News
Louisiana Shuts Down Shrimp Harvesting
May 7, 2010 4:45 am | CommentsBATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has ordered the immediate closure of shrimp harvesting in an area that may be vulnerable to an ever-widening oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico. Secretary Robert Barham issued an emergency closure, effective at 6 p.
E. Coli Outbreak Forces Lettuce Recall
May 7, 2010 4:44 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — A food company is recalling lettuce sold in 23 states and the District of Columbia because of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 19 people, three of them with life-threatening symptoms. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that 12 people had been hospitalized and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was looking at 10 other cases probably linked to the outbreak.
Vermont Bill Against Animal Abuse May Fail
May 5, 2010 5:15 am | CommentsMONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Prospects for legislation to crack down on slaughterhouse abuses dimmed Tuesday even as new allegations emerged that a Grand Isle slaughterhouse accused of mistreating calves also had numerous food safety violations. "There may be some people out there who don't give a hoot about the welfare of animals, but they care about what their kids eat," said Dr.
USDA Taking Applications For Renewable Energy Funding
May 5, 2010 5:14 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (USDA) — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is seeking applications to increase the production and use of renewable energy sources. Funding is available from four USDA Rural Development renewable energy programs authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill).
Washington Slaughterhouse Fined $750K For Violations
May 5, 2010 5:13 am | CommentsYAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — A beef slaughterhouse in central Washington has agreed to pay a $750,000 penalty and install an estimated $3 million in equipment to resolve allegations that it violated the Clean Water Act, under a settlement agreement announced Tuesday by the Justice Department.
California Exec Pleads Not Guilty In Price-Fixing Case
May 5, 2010 5:12 am | CommentsSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The former California food company executive at the center of a massive tomato price-fixing investigation has pleaded not guilty to new federal charges in the case. Frederick Scott Salyer entered the plea Tuesday to violating antitrust laws. Prosecutors allege he fixed prices and rigged bids for the sale of tomato products to McCain Foods USA Inc.
Bud Light Becomes NFL Sponsor
May 5, 2010 5:10 am | CommentsST. LOUIS (AP) — Anheuser-Busch's flagship brand Bud Light will be the official beer sponsor of the National Football League. The brewer's announcement comes hours after rival MillerCoors announced it would not renew its deal with the league because it couldn't agree on a price. The Coors Light sponsorship ends after this season, so Bud Light's will begin in the 2011 season.
Molson Coors Invests $40 Million In China
May 5, 2010 5:09 am | CommentsDENVER (AP) — Molson Coors Brewing Co. has signed an agreement to pay $40 million in cash for a majority, controlling interest in Hebei Si'hai Beer Company in China, a move that lets Molson expand distribution of its flagship Coors Light brand. The joint venture will have direct control over Si'hai brewing operations, including contract business.
New England Shrimp Fishing Going Strong
May 4, 2010 4:44 am | CommentsPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The combination of a healthy shrimp population, favorable weather and stable markets have made for solid shrimp fishing in New England — so solid, in fact, that the season is closing early because fishermen have caught so many of the small, sweet crustaceans.
Oil Spill Causes Grain, Bean Prices To Crash
May 4, 2010 4:42 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Grain and bean prices fell Monday as investors worried that an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico might hinder shipments of the crops. Corn, wheat and soybean prices all dropped as uncertainty grows about whether the oil spill might shut down a major shipping passage from the Mississippi River.
Slaughterhouse Child Labor Case Begins
May 4, 2010 4:40 am | CommentsIOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Jury selection will begin Tuesday in the trial of a former kosher slaughterhouse owner and four workers accused of thousands of child labor violations, such as allowing teenagers to use meat grinders and exposing children to dangerous chemicals. The trial begins as the former manager of the Agriprocessors Inc.
Hong Kong Sued By Victims Of Tainted Milk
May 4, 2010 4:39 am | CommentsHONG KONG (AP) — Frustrated by their inability to get compensation in China, four parents whose children were poisoned in the country's tainted milk scandal on Tuesday took their cases to Hong Kong, a former British colony that maintains a Western-style judicial system. The four parents are suing the New Zealand farmer-owned dairy cooperative Fonterra.
Distillers' Group Sues Sazerac
May 4, 2010 4:37 am | CommentsLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Buffalo Trace and Tom Moore distilleries may be near the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, but if the Kentucky Distillers' Association gets its way, they won't be able to promote the location. The association claims in a lawsuit that New Orleans-based Sazerac Co. is violating the trademarks on the phrase "Kentucky Bourbon Trail" and logos by using similar phrases and designs in promoting two central Kentucky distilleries.
Canadian Cows Join Twitter
May 4, 2010 4:36 am | CommentsTORONTO (CP) — Twitter has been put out to pasture with the addition of 12 Ontario cows to the long list of people who are sharing their thoughts with the world. What does a cow have to say, you might ask? "I just squirted 20.4 kgs of milk out of my teats in 10:28 seconds. What did you do today?" offers Charge Gina, one of the bovine additions to the 140-character universe.
College To Hold Nobel Food Conference
May 3, 2010 5:14 am | CommentsST. PETER, Minn. (PRNewswire) — From Food and Health to Food Security to Public Policy; from Taste to Activism to Agriculture, the 46th Annual Nobel Conference will explore "Making Food Good," Oct. 5-6 on the Gustavus Adolphus College campus in St. Peter, an hour outside of Minneapolis. For more than four decades, Gustavus has organized and hosted the two-day Nobel Conference that links a general audience with the world's foremost scholars and researchers.
Farmers Being Pushed To Do More With Less
May 3, 2010 5:05 am | CommentsCRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (AP) — Ken Bauman is a fourth-generation dairy farmer and his 13-year-old daughter, Renee, thinks she might be the fifth. Bauman's 10-year-old son, Randy, leans more toward crop production. Bauman Farms and the dairy arm, called Marwood-Ridge Registered Holsteins, milk about 60 cows, have a small beef operation and farm about 1,800 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and hay.
Idaho Farmers Want More Research Money
May 3, 2010 5:04 am | CommentsNAMPA, Idaho (AP) — Idaho producers told members of the House Agriculture Committee during a hearing on the new federal farm bill that they need less government regulation and more money spent on agriculture research. The current $284 billion bill, approved in 2008, expires in September 2012, and members of the committee are holding a series of meetings around the country.
Oil Slick's Impcat On Louisiana Seafood Industry Unknown
May 3, 2010 5:01 am | CommentsNEW ORLEANS (AP) — As a giant oil slick lapped at southeastern Louisiana's ecologically sensitive coast, chefs, restaurant owners and seafood dealers were certain it would squeeze the state's $2.4 billion seafood industry. They just weren't sure how badly or for how long. Federal officials shut down fishing for at least 10 days from the Mississippi River to the Florida Panhandle on Sunday because of the uncontrolled gusher spewing massive amounts of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
India's Food Prices Soar
May 3, 2010 4:59 am | CommentsMUMBAI, India (AP) — In India, even the gods are doing without. Food inflation that has been stuck in the double digits for a year has had a deep impact on school lunches, family meals and holy offerings. Anger with high prices erupted into protests this week that disrupted flights, trains and traffic.
Vermont House Moves To Ban BPA
May 3, 2010 4:58 am | CommentsMONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont House has approved legislation that would restrict the use in the state of bisphenol A, a chemical used in plastic water bottles and other food containers. The bill phases out BPA in reusable food and beverage containers and in jars and cans that contain baby food and infant formula.
