Safety & Security: Page 296

Judge Dismisses Suit Against Whole Foods Market Over Animal Treatment Claims

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said the use by Whole Foods of a five-step rating system for beef, chicken, pork and turkey was a "sham," because it was not enforced against suppliers.

In a decision late on Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins in San Jose, California said PETA failed to show that Whole Foods' alleged misrepresentations on in-store signs, placards and napkins defrauded consumers into overpaying.

Ocean Ports & Carriers

Panama Canal Expansion Won’t Redirect Cargo To East Coast Ports

East Coast and Gulf Coast ports are likely to see a gradual increase in container volumes from Asia over many years according to David Egan, head of industrial research in the Americas for CBRE.

The opening of the Panama Canal’s new wider, deeper locks, isn’t likely to send a wave of new cargo to the East Coast, industrial real estate brokerage CBRE Inc.

California Trucking Firm Files For Bankruptcy; Owes $7 Million To Drivers’ Back Pay

Pacific 9 Transportation has become the latest trucking company to turn to bankruptcy proceedings after a wage-claim battle before the California Labor Commissioner.

Pacific 9 Transportation’s bankruptcy filing on Tuesday halts collection attempts from drivers who have fought for back pay, arguing the Carson, Calif., company improperly classified them as independent contractors instead of employees.

Ocean Ports & Carriers

Slowdown In Global Trade Hammers Port Activity

Overall trade rose just 2.8 percent in 2015, according to the World Trade Organization, the fourth consecutive year below 3 percent growth and historically weak compared with global economic expansion.

Brazil's Port of Itajai in Santa Catarina.

Pilgrim’s Pride Recalls 4.5 Million Pounds Of Chicken Products

The nationwide recall includes more than 20 products and three brands: Gold Kist Farms, Pierce Chicken and Sweet Georgia Brand.

Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. is recalling more than 4.5 million pounds of fully cooked chicken products after consumer complaints and federal confirmation that they contain extraneous material including metal and plastic.

Amazon Brings One-Hour Restaurant Delivery To San Francisco

Prime Now Restaurant Delivery offers customers transparent pricing — there are no menu markups or hidden service fees and delivery on all orders is free for a limited time.

Amazon.com announced that Prime Now customers in San Francisco, Calif. can now enjoy one-hour delivery from local restaurants, including Big Chef Tom’s Belly Burgers, Buca di Beppo, DOSA, The Monk’s Kettle, Nick’s Crispy Tacos, Pressed Juicery and many more.

Ocean Ports & Carriers

Maritime Administration Awards $ 4.9 Million To Strengthen U.S. Shipyard Competitiveness

Provided through the Small Shipyard Grant Program, the funding supports industrial modernizations that increase productivity, allowing our Nation’s small shipyards to compete more effectively in the global marketplace.

MARAD received 118 grant applications requesting $80 million in assistance, far exceeding the $4.9 million made available for the grants.

Aldi Removes Major Pesticides, Joining The Nation’s Healthiest Grocers

Aldi said it would drop products with any of eight major pesticides: Deltamethrin, Chlorpyrifos, Clothianidin, Cypermethrin, Imidacloprid, Thiamethoxam, Sulfoxaflo and Fipronil.

The move is being applauded by health-food aficionados for the healthy aspects of eating foods without pesticides and because those pesticides are considered harmful to bees.

Trans-Pacific Partnership: New Opportunities for U.S. Agriculture in Vietnam

Vietnam now ranks as the United States' 11th-largest agricultural export market, with top products including cotton, tree nuts, soybeans, and dairy.

Vietnam remains one of the fastest-growing markets for U.S. food and agricultural products, with U.S. exports totaling $2.3 billion in 2015. That's a 357 percent increase from 2007, the year Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Ocean Ports & Carriers

G6 Alliance To Send 10,000 TEU Ships Through Panama Canal

The G6, which comprises APL, Hapag-Lloyd, HMM, MOL, NYK, and OOCL, will launch anew its new NYX service later this year, although it did not give a date for the launch.

The announcement comes in the week that the alliance discovered it is to lose another member next year, when OOCL joins the proposed Ocean Alliance with CMA CGM, Evergreen and Cosco Container Line. APL will also leave the alliance when its sale to CMA CGM is completed.

FSMA Brings New Requirements: Assess, Control, Verify And Document

The movement of U.S. food safety efforts away from a reactive, punitive measures to a preventive system of safeguards has many food company owners fizzing.

Fsma

Risk/Compliance

Avian Pathologists Rap Excessive Moves Against Antibiotics In Poultry

The new document, “AAAP White Paper on Poultry Welfare and Careful Antibiotic Use,” expressed concerns over the growing trend for some food retailers and restaurants to only offer poultry products from flocks raised with no antibiotics.

Antibiotic use in poultry should be minimized through carefully planned and well-executed preventive practices, according to a new position statement released by the American Association of Avian Pathologists.

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