illness Estimates
December 17, 2010 3:18 am | CommentsAbout 48 million people (1 in 6 Americans) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year from foodborne diseases, according new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The figures are the most accurate to date due to better data and methods used. The data are published Wednesday in two articles in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases .
Photo Of The Day: What Goes On Down On The Farm?
December 16, 2010 9:39 am | Comments(AP) — Humane Society of the United States spokesperson, Paul Shapiro, speaks during a press conference in Richmond, Va., Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010. The Humane Society says it has found what it called " unacceptable and systemic abuses " of female breeding pigs at a Virginia factory farm owned by a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods.
Photo Of The Day: Lower Sales = Lower Temperatures
December 15, 2010 4:04 am | Comments(AP) — Employees of the Just Born candy company — which makes Peeps, Mike and Ike’s and other popular candies — are enjoying chilly Fargo, N.D., instead of balmy Hawaii after corporate sales goals weren’t met. Two dozen workers, who are in town for meetings, received fleece jackets and bomber hats.
