News
Threat Letter Part Of Snack Food Heir's Suicide Plan
March 26, 2010 5:29 am | CommentsMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Days after Major Bashinsky disappeared from his law office earlier this month, a letter turned up in his abandoned car that angrily accused his prosperous family of mistreating workers at the snack food company it founded. When his body was later found in a Birmingham golf course pond, it had all the markings of a sinister slaying: The 63-year-old father and husband had been shot in the head and bound loosely with a rope.
PepsiCo Aims To Raise Recycling Rates
March 26, 2010 5:25 am | CommentsPURCHASE, N.Y. (AP) — PepsiCo said this week that it plans to promote higher rates of beverage container recycling in the U.S., as part of its environmental sustainability goals. The company plans to create partnerships that promote the increase of U.S. beverage container recycling rates to 50 percent by 2018.
Rice Trial Opens In Arkansas
March 26, 2010 5:24 am | CommentsLONOKE, Ark. (AP) — Bayer CropScience knew that if an experimental strain of its genetically modified rice got into the commercial market it would be disastrous, a lawyer for a dozen Arkansas rice farmers said Wednesday as a civil trial on the issue got under way. "Bayer knew that, if this stuff got out, it would be catastrophic" in its effect on prices paid to farmers, lawyer Scott Powell told the jury in Lonoke County Circuit Court.
Idaho Revamps Swine, Poultry Regulations
March 24, 2010 5:41 am | CommentsBOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho state senate approved revamping laws governing big swine and poultry farms, a bill prompted by concern more chicken and egg producers will relocate to Idaho as states like California pass tougher animal-cruelty restrictions. Tuesday's vote was 24-11. The measure moves to the House.
PepsiCo Looks For Natural No-Cal Sweeteners
March 24, 2010 5:40 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — A race to develop natural, zero-calorie sweeteners is bubbling up in the nation's $100 billion beverage industry. PepsiCo, looking to revive itself in the declining soda industry, is boosting its development spending for this search and to mix up new drinks. PepsiCo Inc.
Chilean Winemakers Rattled After Earthquake
March 24, 2010 5:39 am | CommentsMOLINA, Chile (Canadian Press) — When Chile's worst earthquake in 50 years hit, Alvaro Galan bolted out of bed and ran, still in pyjamas, to his winery next door. In the 4 a.m. darkness of the echoing warehouse, rocking and groaning from aftershocks, he waded through a scene from a sinking submarine: Streams of liquid sprayed from cracked tanks that teetered and slammed against each other, and the cement floor ran red with cabernet.
Canadian Government Invests In Beef Research
March 24, 2010 5:38 am | CommentsCANADA (AP) — The Government of Canada is investing in research and innovation that will help beef producers remain on the cutting edge. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced today that the Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA) will receive more than $6 million to lead a research cluster of industry experts, scientists and universities.
Critics Challenge Health Of Canadian Salmon Industry
March 24, 2010 5:36 am | CommentsPRINCE RUPERT, B.C. (Canadian Press) — Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea went to Boston to extol the virtues of Canadian seafood, but critics of salmon farms say they don't know how she could call the practice safe. A news release issued by the Fisheries Department before Shea's trip to the annual International Boston Seafood Show said would promote Canada as "a leader in the production of high-quality, safe and nutritious fish and seafood.
Jesus' Last Supper Has Been Supersized
March 23, 2010 5:29 am | CommentsHas even the Last Supper been supersized? The food in famous paintings of the meal has grown by biblical proportions over the last millennium, researchers report in a medical journal Tuesday. Using a computer, they compared the size of the food to the size of the heads in 52 paintings of Jesus Christ and his disciples at their final meal before his death.
Seminar Emphasizes Feed Mill Equipment Management
March 23, 2010 5:28 am | CommentsATLANTA (U.S. Poultry & Egg Association) — The 2010 Feed Mill Management Seminar, sponsored by U.S. Poultry & Egg Association's Poultry & Egg Institute, focused on the management, maintenance, and monitoring of equipment throughout the feed mill to achieve optimum efficiency.
NCBA Supports Transparency In Nutrition Labeling
March 23, 2010 5:26 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (NCBA) — The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has submitted comments in support of a proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to require nutrition labeling of meat products. “As an industry, it’s our responsibility to provide accurate information about the nutritional value of our products—because consumers have a right to make educated decisions about the food they purchase for their families,” said Steve Foglesong, NCBA president.
Cupcakes Or Cash? People Choose Favorite Foods Over Money
March 23, 2010 5:25 am | by Tasty Surprises Twitter Giveaway | CommentsDALLAS (PRNewswire) — People apparently can't be pulled away from their beloved pizza, tacos and mac n' cheese, according to a new survey released by the American Heart Association. The survey found that 40 percent of American adults would not accept payment to forgo their favorite foods—with another half of respondents taking no less than $100,000.
Coconut Water Aims To Crack Sports Drink Market
March 23, 2010 5:23 am | CommentsBERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Here's something that could make Gilligan and the Skipper smile. Coconut water is making a splash in the beverage market, touted by manufacturers and fans as the healthy way to hydrate. "It's an exciting category right now," says Arthur Gallego, spokesman for Vita Coco, which recently got an endorsement from none other than Madonna.
Coke, USAID Invest $12.7M For Clean Water
March 23, 2010 5:21 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Coca-Cola and the U.S. Agency for International Development will invest $12.7 million to provide clean water in sub-Saharan Africa, the duo said Monday, nearly doubling previously announced investments in water supply. Coca-Cola has been very public about its efforts to cut water usage and also its campaign to ensure adequate water supply in places where it is scarce.
Eleven Plaintiffs Remain In 'Popcorn Lung' Lawsuits
March 22, 2010 5:21 am | CommentsJOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — Eleven plaintiffs remain in a round of lawsuits against a microwave popcorn packaging plant in Jasper. Originally, 44 plaintiffs were part of lawsuits filed in 2006 against the makers of butter flavorings used at the Jasper Popcorn Co. plant, which has operated as Gilster Mary Lee Corp.
Farmers Reuse Land For Solar Power
March 22, 2010 5:19 am | CommentsLEMOORE, Calif. (AP) — Cash-strapped farmers in California's agricultural heartland and environmentalists at odds over water rights and wildlife protections finally agree on something: that thousands of acres of cracked, salty farmland is the perfect site for a sprawling utility-scale solar farm.
Diamond Foods, Kettle Deal To Close In Weeks
March 22, 2010 5:18 am | CommentsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Diamond Foods expects its buyout of the maker of Kettle potato chips to close by the end of the month and boosted its guidance for the second half of the year. Previously the deal was expected to close by the end of Diamond's fiscal year. But the company received notice of early termination of the antitrust waiting period for the acquisition, it said in a news release Friday.
States Look To Join Agricultural Antitrust Fight
March 22, 2010 5:17 am | CommentsHELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana is leading a 16-state effort to save small farmers and ranchers by urging the federal government to use antitrust weapons and enlist the states' help to fight increasing consolidation in agriculture. The feds are listening. Attorney General Eric Holder and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack say a series of workshops on competition in the industry is an unprecedented act of cooperation between their agencies.
U.S. Senators Call NZ Dairy Practices 'Anticompetitive'
March 22, 2010 5:16 am | CommentsWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand on Monday hit back at a group of 30 U.S. senators who accused the country's dairy industry of anticompetitive practices, as a first round of talks ended for a free trade agreement. The talks are for a deal to expand the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement between New Zealand, Brunei, Chile and Singapore to include the U.
