News
Whale Meat Increases Mercury Levels In Japanese Town
May 10, 2010 4:48 am | CommentsTAIJI, Japan (AP) — Residents of the dolphin-hunting village depicted in Oscar documentary "The Cove" have dangerously high mercury levels, likely because of their fondness for dolphin and whale meat, a government lab said Sunday. The levels of mercury detected in Taiji residents were above the national average, but follow-up tests have found no ill effects, according to the National Institute for Minamata Disease.
Report Finds Need For Integration In Food Safety
May 10, 2010 4:47 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (PRNewswire) — The Produce Safety Project today issued a report that examines the steps taken by select European Union (EU) countries to reform their food safety data collection and analysis systems since the 1990s. Authored by Michael Batz, head of Food Safety Programs, Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida, and J.
Moth Threatens California Wine Region
May 7, 2010 4:59 am | CommentsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A moth with a devastating appetite for grapes is causing worries in California's San Joaquin Valley, the country's top grape growing region. The European grapevine moth, unknown to this country until late last year, has found its way to the region's heart of Fresno County, where grapes are a $725 million-a-year industry and the valley's top crop.
Texas Company Accused Of Cheating Workers
May 7, 2010 4:57 am | CommentsDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal agency says a Texas company cheated its mentally disabled workers who worked at a turkey-processing plant in Iowa. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says Henry's Turkey Service shortchanged the workers by at least $1 million and committed numerous major violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Study: More Veggies Could Mean More Jobs In Midwest
May 7, 2010 4:51 am | CommentsDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Midwest is known more for growing corn than cauliflower, but if its farmers raised the fruit and vegetables eaten in the Heartland, they could create thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in income, according to a recent study. The study from Iowa State University looked at what would happen if farmers in six Midwestern states — Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin — raised 28 crops in quantities large enough to meet local demand.
Pilgrim's Pride To Reopen Georgia Plant
May 7, 2010 4:47 am | CommentsDOUGLAS, Ga. (AP) — Pilgrim's Pride Corp. says it will reopen an idled south Georgia poultry plant, putting more than 1,000 people back to work. Texas-based Pilgrim's Pride Corp. on Thursday reported plans to re-open its chicken processing plant in Douglas by January 2011. The company will reopen two other idled facilities, one by mid-2011 and the other by spring 2012.
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.
