News
Ohio Disputes Egg Safety Claims
June 11, 2010 4:34 am | CommentsCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio regulators are disputing a claim by the Human Society of the United States, which alleged that farms in the state are producing 350,000 eggs a year that are contaminated with salmonella. The Ohio Department of Agriculture says data indicate that Ohio farms produce about 35,000 bad eggs annually, a tiny percentage of the 7 billion eggs produced here each year.
P&G Recalls Iams Cat Food
June 11, 2010 4:33 am | CommentsCINCINNATI (AP) — The Procter & Gamble Co. said Wednesday that it's recalling Iams ProActive Health canned cat and kitten food in 3-ounce and 5.5-ounce cans that expire September 2011 to June 2012. Tests have shown the food contains insufficient levels of Vitamin B1, which is essential to feline health.
Pork Tired Of Being The 'Other White Meat'
June 11, 2010 4:32 am | CommentsDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — For more than two decades, pork has been known as "The Other White Meat." Now industry insiders think it's time the meat got a new reputation. The National Pork Board plans to replace its ubiquitous advertising slogan with something officials hope will improve stagnant sales.
Dole Says Witnesses In Danger
June 11, 2010 4:31 am | CommentsLOS ANGELES (AP) — Lawyers for Dole Foods urged a judge Thursday to quickly conclude hearings in a case involving purported banana workers in Nicaragua to protect those who blew the whistle on an alleged multimillion dollar fraud. In documents filed with Judge Victoria Chaney, the lawyers said a manhunt was being conducted in Nicaragua for the so-called John Doe witnesses, who were being threatened with reprisals unless they recanted their testimony.
Louisiana Wants Gulf Drilling To Continue
June 11, 2010 4:30 am | CommentsNEW ORLEANS (AP) — At the same time they are venting their fury on BP over the Gulf of Mexico spill and its calamitous environmental effects, Louisiana politicians are rushing to the defense of the oil-and-gas industry and pleading with Washington to bring back offshore drilling — now.
Land O'Lakes Pays $25M For Price-Fixing
June 9, 2010 5:09 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — One of more than 10 egg producers that a group of restaurants and food processing companies claims conspired to fix egg prices nationwide has agreed to a $25 million settlement, according to a court filing. The restaurants and processors claim egg prices skyrocketed between 2004 and 2008 because industry officials conspired to reduce production — not because feed costs rose, as egg industry leaders said.
Poultry Processor Protests $1M Fine
June 9, 2010 4:58 am | CommentsBALTIMORE (AP) — A Delaware poultry processor says it is contesting a $1 million fine for safety violations at a plant on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The fine announced Friday against Harbeson, Del.-based Allen Family Foods is the largest by a Maryland Occupational Safety and Health unit for a single inspection or investigation.
Solo Cup Closing 3 Plants
June 9, 2010 4:58 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Solo Cup Co., which makes single-serving food and beverage containers, will close three factories, eliminating 1,240 jobs, because of growing capacity at its 10 other North American plants. The company said Tuesday that it plans to shutter factories in North Andover, Mass.
Frozen Food Distributor Fined In Worker's Death
June 9, 2010 4:57 am | CommentsLYNDHURST, Va. (AP) — A Lyndhurst frozen food distributor has been fined $14,000 in connection with the death of an employee. The News Virginian of Waynesboro reports that a state Department of Labor and Industry investigation found serious safety violations at Burris Logistics. According to the state report obtained by the newspaper, 27-year-old Matt Megginson was crushed when a forklift he was operating crashed into a wrapping machine in November.
Coffee Companies Accused Of Forming Cartel
June 9, 2010 4:56 am | CommentsBERLIN (AP) — German regulators say they are fining several coffee companies a total of euro30 million ($35 million) for illegal price fixing. The Bonn-based Federal Cartel Office said Wednesday that it has fined eight German coffee companies or their local subsidiaries — Tchibo, J.
BP Gives Fishermen $49 Million
June 9, 2010 4:54 am | CommentsNEW ORLEANS (AP) — BP PLC says 90 percent of the compensation checks it has issued so far have gone to fishermen. The British oil giant said Tuesday in a Twitter message that as of the day before it had issued about 18,000 checks totaling $49 million. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley earlier called out the National Guard to help spread the word among coastal residents in his state that they can apply to BP for compensation for losses stemming from the spill.
Report: FDA Struggles With Food Safety
June 8, 2010 6:06 am | CommentsMary Clare Jalonick Associated Press Writer - June, 8, 2010 WASHINGTON (AP) — A new report says the Food and Drug Administration is stretched thin and needs to reorganize to better keep the nation's food safe. The report released by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council Tuesday says the agency needs to become more efficient and better target its limited dollars to prevent foodborne illness outbreaks.
Japanese Whistleblowers Allege Whale Meat Embezzlement
June 8, 2010 5:00 am | CommentsSYDNEY (Kyodo) — Two former Japanese whalers allege that both crewmembers and the semiofficial Institute of Cetacean Research are involved in large-scale whale meat embezzlement, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Tuesday. The two whistleblowers spoke to the ABC's Foreign Correspondent program about hundreds of kilograms of whale meat being stolen for either personal consumption or to sell to restaurants.
Egg Farm Settles Animal Cruelty Allegations
June 8, 2010 4:53 am | CommentsTURNER, Maine (AP) — Maine's largest egg farm and prosecutors agreed Monday to settle animal cruelty allegations spurred by an activist group's undercover video that showed birds living in squalid conditions and being mistreated. In a settlement approved in Lewiston District Court, Maine Contract Farming admitted that it did not providing adequate shelter and sustenance to 10 hens at its farm in Turner last year.
Slaughterhouse Manager Acquitted In Child Labor Case
June 8, 2010 4:52 am | CommentsWATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A former kosher slaughterhouse manager convicted on federal financial fraud charges was acquitted Monday in Iowa state court of child labor violations. A jury found Sholom Rubashkin not guilty of all 67 child labor violations he faced involving 26 teenagers from Guatemala and Mexico who worked at the Agriprocessors plant in Postville.
Arizona Citrus Processing Plant To Close
June 8, 2010 4:51 am | CommentsMESA, Ariz. (AP) — One of the last citrus processing plant in the Phoenix metropolitan area is closing its Mesa facility after operating since the 1930s. The board of the Mesa Citrus Growers Association decided in May to close the plant as the number of citrus orchards has dwindled and crop prices haven't kept up with production costs.
Maker's Mark Makes First New Bourbon In 52 Years
June 8, 2010 4:51 am | CommentsLORETTO, Ky. (AP) — It seemed like any other day at the Maker's Mark Distillery, as workers dunked tops of whiskey bottles into tubs of red wax. Only this time, the bottles were different — and so was the bourbon. Since the late 1950s, the quaint distillery tucked into the Kentucky hills has churned out just one product — Maker's Mark.
ConAgra Sells Gilroy Foods Unit
June 8, 2010 4:50 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — ConAgra Foods Inc. said Monday it agreed to sell its Gilroy Foods & Flavors business to Olam International for $250 million. Gilroy Foods makes dehydrated and vegetable products, and ConAgra said it had about $300 million in revenue in fiscal 2010. The deal includes manufacturing facilities in California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oregon, and a warehouse in California.
Chavez Keeping An Eye On Pepsi, Coca-Cola
June 7, 2010 4:40 am | CommentsCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez announced plans Sunday to take over more private companies in Venezuela and also said his government should review the use of water by transnational companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Chavez said during his weekly TV and radio program that he has approved decrees for the "forced acquisition" of two companies: Alentuy CA, which makes aluminum cans and other products, and Envases Internacional SA, which makes containers for the food industry.
Experts Sniff Out Safe Seafood
June 7, 2010 4:39 am | CommentsPASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) — William Mahan bends over a bowl of raw shrimp and inhales deeply, using his left hand to wave the scent up toward his nose. Deep breath. Exhale. Repeat. He clears his palate with a bowl of freshly cut watermelon before moving on to raw oysters. Deep breath. Exhale.
