Los Angeles/Chicago | Reuters — KFC, the world’s largest chain of fried chicken restaurants, may face pressure from consumer and environmental groups to change how its poultry are raised after McDonald’s said it would switch to chicken raised without human antibiotics. McDonald’s will phase out chicken raised with antibiotics that are important to human health […] Read more
KFC faces pressure after McDonald’s says no antibiotics in chicken
McDonald’s vows ‘modern’ makeover amid U.S. sales struggle
Reuters — McDonald’s on Monday vowed to remake itself as a “modern, progressive burger company” after aggressive competition from Chipotle Mexican Grill, Chick-fil-A and myriad “better burger” chains bit into U.S. restaurant sales last month. February ended the run of former CEO Don Thompson. His short tenure included 2014, when falling profit, revenue and traffic […] Read more
McDonald’s to phase out human antibiotics from U.S. chicken supply
Reuters — McDonald’s U.S. restaurants will gradually stop buying chicken raised with antibiotics vital to fighting human infections, the most aggressive step by a major food company to change chicken producers’ practices in the fight against dangerous “superbugs.” The world’s biggest restaurant chain announced on Wednesday that within two years, McDonald’s USA will only buy […] Read more
Starbucks eyes coconuts as non-dairy, non-soy demand soars
Reuters — Starbucks Corp. said on Wednesday its 12,123 U.S. shops would begin offering coconut milk on Feb. 17, as it seeks to keep pace with soaring demand for non-dairy and non-soy milk alternatives. Starbucks began offering soy milk in 1997. Consumer tastes have since evolved, driving strong demand for other non-dairy alternatives made from […] Read more
McDonald’s says rough ride to continue into 2015
Reuters — McDonald’s Corp. warned Friday that business will be weak in the first half of 2015 and it is cutting its annual construction budget to the lowest in more than five years as it opens fewer restaurants in struggling markets. The world’s largest fast-food chain, with more than 36,000 restaurants around the globe, just […] Read more
McDonald’s to pare U.S. menus, ingredient lists
Reuters — McDonald’s said Wednesday it plans to cut the number of items on its U.S. menus and use fewer ingredients in food as it moves to speed up service, bolster sales and offer consumers personalized options to compete better with Subway and Chipotle Mexican Grill. Mike Andres, the company’s U.S. president, said starting in […] Read more
Colorado voters to weigh in on GMO food labeling
Reuters — Colorado voters in November will have their say on a proposition that would require labels on foods that contain genetically modified ingredients (GMOs). Proponents of GMO labeling initiatives, who say they have the right to know what is in their food, have been gaining steam in the U.S. Their wins have come despite […] Read more
Pilgrim’s bid for Hillshire puts Pinnacle deal in peril
Reuters — Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. on Tuesday offered to buy Hillshire Brands in an all-cash deal valued at US$6.4 billion, as the world’s second-largest chicken processor seeks to expand its protein footprint with Hillshire’s sausages and lunch meats. Shares in Hillshire soared almost 23 per cent on word of the bid, which landed two weeks […] Read more
U.S. farm kids have mixed views on Zilmax
Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters / For more than a century, ranchers and their kids have paraded cattle around the dusty show ring at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, in a rite of passage that is part farm economics, part rural theatre. Today, with U.S. auction prices for champion cattle topping $300,000 a head and hefty scholarship […] Read more
Restaurants can lock in beef supply — but not price
Reading Time: 2 minutes It is getting harder for restaurant chains to lock in long-term prices for hamburger and other beef cuts as the impact of last summer’s historic drought sends prices higher. Such purchasing contracts help companies predict their food costs over time, and if done well, can save them significant money in times of rising prices. Chili’s […] Read more
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