Archives
Feds Fail on Killer Food
As so often happens with food-borne-disease outbreaks, the news about salmonella-tainted peanut butter circulating through our food system has gotten worse and more disturbing every day. Hundreds of products have now been recalled. More than 500 people have gotten sick. At least eight have died.
Bribery You Can Eat
Buyers from a couple of the world's biggest food companies have either pleaded guilty or soon will plead guilty to accepting bribes from suppliers as a result of a massive federal probe of the industry that prosecutors say is continuing.
Please Don't Eat the Blowfish Balls
If you're seeking "thrills," it's probably best to avoid eating blowfish testicles. Try snowboarding. Or skydiving. Even having your friends push you off a roof in a shopping cart, Jackass-style, would be better: It's more thrilling, and, more to the point, it doesn't involve eating blowfish testicles.
More Layoffs at Starbucks?
The Seattle Times reported on Saturday that it had gotten a hold of a memo from a local stock brokerage advising clients that Starbucks was planning another massive layoff, this time of 1,000 workers.
The move will reportedly eliminate the jobs of about one-third of Starbucks' headquarters employees and will hit some workers in the field, though no baristas will be laid off this time.
Recession: McDonald's Is Lovin' It
As the recession takes its toll on nearly every sector of the economy, McDonald's is continuing to clean up. Forbes reported Friday that the chain plans to spend $1.1 billion in Europe this year—half of its total capital allocation—on new restaurants and upgrades.
No Controls on Frankenfood Imports
In a little-noticed audit report issued last month, the Agriculture Department's inspector general warned that unapproved genetically modified crops and livestock could easily make their way into the U.S. food supply because of the USDA's lack of import controls.
If that happens, the report warned, it could cause a scare and disrupt commerce.
Where Deadly Peanut Butter Comes From
The Food and Drug Administration confirmed Wednesday that the salmonella outbreak that has killed several people and sickened nearly 500 in 43 states has been traced to Peanut Corp. of America's Blakely, Ga., plant and did not occur further along the supply chain.
Are Girl Scout Cookies Safe?
Over the past few days, the nation has been gripped by a single question: will Girl Scout Cookies be affected by the latest salmonella outbreak, which has companies pulling peanut-butter-based products from shelves across the country?
The First Luncheon
Earlier this month, when the menu for Barack Obama's inaugural luncheon was still super-secret, Florida State University professor Elizabeth B. Goldsmith offered an "educated guess" on what might be served. "I assume we'll see American Midwestern cuisine traditionally associated with Chicago," she said.
Cola We Can Believe In
PepsiCo is far from alone in exploiting Barack Obama's ascendancy for commercial gain. Hennessy has named a new brand of cognac "44." And Ben & Jerry's has a new, clumsily named ice cream called "Yes Pecan!" (Get it?)
There are lots of others, but no company is laying it on thicker than Pepsi:
Want Attention? Sue Coke
Given our crowded, noisy media, sometimes the only way to get attention is to sue somebody.
That explains the suit filed Wednesday by the Center for Science in the Public Interest against Coca-Cola claiming that the beverage giant is being "deceptive" in marketing its Vitaminwater as nutritious. Given how right the center is when it says that Coke's claims "shock the conscience," you almost can't blame it for suing. Almost.
Cargill's Market Medley
Ann Davis of the Wall Street Journal snagged a rare interview with Greg Page, CEO of the notoriously closed-mouthed, somewhat mysterious Cargill, the closely held food giant.
Somewhat predictably, the piece is mostly laudatory. That's how these things go, of course: landing such an interview is bound to color the resulting coverage and to create hopes for more access. But Cargill has turned in stellar results even as the economy has tanked.
Wendy's Retreats in Breakfast War
In 2007, Wendy's International announced big plans to take on McDonald's in the mornings. The company began adding breakfast offerings in hundreds of its fast-food outlets across the country, describing it as a necessary step to stay competitive. At the time, USA Today declared that fast-food chains were engaging in a "breakfast war."
Trading on Trader Joe's Trademark
Three blocks from a Trader Joe's market on 14th Street in Manhattan, a new store is slated to open this week: Trader John's. It looks—inside and out—a lot like the Trader Joe's that is just down the street. Even the sign's typeface is similar.
Trader Joe's, a national chain, has filed a lawsuit against the company that owns the new store, Gristede's Foods, alleging trademark infringement.
Whopper Facebook Weirdness
"When will the madness end at Burger King?" asks Nancy Luna of Fast Food Maven, a blog by the Orange County Register.
It's a good question. The chain's marketing campaigns are becoming more obnoxious all the time. The latest promotion, "Whopper Sacrifice," offers a free Whopper to anyone who deletes 10 Facebook friends.
Predicting Obama's Food Policy
On Monday, the New York Daily News blog Mouth of the Potomac passed along a rumor that President-elect Obama was thinking of moving Tom Vilsack, Obama's pick as Agriculture secretary, over to the Commerce Department.
Spelt It Out
Spelt is not wheat, or maybe it is, but what's important to food marketers is that the Food and Drug Administration calls it wheat. So it's wheat.
The FDA has demanded that Newman's Own Organics state clearly on its packages of spelt pretzels that they contain wheat. The company has agreed to comply.
Currently, the packages say that spelt is "an entirely different species" from wheat. That is 100 percent accurate.
Pricey Tuna Stinks
A Japanese bluefin tuna was sold at auction Monday for more than $100,000, which drew predictable "wacky story of the day" treatment in the media.
Late in some (but not all) news accounts of the sale, we learn that bluefin tuna is an endangered species because it is, as the Monterrey Bay Aquarium puts it "severely overfished" and hence "should be avoided."
Tyson CEO Takes Wing
Did Tyson Foods' lenders force the company's chairman and CEO, Richard Bond, to resign in return for renegotiating the company's debt?
It's a good bet, though nobody's saying so. Tyson, which announced Bond's departure on Monday morning, didn't comment on the question when asked by the Wall Street Journal.
Ethanol and 'Intellectual Honesty'
A War of Letters has broken out between the ethanol-loving Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and the ethanol-hating Grocery Manufacturers Association. Most recently, Grassley wrote to the GMA demanding to know when the food industry is going to lower prices now that input costs like farm commodities and energy have fallen so far, so fast.
Recent Daily Bread Posts
-
Dan MitchellNovember 20, 2009
-
Dan MitchellNovember 19, 2009
-
Dan MitchellNovember 18, 2009
-
Dan MitchellNovember 17, 2009
-
Dan MitchellNovember 16, 2009
