News
Canadian Slaughterhouse Accused Of Mistreating Horses
April 23, 2010 5:27 am | CommentsFORT MACLEOD, Alta. (CP) — RCMP are investigating conditions at an Alberta slaughterhouse after animal welfare activists were sent a video they say shows horses being shot and then left suffering for long periods of time before being killed. But an industry group says, while the treatment of the horses in the video is deplorable, it's unlikely it was shot at the slaughterhouse in question at the time the activists claim.
Taiwan Customs Official Smuggles Japanese Beef
April 23, 2010 5:25 am | CommentsTAIPEI (Kyodo) — A Taiwan customs official is in custody after allegedly covering up the smuggling of high-grade beef from Japan into Taiwan in defiance of a mad cow disease ban, officials and newspaper reports said. Tang Lung-sheng, a section head at the Taipei Customs Office, is alleged to have protected the smuggling operation that brought in more than 5,000 kilograms of Matsusaka beef over more than a year.
Study Finds Cattle Feed Bad For Ozone
April 23, 2010 5:23 am | CommentsFRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Air officials for years have blamed dairy cow emissions for the unusually high ozone levels in California's San Joaquin Valley, but a new study points more to what goes into the animals than what comes out. The study — funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, California Air Resources Board and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District — initially was intended to measure the impact of animal manure, urine and flatulence on ozone levels.
McCormick Plans Record Rooftop Solar Project
April 23, 2010 5:22 am | CommentsBALTIMORE (AP) — McCormick & Co. says it is teaming with Constellation Energy to develop Maryland's largest rooftop solar power installation at the spicemaker's Belcamp distribution center. The 1.8 megawatt installation follows a nearly 1 megawatt solar installation at McCormick's Hunt Valley site, also developed by Constellation.
Bill To Ban Kids From Energy Drinks Fails
April 23, 2010 5:20 am | CommentsBATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A proposed ban on the sale of energy drinks in Louisiana to children under the age of 16 was soundly rejected Wednesday by a Senate committee, likely scrapping the measure for the legislative session. Sen. Robert Adley, R-Benton, said he offered the bill on behalf of a constituent who raised health concerns about the drinks and who calls the jolts of caffeine popular with teenagers and college students "speed in a can.
Detroit Goes From Cars To Farms
April 23, 2010 5:19 am | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — Detroit, which revolutionized manufacturing with its auto assembly lines, could once again be a model for the world as residents transform vacant, often-blighted land into a source of fresh food. With growing interest in locally raised food, cities including New York, Los Angeles and Seattle are looking at ways to foster and manage urban agriculture.
Value Chain Project To Help Philippine Farmers
April 21, 2010 5:29 am | CommentsDAVAO CITY, Philippines (PRNewswire) — A new $5.4 million project aims to increase the incomes and food security of 25,000 farmers in the Philippines by harnessing local value chains to increase opportunities and sustainability in growing high-value crops like cocoa, coconuts and rice.
Sunny D Plants Achieve Zero Waste Goal
April 21, 2010 5:21 am | CommentsCINCINNATI (PRNewswire) — The Sunny Delight Beverages Co. (SDBC) announced today that all six of its manufacturing sites have already reached their sustainability goal of sending zero waste to landfills by 2013. This goal was achieved by the company's Anaheim, Calif.; Littleton, Mass.; and Mataro, Spain plants in 2009 — four years ahead of schedule — its South Brunswick, N.
Utah Water Named 'World's Best'
April 21, 2010 5:03 am | CommentsBEAVER, Utah (AP) — It's sweet and has a perfect PH balance — water from southern Utah's Tushar mountain range. The spring water was judged the world's best for bottlers in a prestigious contest. The Tushar water beat out 43 global competitors in a February contest sponsored by a Berkeley Springs, W.
Labatt Pulls Equipment From Ontario Plant
April 21, 2010 4:55 am | CommentsHAMILTON, Ont. (CP) — Labatt Breweries is already stripping equipment from its now-closed Hamilton plant. After suddenly shutting down the Lakeport brewery in Hamilton last Friday, the foreign-owned beer giant started stripping vats and other material from the plant this week. Norm Cooper, chairman of the Teamsters local that represented Lakeport workers, was one of about eight workers still in the plant as the dismantling process began.
Bacardi Adds Wind Turbines To Puerto Rico Distillery
April 21, 2010 4:51 am | CommentsSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Rum giant Bacardi Ltd. has installed two wind turbines to help power its Puerto Rico distillery. Joaquin Bacardi, head of the Bermuda-based rum company, says the pair of 137-foot turbines at the Catano distillery are expected to produce 1 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year.
Hormel Closing California Plant
April 21, 2010 4:40 am | CommentsAUSTIN, Minn. (AP) — Food Processor Hormel Foods Corp. said Tuesday that it will close its plant in Turlock, Calif., later this year, eliminating 163 jobs. The plant, which produces its Valley Fresh canned meats, will close by Oct. 29. Hormel is moving production to another facility, which it said will improve purchasing and distribution.
School Lunches Become Matter Of National Security
April 20, 2010 7:34 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — School lunches have been called many things, but a group of retired military officers is giving them a new label: national security threat. That's not a reference to the mystery meat served up in the cafeteria line either. The retired officers are saying that school lunches have helped make the nation's young people so fat that fewer of them can meet the military's physical fitness standards, and recruitment is in jeopardy.
Canadian Beer Market Has A Hangover
April 20, 2010 7:17 am | CommentsOTTAWA (CP) — The latest national figures suggest Canadian palettes — at least when it comes to alcohol — are becoming somewhat more sophisticated. Beer and liquor stores and agencies sold $19.4 billion worth of alcoholic beverages during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009, three percent more than in the previous year.
Experts Want Food Industry To Cut Salt Content
April 20, 2010 7:09 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Public health experts urged the Food and Drug Administration Tuesday to force food makers to gradually cut the salt hidden inside their products, something the agency is considering. Americans eat about 1½ teaspoons (7 grams) daily, more than double what they need for good health — and high enough to increase risk of high blood pressure and other problems.
Dairy Industry Advisory Committee Has First Meeting
April 20, 2010 6:46 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (USDA) — The 17-member Dairy Industry Advisory Committee appointed by Secretary Tom Vilsack has completed its first meeting, held here April 13 - 15. Secretary Vilsack charged the members with working together quickly to create recommendations to address critical dairy industry issues, including price volatility and dairy farmer profitability and their impact on the entire dairy industry.
Japan Suspends Beef Exports Over Foot-And-Mouth
April 20, 2010 5:31 am | CommentsTOKYO (AP) — Japan suspended beef exports Tuesday after detecting suspected cases of foot-and-mouth disease in several cows in the south of the country, officials said. Three of 16 beef cows raised at a farm in Miyazaki developed mouth ulcers — a typical early symptom of the disease — earlier this month, prompting authorities to impose a ban that will last at least three months, said Agriculture Minister Hirotaka Akamatsu.
Teamsters Charge Coca-Cola With 'Mismanagement'
April 20, 2010 5:29 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (International Brotherhood of Teamsters) — A delegation of Teamster workers and representatives will attend the Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola Enterprises Annual Meetings of Shareowners in Georgia this week to raise concerns about mismanagement throughout the Coca-Cola system that threatens to destroy good jobs, undermine workers' rights, and create large-scale inefficiencies in its product distribution system.
Ground Beef Recall Expanded Due To E. Coli Contamination
April 19, 2010 4:36 am | CommentsBOISE, Idaho (PRNewswire) — WinCo Foods announced Saturday that it is issuing an expansion of the Class 1 recall on all fresh ground beef products sold at all WinCo Foods stores: The original recall issued on April 10, 2010 was for ground beef sold from it's Modesto store only. Originally an independent lab had tested two samples of ground beef purchased at the Modesto, California store to be positive for E.
Spinach & Artichoke Dip Recalled Due To Listeria Concerns
April 19, 2010 4:35 am | CommentsLANDOVER, Md. (PRNewswire) — Following notification from its supplier, Giant Food of Landover, MD announced a voluntary recall of Giant Food Frozen Spinach & Artichoke Dip. The product was removed from sale due to possible contamination with listeria monocytogenes. The following product was removed from sale: Giant Food Frozen Dip Spinach & Artichoke UPC‥ 6 8826702988 2, 8oz.
