Safety & Security: Page 363

Railroads Retire Boxcars, Creating Shortage

The number of boxcars in service in North America fell by 41 percent in the past decade to slightly less than 125,000 last year as 101,600 cars were scrapped and only about 13,800 replacement were added.

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Ferrero To Acquire U.K. Confectioner Thorntons

Ferrero, best known for its nutty chocolates wrapped in gold foil, said it would keep the Thorntons brand and the company’s factory in Alfreton, Derbyshire.

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House Appropriations Committee Funding For FSMA Falls Short

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

The Senate Appropriations Committee is preparing its version of the budget proposal and the two chambers of Congress will merge aspects of both versions to create a funding proposal for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

In this file photo Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations Senator Thad Cochran is sitting with committee member Senator Mitch McConnell.

Grocery Manufacturers Warn Vermont Over GMO Labeling Rule; Organic Consumers Group Defends The Mandate

Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA)

The state's labeling mandate on foods with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is scheduled to go into effect in July 2016, but food manufacturers are finding even more costs and challenges from the law the GMA said in a letter to Vermont's Governor.

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin responded to the letter yesterday on his Facebook page: The Grocery Manufacturers Association sent me a letter yesterday urging me to abandon Vermont's GMO labeling law. Here's my response: Here's an idea for the industry: Just label your products. All of them, nationwide. 64 countries already do it. I'm sure the food industry in America could summon the moral imagination to be the 65th. The industry's real concern is that as goes Vermont so will go America. Plain and simple Vermont's law is about giving consumers the right to know what is in their food. For too long consumers in America have been denied that right. Vermont is saying enough is enough. Give us the right to know.

Alibaba’s Logistics Arm Launches Distribution Centers For Fresh Groceries In Three Major Chinese Cities

The opening of Cainiao’s three distribution centers is part of a major expansion of its logistics network that includes a new 60,000 square-meter warehouse in eastern China.

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Food Safety Protection Laws Fail To Stem Rising Illnesses

President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act to focus federal regulators more on preventing contamination, not just reacting after the fact, but some in the food-safety field are hardly convinced that all is now fine because of a new law.

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Propane Autogas Mitigates Maintenance Concerns for Sausage Delivery Fleet

Propane Education & Research Council (PERC)

For Stevens Sausage, the rising cost of maintenance on diesel engines was a driving factor in its decision to switch to propane autogas.

Stevens Sausage, based in Smithfield, N.C., has found propane fuel significantly reduces fleet maintenance costs.

Panasonic Touts Its Eco-Conscious Cold Chain Solutions

The global tech giant is focusing on their cold chain solutions as part of their new "A Better Life, A Better World" campaign.

Panasonic’s open showcases employs CO2 refrigerant technology to create an air curtain created of cold air that flows from top to bottom.

A&P Seeks 'Strategic Options,' Including Possible Asset Sale

The New York Post on Wednesday reported that A&P was shopping 137 of its 301 stores, basing its report on what it called a list of targeted stores.

DOT Grants Agriculture 2-Year Waiver From Hours Of Service Rule

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)

The National Pork Producers Council, on behalf of other livestock, poultry and food organizations, this spring asked the FMCSA to renew the waiver and to extend it for the two-year maximum allowable under federal law.

Risk/Compliance

Avian Flu Drives Up Egg Prices

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released data in April that showed a dozen large eggs averaged $2.07, but prices have risen considerably since then, with some individual markets now topping $3 a dozen.

The bird flu outbreak has caused the U.S. Department of Agriculture to approve importing egg products from the Netherlands to be used for baking and in processed foods.

Van, Reefer Rates Hold Firm

DAT Freight & Analytics

Rates in all three equipment categories held firm on the heels of big increases during the first week of June.

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