Tag Archives: Food & Drink

Berkeley’s new soda tax panel begins allocating seized funds

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“A new Berkeley ‘panel of experts’ charged with allocating money collected from the city’s recently implemented soda tax convened for the first time Tuesday night, electing Jennifer Brown and Xavier Morales as chair and vice chair, respectively.  Brown, a parent and soda tax activist, and Morales, executive director of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, will lead the nine-person panel, officially titled the ‘Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Product Panel of Experts,’ in bi-monthly or monthly meetings that will establish the direction of funding from Berkeley’s new sugar-sweetened beverage tax, which was approved by voters in November.  The soda tax had brought in $116,000 in its first month.”

http://www.berkeleyside.com/2015/05/20/berkeleys-new-soda-tax-panel-begins-its-work/

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Living with Venezuela’s high inflation

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“As the world watches the Greek debt crisis unfold, the economy of a country in another corner of the planet is also struggling, and some experts are even trying to draw similarities.  Venezuela has the world’s highest inflation, leaving many facing shortages and soaring prices.  While the government of president Nicolas Maduro says this is the result of an ‘economic war by capitalists and the United States against the country’s socialist revolution’, critics say the high inflation rate is simply showing the government’s economic incompetence.  The BBC’s Daniel Pardo explains how inflation affects what Venezuelans buy every day, like the popular snack called Arepa.”

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-33427761

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WV teacher threatened with fine for violating Obama school snack rules

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“The Williamson PreK-8 teacher, who was not identified, would give her students ‘wrapped candy’ as a reward for their hard work and good behavior.  Because the practice was an alleged violation of the federal rules championed by first lady Michelle Obama, Mingo County Schools Director of Child Nutrition Kay Maynard ‘placed a call to officials at the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) to report the incident,’ the Williamson Daily News reports.  Maynard also spoke to Williamson PreK-8 principal Shannon Blackburn, telling him about the possibility of a monetary fine for the teacher.  When news spread, parents and students mobilized, collecting pennies to pay the potential fine.”

http://eagnews.org/wv-teacher-threatened-with-fine-for-violating-michelle-os-school-snack-rules/

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France Moves To Ban Free Drink Refills

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“In a bid to curb the country’s rising obesity rate, the French parliament nearly-unanimously voted on April 1 to ban all free refills on sugary drinks.  The only drink allowed to be served in limitless quantities without charge will be water. ‘It is the role of the law to establish a framework to protect the population against a trade-upmanship that tends to make the ‘free’ surplus of food supply… an argument to attract consumers and encourage them to excessive consumption which can be harmful to health,’ the government’s official nutrition organization said in a statement.”

http://dailycaller.com/2015/04/03/france-moves-to-ban-free-refills/

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The Free Market is Solving the GMO Problem

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“Look what is happening. A significant number of consumers want foods made from GMO-free grains. Food companies provided them. The article mentions some examples. General Mills will no longer use GMO cornstarch in Cheerios. Chipotle Mexican Grill wants to eliminate GMOs from all its ingredients. Whole Foods will require GMO labeling by 2018. All this is happening without any state intervention. The businesses are responding to their customers. With demand growing but the supply of non-GMO grains relatively tight, prices for those grains have gone up. The higher prices enticed farmers like the one quoted in the Des Moines Register.”

http://www.thedailybell.com/news-analysis/36251/The-Free-Market-is-Solving-the-GMO-Problem/

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FDA sets Obamacare menu rules for food chains, other eateries

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“On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will announce that it is making final two rules that require calorie information be listed on menus and menu boards at chain restaurants, grocery store take-out counters, convenience stores, theaters, amusement parks and vending machines with 20 or more locations. The rules are required under the Affordable Care Act.  The restaurant rules take effect in one year and the vending machine rules in two years.  While there has been strong opposition from some pizza chains, theater chains and convenience store chains, the rules have strong support from the National Restaurant Association.”

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/11/24/menu-labeling-food-and-drug-administration-calorie-labeling/70054580/

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Swiss sanctions dilemma over Russia

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“Moscow’s response to EU sanctions – a ban on fresh food imports from the EU – does not apply to Switzerland.  For Swiss cheese maker Anthony Margot, that has led to ‘dozens’ of calls a day from Russian cheese distributors, hoping to fill the huge gap which will be left by French camembert, Dutch edam or Italian mozzarella.  ‘Some of them are calling in tears,’ he says. ‘The situation is terrible for them, they fear they will lose their jobs, everyone wants to buy Swiss cheese now.’  Unfortunately for the Russians, Swiss cheese makers are unlikely to be able to meet the demand as most of them are small, village-based businesses.”

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-28833360

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EU to help dairy sector hit by Russian food import ban

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“According to the European Commission, EU dairy exports to Russia were worth 2.3 billion euros ($3 billion) in 2013. Cheese accounted for almost half of that.  Under the dairy proposal, the commission said it would help cover the cost of storing surplus goods that had to be taken off the market for up to seven months – giving producers the option to sell their goods at a later date. The aid would apply to butter, skimmed milk powder and certain cheeses. The commission has not specified how much money it is prepared to set aside for the dairy industry. Unnamed EU officials cited by Reuters said the measures could cost between 10 and 20 million euros.”

http://www.dw.de/eu-to-help-dairy-sector-hit-by-russian-food-import-ban/a-17886679

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Senator calls for Burger King boycott over tax inversion move to Canada

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“The push for a boycott comes as Burger King plans to renounce its corporate citizenship in the United States and reincorporate in Canada.  Known as a ‘tax inversion,’ the move will allow Burger King to evade the 35% corporate tax rate in the US – the highest in the world, though most large corporations end up paying a significantly lower rate. In Canada, the corporate tax rate is 15%.  Sen. Sherrod Brown said a global minimum tax needs to be implemented to prevent companies from avoiding taxes.  Burger King is not currently being run by an American firm.  ‘The private equity fund that currently runs Burger King, 3G Capital, is Brazilian,” wrote Mark Gongloff.”

http://rt.com/usa/182984-boycott-burger-king-tax-dodge/

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Iceland EU accession talks break down over mackerel quotas

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“Negotiations over mackerel fishing quotas have fallen apart, extending a dispute dubbed ‘the mackerel war’ that has been a thorny issue in Iceland’s EU membership bid.  The European Union, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Norway left a meeting in Edinburgh without reaching an agreement for 2014.  Fishing is the main obstacle stopping Iceland from joining the EU. Reykjavik pulled out of accession talks indefinitely in September despite public support for a promised referendum on joining the bloc.  Iceland and the Faroe Islands, a Danish territory with autonomy in fishing matters, have been engaged in a ‘mackerel war’ with the EU since they unilaterally increased their quotas in 2010.”

http://phys.org/news/2014-03-eu-iceland-nordic-mackerel-quota.html

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