News
Woman Kills 2 At Kraft Cookie Plant
September 10, 2010 4:39 am | CommentsPHILADELPHIA (AP) — Minutes after a woman was suspended from her job at a Kraft Foods Inc. plant and was escorted out, she returned with a handgun and opened fire, killing two people and critically injuring a third before being taken into custody, police said. The shootings occurred shortly after 8:30 p.
Vermont: Log Cabin Syrup Not The Real Deal
September 10, 2010 4:34 am | CommentsMONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — A new Log Cabin syrup touted as "all natural" looks a lot like the pure, 100 percent maple product that's the pride of Vermont, right down to its packaging in a plastic beige jug. But Vermont officials, seeking to protect the state's signature commodity, contend that Log Cabin All Natural Syrup is not what it seems, enticing consumers into dousing their pancakes with ingredients that include caramel color, xanthan gum — a natural thickener — and a paltry 4 percent maple.
Milk Recalled Due To Pasteurization Failure
September 10, 2010 4:29 am | CommentsALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Milk sold in five Northeastern states has been recalled because it might not have been properly pasteurized. New York regulators say the milk was marketed under the brand names Midland Farms, Corrado's Market, Jersey Dairy Farms and Trade Fair Premium. It went in sizes from pints to gallons to stores in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
Shoppers Gradually Buying More Beer
September 10, 2010 4:26 am | CommentsBOSTON (AP) — Shoppers are buying beer again and trading up to more expensive brands in the U.S., but they're still not buying like they used to, Molson Coors Brewing Co. said Wednesday. Peter Swinburn, CEO of the maker of Coors Light and Blue Moon, said the company's sales in convenience stores and in the higher-priced light segment are showing initial signs of improvement.
Coca-Cola Says U.S. Market Still To Grow
September 10, 2010 4:24 am | CommentsBOSTON (AP) — Coca-Cola Co. still sees "tremendous opportunity" in the U.S. market although its growth is being outpaced by emerging markets such as India and China. Chief Financial Officer Gary Fayard said the market is the company's "flagship" and changes in the U.S. in the coming years, including having a population that skews younger and is more diverse, will be good for its brands.
Shade Structure Could Change Way Crops Are Grown
September 8, 2010 4:38 am | CommentsSARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — A small company in Sarasota is experimenting with a product that could change the way farmers grow crops in Southwest Florida. Apollo Sunguard, owned by Kevin Connelly since 1997, makes shade structures featuring polyethylene knit cloth on metal frames. Most of its business comes from contracts with school districts or parks departments, although Connelly is always seeking new applications, such as the shaded electric car recharge station he built with General Electric at the Florida House.
Peanut Exec Is Back To Work After Salmonella Case
September 8, 2010 4:35 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — The peanut industry executive whose filthy processing plants were blamed in a salmonella outbreak two years ago that killed nine people and sickened hundreds more is back in the business. Stewart Parnell, former president of the now-bankrupt Peanut Corp. of America, is working as a consultant to peanut companies as the federal government's criminal investigation against him has languished for more than 18 months, The Associated Press has learned.
Green Tea Beverages Cited For Misleading Claims
September 8, 2010 4:27 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health regulators have issued warnings to the makers of Canada Dry ginger ale and Lipton tea for making unsubstantiated nutritional claims about their green tea-flavored beverages. In a warning letter issued Aug. 30, the Food and Drug Administration takes issue with the labeling of Canada Dry Sparkling Green Tea Ginger Ale.
Milk May Be Better For Athletes Than Sports Drinks
September 8, 2010 4:24 am | CommentsLONDON (AP) — At the end of nearly every training session, Matt Whitmore downs a pint of milk straight from the bottle. "I do it pretty religiously," said Whitmore, 25, a gym trainer in London. He first started drinking milk after exercise about 10 years ago when he couldn't afford expensive supplements or protein shakes.
Ice Cream Market Is Hot Despite Frigid Economy
September 7, 2010 4:48 am | CommentsAccording to Mintel Global Market Navigator (GMN) , ice cream retailers are scooping up the profits despite a chilly economy, as the combined value of the top five European markets (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK) stands at £4.6 billion, up from £4.1 billion in 2008.
Beef Outbreak Puts Focus On Meat Oversight
September 7, 2010 4:45 am | CommentsST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The first known U.S. outbreak linked to a rare strain of E. coli in ground beef is prompting a fresh look at tougher regulations to protect the nation's meat supply. Three people in Maine and New York became ill this summer after eating ground beef traced back to a Cargill plant in Wyalusing, Pa.
Meatpackers Face Trials Over Worker Pay
September 7, 2010 4:42 am | CommentsOMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Three Nebraska meatpackers are headed to trials over how they pay their workers. In separate lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court, Nebraska Beef Ltd. in Omaha, Greater Omaha Packing Co. and the Tyson Foods Inc. plant in Dakota City are accused of violating state and federal wage and labor laws for years.
Former Egg Farm Workers Say USDA Ignored Complaints
September 7, 2010 4:40 am | CommentsDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — U.S. Agriculture Department employees worked full-time at two Iowa egg farms at the center of a salmonella outbreak and massive recall, but two former workers said they ignored complaints about conditions at one site. The USDA employees worked next to areas where roughly 7.
Funk Band War Tells Pepsi They Can't Be Friends
September 7, 2010 4:38 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Members of the original funk band War say they can't be friends with PepsiCo. They're suing the soft drink maker for more than $10 million, saying it did not negotiate with them to use their song "Why Can't We Be Friends?" in a new commercial. Even if PepsiCo and its agencies got rights from the music's publishers or anyone else who owns them, attorney Ken Freundlich and his co-counsel Max Sprecher said the company should have negotiated with the artists too.
Burger King Adds New Breakfast Items
September 7, 2010 4:34 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Burger King is introducing nine new breakfast items including blueberry biscuits and pancake platters and planning a major breakfast marketing blitz — all with an eye toward eating up some of McDonald's morning business. The chain said the move Tuesday is its biggest introduction of new items at one time ever.
Heinz Boosts 1Q Profit With Strong Asia Presence
September 1, 2010 4:48 am | CommentsPITTSBURGH (AP) — H.J. Heinz Co.'s fiscal first-quarter net income jumped 13 percent, largely on stronger sales in Asia. The foodmaker best known for its signature ketchup said Wednesday that it earned $240.4 million, or 75 cents per share, for the quarter that ended in late July. That's up from $212.
UN Says Global Food Prices Highest In 2 Years
September 1, 2010 4:41 am | CommentsROME (AP) — International food prices have risen to their highest level in two years, fueled in part by a drought in Russia that lifted the cost of wheat, a U.N. agency said Wednesday. The Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said its food price index shot up 5 percent between July and August.
China Imposes Tariffs On U.S. Chicken
September 1, 2010 4:39 am | CommentsBEIJING (AP) — China has imposed anti-subsidy duties for five years on imports of U.S. chicken products after concluding producers received improper support, the Commerce Ministry said Wednesday amid a string of trade spats with Washington. Importers must pay tariff rates ranging from 4 percent to 30.
