News
Daily Sound Bite: China 'Cannot Tolerate' Rat Meat Sold As Lamb
May 3, 2013 12:14 pm | CommentsAfter a new food safety law only vaguely increased food safety regulations in China, a new scandal involving nearly 1,000 suspects is rocking the country. The Chinese Ministry of Public Security has announced that rat and fox meat has been fraudulently sold as lamb.
Consumer Trends: Most Successful CPG Brands
May 3, 2013 12:00 pm | CommentsAmong food and beverage champions, average year-one dollar sales for the top-100 brands were $43.4 million. New food and beverage brands addressed long-standing trends around wellness, indulgence and convenience. Importantly, though, the most powerful launches of the year also delivered more to today’s finicky, frugal and fast-moving consumers.
Mozzarella Recalled for Undeclared Soy
May 3, 2013 9:41 am | CommentsAn upstate New York company is recalling a mozzarella cheese product because it contains soy, which isn't listed on the label and could cause allergic reactions. Formaggio Italian Cheese Specialties of Sullivan County says it's recalling about 234 pounds of fresh mozzarella with chorizo and cilantro products sold in New York and New Jersey.
Hillshire Brands 3Q Sales Fall Below Expectations
May 3, 2013 9:39 am | CommentsHillshire Brands on Thursday reported quarterly sales that fell short of Wall Street expectations as it ran into some hiccups switching to a new packaging for its lunch meats. The company, which his based in Chicago, is the former North American business of Sara Lee Corp. and makes brands including Jimmy Dean sausages and Ball Park hot dogs.
Study: Food Allergies Increasing in Children
May 3, 2013 9:38 am | by MIKE STOBBE,AP Medical Writer | CommentsThe CDC survey suggests that about 1 in 20 U.S. children have food allergies. That's a 50 percent increase from the late 1990s. For eczema and other skin allergies, it's 1 in 8 children, an increase of 69 percent. It found no increase, however, in hay fever or other respiratory allergies.
Juror: Landmark EEOC Verdict Sends Message
May 3, 2013 9:36 am | by RYAN J. FOLEY,Associated Press | CommentsA juror says she wanted to send a message by supporting a historic $240 million verdict for 32 mentally disabled men who faced decades of abuse by a Texas company: Never again. Juror Robin Griebel outlined her rationale for awarding $7.5 million to each former employee of Henry's Turkey Service, while the men, their attorney and relatives celebrated Wednesday's verdict.
Rat Meat Sold as Lamb in China’s Latest Food Scandal
May 3, 2013 9:34 am | CommentsChinese police have broken up a criminal ring accused of taking meat from rats and foxes and selling it as lamb in the country's latest food safety scandal. The Ministry of Public Security released results of a three-month crackdown on food safety violators, saying in a statement that authorities investigated more than 380 cases and arrested 904 suspects.
Photo of the Day: Sniffing Out Allergens
May 3, 2013 9:32 am | CommentsIn this Sunday, May 29, 2011 file photo, Jeff Glazer guides his allergy-sniffing dog, Riley, through a dugout of a ball field before his team's baseball game in Middlebury, Conn. Riley accompanies Jeff to ensure there are no peanut products or residue that could trigger his life-threatening allergic reactions.
Daily Sound Bite: Anti-Addiction Groups Balk at Pa. Liquor Bills
May 2, 2013 12:36 pm | CommentsAs a bill passes through the state senate in Pennsylvania, aiming to privatize the control of liquor and wine sales, some state senators and anti-addition groups are railing against the new proposed measure, claiming it will cost taxpayers and harm families.
Food Manufacturers Support Dairy Freedom Act
May 2, 2013 12:30 pm | CommentsFood processor groups voiced their strong support last week for the Dairy Freedom Act in a letter to the bill's authors, Representatives Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and David Scott (D-GA). The bill would offer the safety net of margin insurance for dairy farmers without forcing them to participate in a supply management program, a provision included in the dairy section of last year's Senate and House Agriculture Committee Farm Bills.
Kellogg 1Q Profit Falls 11 Percent
May 2, 2013 12:28 pm | CommentsKellogg's first-quarter net income slid 11 percent on higher expenses and acquisition costs. The Battle Creek, Mich., company announced a $1 billion stock repurchase program Thursday, but shares slipped in premarket trading. Kellogg — whose brands include Eggo, Keebler, Frosted Flakes and others — earned $311 million, or 85 cents per share, for the period ended March 30.
Starbucks Makes Management Changes
May 2, 2013 12:27 pm | CommentsStarbucks Corp. is making management changes it says will give its top leaders deeper experience with the company. The world's biggest coffee chain declined to say whether the changes were part of succession planning for Howard Schultz, who returned as CEO in 2008 and has since led a turnaround of the company.
Boston Beer Weighed Down by 1Q Expenses
May 2, 2013 12:24 pm | CommentsThe Boston Beer Company Inc.'s profit slipped in the first quarter as rising costs dampened sales gains for the brewer. The company, which makes Samuel Adams beer, Twisted Tea and other beverages, said Wednesday that it faced higher costs for some of its goods during the quarter, and it increased spending on advertising and promotions.
Dean Foods Spinning Off WhiteWave
May 2, 2013 12:22 pm | CommentsDean Foods Co. said Wednesday that it will distribute a portion of its remaining stake in The WhiteWave Foods Co. later this month. The dairy processing company took WhiteWave — which makes Silk soy products and Horizon Organic dairy products — public in October and is using proceeds to pay down debt.
Consumer Trends: Who Is Today's Primary Shopper?
May 2, 2013 12:00 pm | CommentsFor today's retailers and manufacturers, it has become increasingly complicated to pinpoint who are today's primary shoppers. Soccer moms? Working women? Men? In a new study commissioned by PLMA, GfK Custom Research North America answers the questions with some surprising results.
Cott Reports Lower Sales for 1Q
May 2, 2013 9:50 am | CommentsShares of Cott Corp. fell Wednesday after the beverage maker reported lower first-quarter revenue, citing a loss in market share and a broader decline in the North American soft drink industry. The Canadian company, which makes private-label drinks for retailers, said its total filled beverage volume was 193 million cases for the quarter, down 5 percent from 203 million cases a year ago.
Groups Criticize Pa. Liquor Bills
May 2, 2013 9:48 am | by MARC LEVY,Associated Press | CommentsGov. Tom Corbett's push to liberalize Pennsylvania's beer, wine and liquor laws drew broad criticism from anti-addiction groups during a Senate committee hearing Tuesday, and a key state senator suggested that any sale of private alcohol licenses won't deliver the kind of windfall Corbett has touted.
Wis. Panel Approves Junk Food Stamp Bill
May 2, 2013 9:47 am | by KEVIN WANG,Associated Press | CommentsA Wisconsin Assembly committee approved a bill on Tuesday that would limit the amount of food stamp benefits that could be spent on junk food. Republican Rep. Dean Kaufert, of Neenah, amended his original bill to require people enrolled in the state nutrition assistance program, known as FoodShare or food stamps, to spend at least two-thirds of their monthly benefits on items such as milk, bread and vegetables.
Abused Disabled Iowa Plant Workers Awarded $240M
May 2, 2013 9:45 am | by RYAN J. FOLEY,Associated Press | CommentsFor decades, the lives of 32 mentally disabled Iowa turkey processing plant workers were controlled by their Texas-based employer, which profited handsomely by hiring them out. Regardless of sickness or injury, they were driven from the dilapidated, bug-infested bunkhouse where they were housed to their 41-cents-an-hour jobs removing the slaughtered birds' innards.
Calif. Lawsuit Claims Lead in Ginger, Plum Candies
May 2, 2013 9:43 am | by JASON DEAREN,Associated Press | CommentsCalifornia has filed a lawsuit against Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and other food retailers, manufacturers and distributors, alleging the companies are selling lead-tainted ginger and plum candies without warning labels, as required by state law.
