Industry Headlines

Editorial: USDA, industry must team on food safety
As consumers, we've worried about the safety of our spinach, our tomatoes and our beef, among other food staples, due to nationwide outbreaks of salmonella or E. coli. Although the situations have differed, one of the underlying questions is whose job it is to monitor food safety.  At a time when bacteria is evolving and our food comes to our tables from more varied places, we need both the industry and USDA inspectors to follow a system of checks and balances.
Editorial: Appleton Post-Crescent
http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/
20080721/APC0602/807210439/1531/APC06

Petition drive could send sick leave measure to voter referendum
A coalition led by 9to5, the National Association of Working Women, has mounted a petition drive demanding an ordinance to require the city's private-sector employers to provide paid sick leave for their workers, and to let those workers take sick days to care for ailing family members.
Larry Sandler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=774452

Middleton smoking ban OK'd, will start next March
Middleton is going smoke-free.  Before a packed audience, the Middleton City Council voted 6-2 Tuesday night to ban all indoor public smoking beginning March 15, 2009.  The move extends the city's ban on smoking in restaurants, in place since 1996, to include all workplaces, taverns and public buildings.
Karyn Saemann, Capital Times
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/296417

Survey: Keep smoking in bars
About two-thirds of Weston respondents favor workplace, restaurant ban
Prohibit smoking in restaurants and businesses, but keep it legal in bars.  That's the prevailing response from the more than 650 Weston residents who responded to a village newsletter question regarding a villagewide smoking ban.
Jocelyn Berkhahn, Wausau Daily Herald
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/
20080717/WDH0101/807170644/1581/WDH01

Consumers make changes -- but will they last?
Every economic downturn changes shoppers in some way. But this time, experts say the new behavior — fueled by higher gas and food prices, tightening credit and a slumping housing market — are the most dramatic and widespread that they have seen since the mid-1970s.  So retailers, marketers and investors are all trying to figure out which habits shoppers will keep and which will they drop when the economy recovers.
Anne D'Innocenzio, AP, Capital Times
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/297037

Desire for neutral site eliminated Milwaukee as an option for MillerCoors HQ
MillerCoors executives, who announced yesterday that Chicago would be the company's corporate headquarters, eliminated Milwaukee as an option for the headquarters when they determined that they needed a "neutral site."
Small Business Times
http://www.biztimes.com/daily/2008/7/16/
desire-for-neutral-site-eliminated-milwaukee-as-an-option-for-millercoors-hq

Berry demand may bring a burst in bogs
Wisconsin, already the nation's top cranberry grower, soon could see a huge increase in production
Two of the largest buyers of Wisconsin cranberries are on a mission to persuade growers to increase their output, with the hope of adding $75 million annually to the state economy and creating 1,115 jobs.
Doris Hajewski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=774138

Legislature approves bill banning trans fats
California is poised to become the first state in the nation to ban restaurants and other food facilities from using trans fats, which are known to increase the risk of heart disease, under a bill approved by the state Legislature Monday and sent to the governor.
Samantha Sondag, San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/14/MN0111OTUA.DTL

Last Week's Headlines:

Restaurants adjust menus after warnings on jalapeños
With raw jalapeños the latest possible culprit in a salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 1,000 people, restaurants are pulling the hot pepper from their menus and finding other ways to give their salsas some kick.
Julie Jargon and Anna Prior, Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121582198000147677.html?mod=dist_smartbrief

No fry zone? Food fight in Denver continues
Councilman says the proposed "green" convention catering initiatives are prejudicial against southern fare
The heated debate in Denver this summer is not about Obama versus McCain. Rather, it is about old fashioned Southern fried food versus lean and green lighter offerings. The controversy surrounding the food selection for the 2008 Democratic Convention continues... "The host committee's food police are going too far," said Denver Councilman Charlie Brown. "They've turned into food control zealots." The catering proposal not only includes a ban on fried food, but also a mandate for colorful, organic food.
Joanna Jennings, ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5356224&page=1

L.A. official wants a change of menu
Councilwoman seeks moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in south-central
Citing alarming rates of childhood obesity and a poverty of healthful eating choices, a city councilwoman is pushing for a moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in South-Central Los Angeles.
Karl Vick, Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2008/07/12/AR2008071201557.html?hpid=moreheadlines

As food costs soar, it's back to basics for meal planners
When USA TODAY asked readers to report how they are coping with higher grocery bills while still eating healthfully, dozens of people responded with lists of ways they're cutting costs. Their ideas range from curtailing restaurant meals to planting gardens, using coupons, shopping smarter and cooking more economical meals.
Nanci Hellmich, USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-07-07-food-prices_N.htm

Middleton council may decide on smoking ban
License committee proposed a March 15, 2009, start date
The Middleton Common Council will weigh Tuesday whether to become the latest Wisconsin community to ban indoor smoking in all public places.
Karyn Saemann, Capital Times
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/296232