News
Kraft To Increase Whole Grains In Crackers
July 27, 2010 4:30 am | CommentsPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Kraft Foods Inc. says it will more than double the amount of whole grain in many of its Nabisco crackers, becoming the latest food maker to respond to consumer and health advocates' demands for improved nutrition from packaged foods. Kraft will increase the whole grain in more than 100 products over the next three years, the company announced Monday.
Process Expo Concludes With Positive Feedback
July 27, 2010 4:25 am | CommentsMcLean, VA – The Food Processing Suppliers Association concluded its 3-day trade show, PROCESS EXPO 2010, in Chicago last week (July 18 – 20) with positive feedback from both attendees and exhibitors. Traffic was strongest on Monday and continued solid through the final day of the show.
Fungus Wilts Spirits Of Basil Lovers
July 26, 2010 5:01 am | CommentsDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A fungus spreading among the nation's basil crop may leave lovers of Italian and Thai food feeling a bit bland. Basil downy mildew first surfaced in the U.S. around 2007 and is slowly but surely ruining the herb at spots across the country.
South Dakota Steps Up Organic Food Rules
July 26, 2010 4:59 am | CommentsSIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Locally grown organic foods are increasing in popularity at markets across the state, and now state regulators are stepping in with new requirements that proponents hope will add an element of safety to some of those products. Others, however, worry the new requirements go too far and could stifle a burgeoning industry that encourages locally grown foods.
Lawsuit Against Vitaminwater To Go Forward
July 26, 2010 4:57 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — A court case challenging the claims on popular Vitaminwater drinks as misleading will go forward after a judge denied Coca-Cola's attempts to dismiss the lawsuit. Attorneys representing the health advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest and consumers from three states have accused Coca-Cola of using deceptive labeling on its Vitaminwater line of drinks, including claims that they reduce risks of disease.
Diners Grill Restaurants Over Seafood
July 26, 2010 4:55 am | CommentsDistance doesn't seem to matter. No matter how far they are from the Gulf, waiters and waitresses around the nation are getting the same grilling by diners. Is your seafood clean? After months of watching news coverage of tar balls washing up on beaches and oil-soaked wildlife, customers are asking questions about the where their food was fished from, especially items closely associated with the Gulf, like shrimp and oysters.
McDonald's 2Q Profit Jumps 12 Percent
July 26, 2010 4:52 am | CommentsCHICAGO (AP) — Net income climbed 12 percent at McDonald's Corp. in the second quarter as customers around the globe gobbled up its cheap food and U.S. diners responded to its profitable frappes and other drinks on its hit McCafe menu. The world's largest hamburger chain also got a boost from business in customers in China and Australia.
Japan, U.S. To Restart Talks On Beef Imports
July 26, 2010 4:49 am | CommentsTOKYO, July 23 (Kyodo) — (EDS: UPDATING) Japan and the United States are likely to resume talks as early as in September on relaxing Tokyo's curbs on U.S. beef imports, Japanese farm minister Masahiko Yamada said Friday. Yamada told reporters of the prospect after a meeting with U.S.
Lobster Ban Killed
July 23, 2010 4:39 am | CommentsWARWICK, R.I. (AP) — A proposal to ban lobster fishing over a vast stretch of the East Coast was killed Thursday after lobstermen said it would do "almost biblical" damage to the industry. The board that advises the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission on lobster rules voted instead to consider lesser reductions in the catch — or no new restrictions at all.
NCBA Conference To Address Shrinking U.S. Cowherd
July 23, 2010 4:35 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (July 20, 2010) The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) will be hosting its Summer Conference July 28 through Aug. 1, 2010, in Denver, Colo. According to NCBA President and Illinois cattle producer Steve Foglesong, cattle producers attending the event will receive firsthand information pertaining to issues affecting the beef industry.
Lance And Snyder's Of Hanover Combine
July 23, 2010 4:31 am | CommentsRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Sandwich cracker maker Lance Inc. and privately held pretzel maker Snyder's of Hanover said Thursday they plan to combine into the country's No. 2 producer of salty snacks after Frito-Lay. Details of the deal were not disclosed. The all-stock transaction would leave Snyder's shareholders with 50.
EPA Treats Dairy Farmers Like BP
July 23, 2010 4:28 am | CommentsALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Dairy farmers are faced with a regulation that unintentionally holds them to the same standard for cleaning up spilled milk that a petroleum producer faces to clean up an oil spill, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Wednesday. The Democrat from New York, where agriculture is the state's No.
Birds Eye Settles On Pollution
July 23, 2010 4:20 am | CommentsFENNVILLE, Mich. (AP) — Birds Eye Foods Inc. will install a new treatment system and take other steps to deal with groundwater contamination caused by its spraying of wastewater on farm fields in southwestern Michigan, state officials said Wednesday. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment said it had reached an agreement with the company over pollution from its Fennville cannery, which produces fruit fillings, sauces and glazes made from cherries, blueberries and apples.
Hershey Net Income Falls 35 Percent
July 23, 2010 4:15 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Hershey Co.'s second-quarter net income fell 35 percent because of charges for restructuring and to write down the value of a joint venture in India. But backed by a massive advertising push, revenue rose as the company sold more chocolate. The maker of Hershey's Kisses and Reese's peanut butter cups earned $46.
Ag Panel Concerned With GIPSA Rule
July 21, 2010 5:04 am | CommentsMembers of a House Agriculture subcommittee expressed deep concern with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposed rule on livestock and poultry contracts and marketing arrangements, a regulation that would limit pork producers’ options in selling pigs to processors, according to the National Pork Producers Council.
Foodies Learn The Art Of Butchery
July 21, 2010 4:59 am | CommentsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Get out your knives and prepare to get blood on your clothes: more Americans are learning how to butcher their own meat. Cooking enthusiasts and eco-conscious food lovers are signing up for classes where they learn how to carve up whole hogs, lambs and other farm animals, the latest trend among foodies who want a closer connection to the meaty morsels on their forks.
Sugar Trade Turns Sour In Thailand
July 21, 2010 4:54 am | CommentsBANGKOK (AP) — Bangkok's ubiquitous street food vendors who feed millions of the Thai capital's residents each day are being hit by surging costs for sugar after a government failure to ensure adequate supplies of the sweetener forced Thailand to import it for the first time in 30 years.
Perdue Farms Recalls Frozen Chicken Nuggets
July 21, 2010 4:50 am | CommentsPERRY, Ga. (AP) — Perdue Farms, Inc. is recalling thousands of pounds of frozen chicken nugget products officials say could contain foreign materials. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Monday that the products include 1-pound, 13-ounce bags of "GREAT VALUE Fully Cooked Chicken Nuggets.
China-Based AgFeed To Buy U.S. Hog Producer
July 21, 2010 4:46 am | CommentsDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — China-based pork and animal feed manufacturer AgFeed Industries Inc. said Tuesday it will buy U.S. hog producer M2P2 LLC for $16 million in cash and stock in a move to further modernize its farming methods and nearly triple its hog production by 2015.
Fruit Stand Celebrates 50 Years
July 21, 2010 4:42 am | CommentsHOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — Robert is here, and he's been here for more than five decades. Officially established in 1960, the Robert Is Here fruit stand is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Robert Moehling, who's been running the stand since he was 6 years old, can still be found behind the counter on any given day, chatting with regulars and answering questions about exotic fruits.
