News
Photo of the Day: Rummaging Through the Rubble
June 7, 2013 9:28 am | CommentsIn this photo taken Tuesday June 4, 2013, Chinese paramilitary policemen go through the burnt factory of Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Co. in Dehui city in northeast China's Jilin province. China's workplace safety agency said negligence among factory managers and government inspectors caused "extremely chaotic" work-safety conditions at a poultry plant where a deadly fire killed 120 workers this week.
FDA To Hold Hearings for New England Farmers
June 6, 2013 12:40 pm | CommentsThe Food and Drug Administration is organizing public hearings in New England for farmers who are concerned that proposed safety rules could hurt their businesses. New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Rep. Annie Kuster have led a bipartisan effort of lawmakers to call on the FDA to come to New England.
Review Blames Plant Staff, Inspectors for XL Foods Recall
June 6, 2013 12:39 pm | CommentsA relaxed attitude towards mandatory procedures on the part of both plant staff and federal food inspectors is partly to blame for an E. coli outbreak last fall that sickened 18 people and led to the largest beef recall in Canadian history.
Horse Slaughterhouse Accuses USDA of IRS Tactics
June 6, 2013 12:37 pm | by JERI CLAUSING,Associated Press | CommentsA southeastern New Mexico company's plans to convert a cattle plant into a horse slaughterhouse has hit another roadblock, this time over an environmental dispute that the company's attorney blames on the Obama administration putting politics over policy.
Calif. Man Gets Hepatitis A from Tainted Berries
June 6, 2013 12:34 pm | by GREGORY BULL and SHAYA TAYEFE MOHAJER,Associated Press | CommentsGeoff Soza was celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary in Yellowstone National Park when the 64-year-old man learned the hard way that his seemingly healthy breakfast habit of mixing thawed berries with Greek yogurt had exposed him to a national outbreak of hepatitis A.
Gov’t Proposes Safety Labels for Tenderized Beef
June 6, 2013 12:30 pm | by MARY CLARE JALONICK,Associated Press | CommentsBeef tenderized by machines before it is sold in grocery stores could soon carry labels warning customers to cook the meat thoroughly. The Agriculture Department is proposing to require the new labels and cooking instructions for the meat, which is poked with needles or blades to increase tenderness.
Daily Sound Bite: Cheerios Stands Behind Ad
June 6, 2013 12:26 pm | CommentsCheerios stirred a bit of unexpected controversy after an ad showing a mixed race family drew criticism and some negative reactions on the internet. Marketing expert Laura Ries explains that advertising often shies away from anything that could potentially be controversial — even if most viewers would just see a normal family eating breakfast.
Consumer Trends: Dark Chocolate Gains on Milk Chocolate
June 6, 2013 12:00 pm | CommentsThe latest research from Mintel reveals that for just more than half (51%) of all adult consumers the favorite type of plain chocolate is milk chocolate, followed by 35% who favor dark chocolate and 8% who prefer white chocolate. In contrast, Mintel's 2011 report found that 57% of consumers favored milk chocolate and 33% of consumers preferred dark chocolate.
Tesco Sales Fall After Horsemeat Scandal
June 6, 2013 9:46 am | CommentsTesco, Britain's largest retailer by revenue, saw sales drop 1 percent at its U.K. stores amid consumer distaste over the horsemeat scandal. Chief Executive Philip Clarke says there was a discernible impact on frozen and chilled convenience food sales "due to the customer response to equine DNA being detected in four products."
Sri Lanka Suing Ad Firm over Beer Commercial
June 6, 2013 9:44 am | CommentsSri Lanka's government said Wednesday that it would take legal action against an advertising company for featuring a UNESCO World Heritage site in a Japanese beer commercial. National Heritage Minister Jagath Balasuriya said a Sri Lankan advertising company had been given permission to film the Sigiriya rock fortress for a commercial that the firm said was for an energy drink. The commercial, however, turned out to be for a Japanese beer.
Croissant-Donut Hybrid a Hit
June 6, 2013 9:42 am | by LEANNE ITALIE,Associated Press | CommentsOh the pull of that elusive reservation at the hot new restaurant. And double-oh the sweet and fatty decadence of a well-made dessert. Combine the two foodie emotions and you've got the Cronut. There's a frenzy goin' on — Manhattan style — for the croissant-doughnut hybrid that went on sale in limited quantities about three weeks ago at the tiny downtown shop of French chef Dominique Ansel.
Cheerios Stands by Ad Showing Mixed-Race Family
June 6, 2013 9:40 am | by LEANNE ITALIE,Associated Press | CommentsCheerios is standing by a fictitious family in one of its TV ads. The family reflects a black-white racial mix uncommon in commercials today, especially in ads on TV, at a time when interracial and interethnic couples are on the rise in real life, according to 2010 U.S. Census data, brand strategists and marketing consultants.
Monsanto: Modified Wheat ‘Isolated Occurrence’
June 6, 2013 9:37 am | by NIGEL DUARA,Associated Press | CommentsA genetically modified test strain of wheat that emerged to the surprise of an Oregon farmer last month was likely the result of an accident or deliberate mixing of seeds, the company that developed it said Wednesday. Representatives for Monsanto Co. said during a conference call that the emergence of the genetically modified strain was an isolated occurrence. It has tested the original wheat stock and found it clean, the company said.
Photo of the Day: The Cronut Craze
June 6, 2013 9:35 am | CommentsThis June 3, 2013 photo shows chef Dominique Ansel making Cronuts, a croissant-donut hybrid, at the Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York. Ansel makes only 200 to 250 Cronuts every morning and has been selling out within an hour.
Taco Bell Fires Employee for Licking Taco Shells
June 5, 2013 12:26 pm | CommentsTaco Bell is firing a California employee who was photographed licking a stack of taco shells. The shot was made in March at a Taco Bell in Ridgecrest, 100 miles north of Los Angeles. Taco Bell Products Inc. says the shells were provided for workers to practice making its new Cool Ranch tacos and were thrown out without being sold.
Daily Sound Bite: Unexpected GMO Wheat Discovery Prompts Lawsuit
June 5, 2013 12:25 pm | CommentsAfter unapproved GMO wheat was discovered in an Oregon field last week, farmers, regulators and Monsanto — the company responsible for creating the crop — were left scrambling. Now a Kansas farmer is suing the seed giant claiming the discovery is driving down U.S. wheat prices.
Pa. Senator Still Deciding Liquor Bill
June 5, 2013 12:25 pm | by MARC LEVY,Associated Press | CommentsHow much the Pennsylvania treasury will suffer from privatizing state-controlled wine and liquor sales — and how to keep prices from rising in such a system — will be among the many questions a key state senator will try to answer as he finalizes a piece of much-anticipated legislation.
Food Rationing To Begin in Venezuela
June 5, 2013 12:23 pm | by FRANK BAJAK and JORGE RUEDA,Associated Press | CommentsIn a sign Venezuela's food shortages could be worsening, restrictions on the sale of 20 basic items subject to price controls, including toilet paper and chicken, are set to begin next week in its most populous state, officials said Tuesday.A spokesman for President Nicolas Maduro's government said it is incorrect to call the plan rationing because it is meant to fight smuggling of price-controlled food across the border into Colombia.
USDA, EPA Working To Reduce Food Waste
June 5, 2013 12:21 pm | by MARY CLARE JALONICK,Associated Press | CommentsWorking with the nation's largest retailers and food companies, the Agriculture Department and the EPA said Tuesday that they are going to try to reduce food waste. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the department will work with industry to make it easier for companies to donate misbranded meat and poultry, test out a meat-composting program and increase donations of edible food that may get discarded because of appearance.
AB InBev Completes $20.1 Billion Grupo Modelo Deal
June 5, 2013 12:19 pm | CommentsAnheuser-Busch InBev has completed its $20.1 billion purchase of Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo. The world's largest brewer has been trying for almost a year to buy the half of Modelo that it did not already own. The Department of Justice initially blocked the deal, but signed off on the combination after AB InBev agreed to sell Modelo's entire U.S. business to a wine maker, Constellation Brands Inc.
