News
Food Producers Join To Fight Bad Image
January 31, 2011 3:58 am | CommentsDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two dozen of the nation's largest and best-funded farm groups have formed a coalition to counter poor publicity that they say has led to some bad public policies and threatens farmers' ability to produce food for the world's population. The groups have been alarmed by such things as the release of videos that show male chicks being put into grinders, egg-laying hens in battery cages and the mistreatment of hogs in large confinement operations.
Government Slashes Salt Recommendations
January 31, 2011 3:48 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — The government is telling half of the U.S. population to drastically cut their daily salt intake. That's the advice to consumers — and the food industry — as the government issues new dietary guidelines, which are the recommendations behind the popular food pyramid.
Photo Of The Day: Craft Beers Shed Their Bottles
January 31, 2011 3:20 am | Comments(AP) — In this Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2011 photo, barley is mixed to create mash during the brewing process at the Baxter Brewing Co., in Lewiston, Maine. The beer company has joined a growing number of small craft-beer breweries distributing their brews in cans, rather than in bottles.
UN: Don't Restrict Food Exports
January 27, 2011 10:31 am | CommentsROME (AP) — The United Nations urged governments Wednesday not to impose export restrictions or other short-term measures to cope with rising food prices, saying they can actually make matters worse by driving global prices up. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization issued an updated policy guide for governments in the developing world who are grappling with the impact of high food prices.
Iowa Pork Exports Set Record
January 27, 2011 10:28 am | CommentsDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa's 2010 pork exports have set a record that will be even higher when December figures come in. The state says in a news release that pork producers exported more than $1 billion worth of pork products in the first 11 months of last year. Iowa Department of Economic Development spokeswoman Kay Snyder said Wednesday that the previous record was set in 2008, also just over $1 billion.
PepsiCo Gets Acquisition Approval From Russia
January 27, 2011 10:26 am | CommentsPURCHASE, N.Y. (AP) — PepsiCo Inc. said Thursday it received approval from the Russian government to take a majority stake in Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods for $3.8 billion in a move that will make the snacks and soft drink company the largest food and beverage company in Russia. PepsiCo said in December it would take a majority stake in Wimm-Bill-Dan, a Russian company that produces dairy products, juices, mineral water and baby food.
Giant Food Recalls Organic Salads
January 27, 2011 10:24 am | Commentscan cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea, which can arise up to several weeks after consumption. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy.
Mexico Denies Monsanto Seed Project
January 27, 2011 10:21 am | CommentsMEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican regulatory body has denied an application from U.S. seed giant Monsanto Co. to expand to pilot planting projects of genetically modified corn in northern Mexico, officials said Wednesday. Government experts say more experimental planting in very small, strictly controlled plots is needed to ensure the GM crops won't affect native corn varieties.
Photo Of The Day: Pepsi And The World
January 27, 2011 10:19 am | Comments(AP) — Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi from the US, right, prepares to shake hands with Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, left, during a panel session at the 41st annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011.
IDFA: Relief Program Wouldn't Provide Much Relief
January 26, 2011 3:17 am | CommentsMIAMI (PRNewswire-USNewswire) — A new study by Informa Economics concludes that the Dairy Market Stabilization Program (DMSP) proposed by the National Milk Producers Federation would have withheld an estimated $626 million from dairy farmers during periods when they were already under significant financial pressure.
Arizona Execs Admit To Conspiracy To Defraud Consumers
January 26, 2011 3:16 am | CommentsMOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Two Arizona business executives have pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud consumers by mislabeling foreign fish shipped to Mobile and then selling them in Alabama and Florida as more expensive catch. Karen L. Blyth and David H.M. Phelps entered their pleas Monday shortly before they were scheduled to go on trial in federal court in Mobile.
Plan To Encourage Virginia Shellfish Farming Stalls
January 26, 2011 3:15 am | CommentsNEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — A proposal to encourage oyster farming in some prime Virginia waters is on hold while the General Assembly is in session. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted 7-0 Tuesday to table the proposal, which it unveiled last year. Under the proposal, 1,000 acres in waters off the Northern Neck, the Middle Peninsula and Tangier Island would have been designated for commercial shellfish farming zones.
Coca-Cola Faces Soft Drink Shortage Due To Worker Strike
January 26, 2011 3:13 am | CommentsCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Coca-Cola's bottler in Venezuela says shortages of soft drinks have grown due to a strike that has been running for more than 11 days at a key plant. Rodrigo Anzola, legal director of Coca-Cola Femsa de Venezuela SA, said the strike at the company's Valencia plant continues even though there have been signs of progress in talks with union leaders.
Photo Of The Day: Being Up Front With Consumers
January 25, 2011 4:41 pm | Comments(AP) — This product image provided by the Grocery Manufacturers Association shows new "Nutrition Keys" labels, lower left, as they would appear on a box of cereal. The Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute on Monday, Jan. 24, 2011 announced the industry's voluntary new labels, which will list calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugars per serving.
Four Loko Linked To Death Of 2 Teens
January 25, 2011 2:12 pm | CommentsHUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Police in this California surf city are looking for anyone who saw two teens before they were found dead in an apartment with an empty can of an alcoholic energy drink and traces of drug and alcohol use. "We're trying to determine if there was anyone with them that evening, how they obtained the alcohol and what kind of drugs they might have used," Lt.
Seafood Industry Forms Marketing Coalition
January 25, 2011 3:52 am | CommentsPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The meat industry has its "Beef, It's What's for Dinner" promotion. Pork producers market their product as "the other white meat." Now, the U.S. seafood industry is preparing to cast its own marketing net in a bid to reel in more consumers. More than 50 fishing and seafood organizations from 24 states have signed on to the National Seafood Marketing Coalition, a group that's working on a national plan to better market American seafood and is hoping for help from the federal government.
Taco Bell Sued Over Fake Beef
January 25, 2011 3:48 am | CommentsMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama law firm claims in a lawsuit that Taco Bell is using false advertising when it refers to using "seasoned ground beef" or "seasoned beef" in its products. The meat mixture sold by Taco Bell restaurants contains binders and extenders and does not meet the minimum requirements set by the U.
McDonald's May Hike Prices As Food Costs Rise
January 25, 2011 3:45 am | CommentsPORTLAND, Oregon (AP) — McDonald's affordable food drew even more customers in its fourth quarter, but the burger chain said it may raise prices this year as its own food tab rises. Worries about rising costs at the world's largest hamburger chain gave some investors pause even as McDonald's ended a banner year in which it outperformed its competitors.
Molson Coors Names New Corporate Strategy Officer
January 25, 2011 3:41 am | CommentsDENVER (AP) — Molson Coors Brewing Co. has appointed Bill Waters as its chief corporate strategy officer. Waters, 42, who currently serves as controller and chief accounting officer, will report to Kandy Anand, president of Molson Coors International. The brewer said Monday that it is currently looking for a new controller and accounting officer and Waters will take on his new position only after that person is found.
Food Industry Launches New Nutrition Labeling System
January 25, 2011 3:34 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Some of the nutrition information listed in government-mandated food labels will be repeated on package fronts under a new system that food makers and major grocers are introducing. The Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute on Monday announced the industry's voluntary new "Nutrition Keys," which will list calories, saturated fat, sodium and sugars per serving.
