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☆ About 18,000 Cattle Are Killed in Fire at Dairy Farm in Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Livia Albeck-Ripka | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The 911 calls came in rapid succession, with reports of an explosion and fire on Monday that officials would later say had trapped one female employee and thousands of cattle inside a milking parlor at a dairy farm in Dimmitt, Texas. As emergency responders approached after 7 p.m., they witnessed the thick plume of smoke, mushrooming over the plains. “While devastating, I’m grateful that there were no further injuries,” Sid Miller, the Texas agricultural commissioner, said in a statement. As for the cattle, he noted, around 18,000 had died. “This was the deadliest barn fire for cattle in Texas history,” Mr. Miller added.

☆ Behold the stuffed crust bagel
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Now, Philadelphia cream cheese and H&H Bagels, a New York City-based bagel shop, are trying to please the carbohydrate- and dairy-loving communities with a new and dubious spin on the stuffed crust: The bagel stuffed with cream cheese. But unlike stuffed-crust pizzas, the bagel is filled with cheese after it is baked, making it more of a cream cheese bagel donut, if not in spirit then at least in form. What’s so wrong with slicing a bagel and slathering on a healthy amount of cream cheese? New York doesn’t have a specific bagel tax, explained Ryan Cleveland, a representative of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Philadelphia cream cheese, which struggled with shortages in the past, turned that issue into a marketing opportunity as well.

☆ Here's what's getting cheaper at the grocery store
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Grocery prices finally dipped in March, falling for the first time since September 2020, according to data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The meats, poultry, fish and eggs index fell 1.4%, pulled down by another month of large decreases in egg prices. In the year through March, grocery prices jumped 8.4%, outpacing overall inflation of 5%. Grocery prices finally fell in March. But more recently, egg prices have been coming down.

☆ Restaurant prices are rising faster than grocery prices for the first time since inflation ran hot
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

For the first time since inflation began accelerating in mid-2021, restaurant prices outpaced grocery prices on a 12-month basis, according to the Labor Department. For months, restaurant CEOs like Cheesecake Factory's Matthew Clark and Wendy's Todd Penegor have touted their meals as a relative bargain compared with eating at home, based on consumer price index data. March food prices rose 8.5% over the last 12 months, fueled by the jump in the cost of eating away from home, which was up 8.8% over that period. The National Restaurant Association's chief economist, Bruce Grindy, attributed the increase to the surge in food prices at schools as free lunch programs instituted during the Covid pandemic expired. The overall consumer price index has risen 5% over the last 12 months as inflation continues to cool.

☆ 109-year-old went viral after celebrating his birthday with a belly dancer. Here are 12 lessons he says helped him have a happy, healthy life.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

After his marriage, Betty Markoff made sure he ate a mixture of protein vegetables, and rich deserts, but always eaten in moderation, he said. Later in life, Markoff made a good living as a vacuum salesman. From a young age, Markoff picked up odd jobs here and there, working as a shoeshine boy, newspaper boy, and more. Love deeply and take care of peopleMorrie and Betty Markoff on their 80th wedding anniversary. Courtesy of Thomas MarkoffMarkoff puts down a lot of his long life to luck.

☆ Chipotle unveils sustainable-restaurant design as it aims to cut carbon footprint in half by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Next year, more than 100 of the burrito chain's new locations will use all-electric equipment and some additional elements from the new design. Chipotle Mexican Grill on Tuesday unveiled a new all-electric restaurant design aimed at helping the company reach its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. Chipotle isn't the only restaurant chain looking to its restaurants to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. And a year earlier, its archrival, Restaurant Brands International's Burger King, revealed a new restaurant design that features solar panels. The company's goal to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 is based on its 2019 baseline of 1.4 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent across its supply chain and restaurants.

☆ World food prices fall for 12th month running in March - FAO
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ROME, April 7 (Reuters) - The United Nations food agency's world price index fell in March for a 12th consecutive month, and is now down 20.5% from a record high hit one year ago following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 126.9 points last month against 129.7 for February, the agency said on Friday. The FAO cereal price index fell 5.6% month-on-month in March, with wheat registering a 7.1% drop, maize a 4.6% decline and rice easing 3.2 percent. FAO also raised its forecast for world cereal production in 2022 to 2.777 billion tonnes, just 1.2% down from the previous year. World cereal utilisation in the 2022/23 period was seen at 2.779 billion tonnes, FAO said, down 0.7% from 2021/22.

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI, April 5 (Reuters) - India's stockpiles of dairy products have recovered in the past two months, though some products could qualify for duty free imports during peak demand season, a senior government official said on Wednesday. "There is adequate inventory of skimmed milk powder (SMP)," said Rajesh Kumar Singh, secretary at the department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying. SMP stocks reached 109,000 tonnes in February, up by nearly 27,000 tonnes from December, ministry data shows. "But in the case of dairy products, especially fats, butter and ghee, etc, the stocks are lower than the previous year," Singh said. Butter and ghee stocks have fell to 36,000 tonnes in February, down from 75,000 tonnes a year earlier.

☆ Study finds 45 negative health effects of added sugar
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —There are at least 45 good reasons to cut back on added sugar, according to a new study. Copious research has shown the negative effects of excessive sugar intake on health, which has informed recommendations to limit consumption of “free” or added sugar to less than 10% of a person’s daily caloric intake. “This means that whole, intact grains don’t cause the same spikes in blood sugar that we experience when we eat simple sugars. A doughnut has around 15 to 30 grams of sugar, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Cooking and baking at home more often is one of the best ways to reduce sugar intake, Aggarwal said.

☆ Milk consumption is down 20% among younger generations: 'I feel like this is another punch line about us'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gen Z milk consumption is down 20% compared to other generations. To combat the drop, the dairy industry is scrambling with campaigns and other efforts to increase milk's popularity. But even some of the poster children for dairy milk aren't drinking the stuff, the New York Times reported. She said she began avoiding dairy milk after she learned of its negative impacts on her sports-induced asthma, and after her sister became a vegan. Still, using figureheads like Zapata, the dairy industry wants milk to be in the good graces of millennials and Gen Z.

☆ Starbucks union is using billboards, a brass band and a butter sculpture to pressure board members from Nike, Land O'Lakes and Lego
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Starbucks union organizers are stepping up pressure on individual members of the company's board. Leaders at Nike, Lego, and Land O' Lakes were targeted using billboards, a movie trailer, a brass band, and even a butter sculpture. The push comes a week after shareholders voted in favor of an investigation into Starbucks' labor practices. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles and online, a Lego Movie-styled trailer premiered with the aim of enlisting Lego President Jorgen Vig Knudstorp to join the side of Starbucks workers. And now, those tensions are spilling over to other companies as the union targets Starbucks' board of directors.

☆ Meet the typical CVS shopper: a white, Gen X, college-educated city dweller earning a high income
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

CVS's average customer is a white, urban Gen Xer earning a high annual income. Numerator found that CVS's typical shopper is a white, urban Gen Xer who has a college education and an annual income of more than $80,000. In addition to OTC pain medication and cough remedies, the typical retail shopper often prefers to buy candies, chocolates, and bottled water. Just 1.6% of a CVS shopper's total dollars are spent at CVS, compared with 6.8% of their spending on Amazon. At other retailers, the CVS shopper buys more fresh garlic, hand sanitizer, bar soap, and non-dairy milk alternatives than the national average shopper.

☆ India's milk imports soar as disease hits local cattle stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Rajendra Jadhav | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"Any upside risk coming from higher milk prices is going to pose an additional challenge," said Upasna Bhardwaj, chief economist at India's Kotak Mahindra Bank. "Cattle prices have doubled as there are fewer cows in the market," said Sharma, who has been raising cattle since childhood. "We will witness further rises in milk prices during summer," Shah said. India's SMP imports are likely to hit an all-time high in the fiscal year that started April, surpassing record purchases in 2011-12, dairy industry officials said. The temporary removal of those duties would mean imports rise even further, the NDDB official said.

☆ Raisi says hijab is the law in Iran as unveiled women face 'yoghurt attack'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 1 (Reuters) - President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday that the hijab was the law in Iran after a viral video showed a man throwing yoghurt at two unveiled women in a shop near a holy Shi'ite Muslim city. They were also the subject of arrest warrants for flouting Iran's strict female dress rules, state media reported. Videos of unveiled women resisting the morality police have flooded social media. Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei earlier threatened to prosecute "without mercy" women who appear in public unveiled, Iranian media reported. It urged citizens to confront unveiled women.

☆ Green Chile Roasting or Dairy Air? New Mexico Picks Its Official Aroma
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Joseph Pisani | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/green-chile-roasting-or-dairy-air-new-mexico-picks-its-official-aroma-636c9c2d

The CPTPP is a free trade agreement with 11 members: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam. The UK agreement comes almost two years after it began talks to join the pact. The UK Office for Budget Responsibility, which produces economic forecasts for the government, expects Brexit to reduce Britain’s output by 4% over 15 years compared with remaining in the bloc. Becoming a CPTPP member means that more than 99% of UK exports to the 11 other countries will now be eligible for tariff-free trade. Services made up a huge chunk — 43% — of overall UK trade with CPTPP members last year, according to Sunak’s office.

Atlanta/Hong Kong CNN —Britain has reached an agreement to join a major trans-Pacific partnership, calling it its biggest trade deal since Brexit. The CPTPP is a free trade agreement with 11 members: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam. The UK agreement comes almost two years after it began talks to join the pact. In the year through September 2022, the United Kingdom exported £60.5 billion ($75 billion) worth of goods to CPTPP countries, Sunak’s office said in a statement. Services made up a huge chunk — 43% — of overall UK trade with CPTPP members last year, according to Sunak’s office.

☆ Harvard gut doctor: Avoid these 8 foods if you always feel bloated after eating—what to eat instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Dr. Jacqueline Wolf | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

But one common cause is related to what we eat, particularly foods that are poorly absorbed by the gut. Carbonation can cause bloating, so opt for flat water or vegetable juices. Black beans, navy beans, kidney beans, pinto beans and soy beans are most likely to give you gas. Stevia and monk fruit extract are healthier and less likely to cause gas or bloating. GrainsFoods that contain gluten can cause bloating in people who are intolerant.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Britain had agreed to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), in a move his office said was the biggest trade deal since Brexit. Britain has been looking to build global trade ties following its departure from the EU in 2020 and has looked to pivot toward geographically distant but fast-growing economies. The overall impact of the trade deal is set to be modest. Japan has asked the U.S. to return to the trans-Pacific trade pact after Washington in 2017 formally withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, the predecessor to the CPTPP. Japan's chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said it was "desirable" for the U.S. to rejoin the trade pact and Tokyo would persist in pressing Washington to become a member.

☆ A 15-foot statue of a spoon disappeared from outside a Dairy Queen in Arizona and its owners have no idea where it's gone
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A 15-foot red spoon statue vanished from a Dairy Queen in Phoenix just three weeks after it opened. The store's owner told Fox Business its manager called the police after being unable to spot the statue. Dairy Queen told Fox Business that the giant red spoons only adorn the exterior of restaurants built or renovated in recent years. Dairy Queen restaurants built or renovated in recent years feature giant red spoons on their exterior. Dairy QueenKalra said that he and his wife owned 34 Dairy Queen stores, but only two had spoon statues outside – and this figure has now been reduced to one.

This valuation comes after a rich global history showcasing wars fought over salt, trade routes built for commodities, taxes levied against the mineral and even cities named in sodium's legacy. "You could not have an international economy if you didn't have salt," Mark Kurlansky, author of "Salt: A World History," told CNBC. "We're seeing that the majority is deicing salt," Seth Goldstein, equities analyst with Morningstar, told CNBC. However, if too much salt permeates our environment, the effects can be dangerous, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Runoff from deicing salts that keep our roads safe in wintry weather is the most obvious way that salt enters the environment.

☆ Path of destruction: The devastating Mississippi tornado trail seen from above
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A pickup truck sits on top of the wreckage of Chuck's Dairy Cafe in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, March 26. Tim and Tracy Harden, owners of Chuck's Dairy Barn in Rolling Fork, said in a Facebook post that they hid inside a small walk-in cooler one...moreA pickup truck sits on top of the wreckage of Chuck's Dairy Cafe in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, March 26. Tim and Tracy Harden, owners of Chuck's Dairy Barn in Rolling Fork, said in a Facebook post that they hid inside a small walk-in cooler one minute before the tornado demolished their building. "Forever grateful to the customer with the broken arm that kept going and freed us all from the cooler," they wrote. REUTERS/Cheney OrrClose

☆ Fact Check-Resurfaced clip shows farmer protests spraying police with hay in Brussels in 2015
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video showing protesters spraying hay on to a police line dates back to a 2015 demonstration in Belgium, but the footage has been recently miscaptioned in posts claiming it depicts a Dutch farmers protest in March 2023. Examples are viewable on Twitter (here) and Facebook (here ), with one popular tweet reading, “The Netherlands is seizing privately owned farm land. In protest, Dutch farmers are spraying government buildings and riot police with MANURE! Another video by outlet New Europe, seemingly depicting the same scene as the clip shared online (youtu.be/14vowMfvrIs?t=26 ), also shows the tractor throwing hay at police officers. This video showing protesters spraying hay on to a police line was filmed in Belgium in 2015.

[1/3] Don Cameron stands next to one of his flood capture projects on his Terranova Ranch in Helm, California, U.S., January 25, 2023. Today, California water experts see Cameron as a pioneer. Terra Nova's basins are filled with 1.5 to 3.5 feet of water, Cameron said Wednesday. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on March 10 making it easier for farmers to divert floodwaters onto their lands until June. "We're at the beginning of a lot of momentum for groundwater recharge programs," said Gosselin, of the state groundwater office.

☆ War on cow farts is stinky but necessary job
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Karen Kwok | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Yet, governments from New Zealand to Europe are zeroing in on livestock, whose burps and farts help generate 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions each year, United Nations estimates show. An industry backlash against plans to tackle the issue will teach punters to treat burgers as polluting fuel. Cattle is a major contributor to methane emissions from agriculture, which hit 142 metric tons in 2022, triple the amount of those from the oil sector, according to the International Energy Agency. But like fossil fuels ten years ago, this will be the start of a long but necessary battle. French dairy company Danone on Jan. 17 pledged to reduce methane emissions from its fresh milk supply chain by 30% by 2030 from its 2020 level.

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