News
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.
Bottled Water Company Sued In Worker's Death
September 1, 2010 4:36 am | CommentsFRANKLIN, Ind. (AP) — The family of a woman who died after a pallet of bottled water fell on her at a Kroger store in central Indiana is suing the water bottler, arguing a new eco-friendly bottle design might have contributed to the accident. The lawsuit filed by the husband of 32-year-old Lori Keen is pending in federal court in Indianapolis.
U.S. Sues Michigan Dairy For Antibiotics In Cows
September 1, 2010 4:34 am | CommentsGRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — The U.S. is seeking a permanent injunction against a western Michigan dairy operation it says sold cows with illegal traces of antibiotics in their bodies. The Justice Department said Tuesday that Scenic View Dairy of Hamilton sold the cows for human consumption.
Muslims Meatpackers Sue Plants For Harassment
September 1, 2010 4:31 am | CommentsDENVER (AP) — Federal officials say Muslim Somali workers were denied prayer time and faced harrassment and termination at two JBS Swift & Co. meatpacking plants in Colorado and Nebraska. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission made the allegations in lawsuits filed late Monday in U.
Striking Coca-Cola Employees Return To Work
August 31, 2010 4:51 am | CommentsSEATTLE (AP) — About 500 striking western Washington Coca-Cola employees who walked off the job Aug. 23 say they'll return to work Tuesday as a goodwill gesture. Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Washington spokesman Bob Phillips said Monday the company has accepted the employees' offer to return.
Frozen Bars With Possible Typhoid Link Pulled
August 31, 2010 4:48 am | CommentsSANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — Paleta California Co. of Santa Fe Springs, Calif., has recalled its mamey (mah-MAY') frozen fruit bar because of a possible link to a rare U.S. outbreak of typhoid fever. The company says the "Mamey Supreme Cream Bars" were distributed only in Southern California.
Starbucks Adds Flavors To Insta-brew
August 31, 2010 4:44 am | CommentsCHICAGO (AP) — Starbucks Corp. is debuting its latest caffeinated concoction — flavored instant coffee. The coffee giant said Monday it is adding four new, slightly sweetened varieties of its successful Via instant brew. The flavored instant coffee is the latest in a series of new products from Starbucks as it tries to find new ways to grow after years of overexpansion of its cafes.
