International News
Koninklijke Wessanen nv has reached an agreement to acquire
the UK's Kallo Foods. Kallo is the leading brand for an
organic product range in the UK, which includes healthy products
such as rice cakes and breadsticks. Full
Story
Health News
A common antibiotic may be a useful weapon against the abnormal
proteins that cause "mad cow" and other brain-wasting diseases,
researchers in Italy report. Full
Story
In the Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN school system, seventh graders
in 16 schools who participated in a program aimed at getting
them to eat more fruits and vegetables -- and eat food that
had less fat -- actually changed their eating habits, reports
an epidemiologist with the University of Minnesota. After fruit-and-veggie
tasting sessions, tips in preparing healthy snacks and incentives
to eat better foods, kids ate 1/2 to one whole serving more
fruits and vegetables a day, reported WebMD. Full
Story
Washington News
The House of Representatives voted to lift restrictions
on travel and trade with Cuba on July 24. Despite a hard
line on Cuba from the Bush administration, the Senate also
is expected to lift restrictions, reported The Packer
Online. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Market News
It's a struggle for farmers along California's Central Coast,
as low prices force them to sell vegetables at a loss. After
hitting unheard-of prices around $60 dollars a box last winter,
iceberg lettuce has plunged as low as $4 dollars now. Prices
for broccoli, cauliflower, celery and leaf lettuce are also
low, causing some farmers to plow their crops under in response,
reported California Farm Bureau Federation.
Washington State's 2002 wine-grape crop should weigh in
at a record of more than 118,000 tons, up from 100,000 tons
last year, the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers
said, noted Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The non-profit
association attributed the size of the crop to an increase in
"bearing vines," those producing quality wine grapes. The amount
of land in the state with bearing vines has increased to 24,800
acres from 17,000 acres in 1999, according to the association.
Full
Story, View
Report
Grass-fed beef is creating a buzz at San Francisco's Bay
Area restaurants among both diners and chefs, meat lovers
and health enthusiasts, who say it is leaner and more humanely
raised. Many traditional ranchers, however, consider it a flash
in the pan, a product with inconsistent taste, severe production
limitations, few retail outlets and a hefty price tag that is
sometimes twice that of conventionally raised beef, reported
The Mercury News. Full
Story
