There have now been 1017 confirmed cases of illness in the US following the initial outbreak of Salmonella serotype Saintpaul almost 12 weeks ago. At a press conference this week the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported that 203 people had been hospitalised due to the outbreak. Dr. Robert Tauxe at the CDC (Centres of Disease Control and Prevention) advised that the crisis was the worst foodborne disease outbreak in the past decade. “This ongoing outbreak is now one of the largest... ...Read more »
Pressure has been mounting on caffeinated alcohol beverages as US consumer groups look to ban such products. With binge drinking a concern, it appears the focus has now spread from alcopops to caffeinated alcohol products. Anheuser-Busch has announced that they will remove the caffeine, guarana, and ginseng from their flavored malt beverages Tilt and Bud Extra. The move comes as part of agreements reached with the non-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which in February threatened... ...Read more »
Brewer Lion Nathan has bought American wine importer Cumulus Wine Inc. (CMI) - a subsidiary of the NSW-based Cumulus Group. Lion Nathan plan to use the purchase to establish a new wine platform for their premium Australian and New Zealand wine portfolio in the US market. Lion Nathan will utilise the business to sell both wines from the existing Cumulus portfolio including Rolling as well as wines from Lion Nathan’s New Zealand and Australian operations including Petaluma. Lion Nathan Wine Group... ...Read more »
The US Congress has passed a $290 billion farm bill, which will increase subsidies to US farmers and cut international aid programs. George Bush has threatened to veto the bill, however, but there is still a good chance it will be passed into law. Interestingly, the presidential candidates response to the bill were contrasting with John McCain critical, Hilary Clinton supportive and Barack Obama labelling it as “far from perfect”. According to an Associated Press tally less than... ...Read more »