Cutting 'Junk Foods' From Schools May Level Obesity Rates

SAN FRANCISCO (AScribe Newswire) — New policies that eliminate sugary beverages and junk foods from schools may help slow childhood obesity, according to a San Francisco State University study released today and published in the March issue of the journal Health Affairs. "This is one of the very first comprehensive investigations that examined whether childhood obesity trends changed after new statewide policies were enacted in California," said the study's first author Emma Sanchez-Vaznaugh, assistant professor of health education at SF State.

Local Growers Seek Helpful Policies

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia's longtime agriculture commissioner, Tommy Irvin, has spent more than 41 years building the state's agricultural empire on international trade. But as Irvin retires this year and the state enters a new era of agricultural leadership, the organization that represents the state's organic and naturally grown producers, Georgia Organics, is looking to rebuild at home.

Mass. Food Company Plans Expansion

FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) — Officials at a 120-year-old food manufacturing company in Fall River say business has been so good that they plan to double the size of their plant and hire as many as 100 new employees. Todd Blount, president of Blount Fine Foods, tells The Herald News of Fall River that business is up about 10 percent in the restaurant end of their sales and nearly 30 percent in sales to markets and wholesale clubs.

Atlas Copco Acquires Quincy Compressor

Stockholm, Sweden (Atlas Copco) — Atlas Copco has completed the acquisition of Quincy Compressor from EnPro Industries, with the exception of Quincy’s Chinese operations, where regulatory approvals from relevant local authorities are still pending. Quincy Compressor designs and manufactures reciprocating compressors, rotary screw compressors and vacuum pumps, primarily under the Quincy brand.

Subsidies Keeping Farmers Afloat

NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) — It's a punch line for comedians and an easy target for politicians, but local farm officials and farmers say the U.S. Farm Bill often helps keep farmers afloat during tough times. The stated purpose of the Farm Bill is to provide a sustainable food supply for the United States at an affordable price, and one of the ways it does that is through programs that are commonly known as farm subsidies.

Bakery Pulls Girl Scout Cookies From Shelves

Gatorade Drops Tiger Woods

NEW YORK (AP) — Add Gatorade to the list of endorsement deals that Tiger Woods has lost. A representative for the drink, sold by PepsiCo Inc., confirmed late Friday that it had ended its relationship with the golfer, who made a lengthy public apology last week for his infidelities.

Woman Behind $27.4M Grain Fraud Scheme Sentenced To Prison

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri woman was sentenced Thursday to nine years in federal prison for a grain fraud scheme that bilked 179 farmers out of a combined $27.4 million and earned her the nickname the "Madoff of the Midwest." Cathy Gieseker, 45, of Martinsburg, pleaded guilty to one felony count of mail fraud in November.

Warm Winter Worries Oregon Fruit Growers

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — A mild January, followed by several days of 60-degree temperatures last week, could lead to the earliest arrival of pear blossoms in the Rogue Valley in nearly two decades. David Sugar, a plant pathologist at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center in Medford, said the average date for Bartlett pear trees to reach full bloom is April 6.