Dec. 6 Top Headlines

My oldest is 25 years old today. Happy Birthday Ben - it was amazing to bring a new life into this world and it surely can't be that a quarter century has already passed...

Some top headlines of Dec. 6, circa 2008.


Proposed fee on smelly cows, hogs angers farmers EPA is sending a trial balloon up on taxing greenhouse gases on livestock. Bad idea.

How bad is economy going to get? Deflation is so worrisome that some are suggesting moderate inflation is needed and now. "Creating inflation is not rocket science. Keep printing money."

Monthly loss of jobs is worst in 34 years Unemployment 6.7% now, 9% by end of next year, says Goldmans.

More people show interest in eating organic Coverage of organic farms in Florida; no recent survey attached to this local angle

Yellow light flashes for green, organic Brandweek coverage reports that Nielsen started reported declining organic sales in June, when gas prices were soaring and single digit growth for the organic category is predicted for 2009.

Are conflict issues ahead for Attorney General nominee Story about Eric Holder and his ties to Chiquita's defense relating to payments to guerrilla groups in Colombia.

Obama inheriting fight over immigration tactic U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer denies the Bush Administration request for expedited implementation of no match rule. Arguments on the case will continue through February.

Credit card issues cut back on credit lines Credit card balances rise; fees and rates go up


10% of Americans in arrears or foreclosure 7.3% of homes in Florida were in foreclosure at end of September..ugg, this is depressing...

Wal Mart bright spot in retailers' deep slide Most retailers do not have a month to remember in November, and Wal-Mart's better than expected performance shares headlines with the death of one the company's workers on Black Friday.


Del Monte's new CMO raises bar on fruit Del Monte Foods, not Fresh Del Monte.. but still an interesting read.

Canada seeking WTO consultations on COOL law Canadian cattlemen say the law is costing them hundreds of millions per year because some U.S. meatpacking plants won't accept Canadian cattle because of extra labeling costs associated with the animals.


Recession will be long, deep Yawn. We've heard this before.


Web site accuses companies of hiring illegal immigrants www.wehirealiens.com. Some food companies in the mix.

Kroger brings supersized store to market A Kroger Marketplace in Rosenberg, Texas. 125,000 square feet of one stop shopping. A Wal-Mart killer? Just kidding...

Roubini brings no fresh ideas Article criticizes economist Roubini for not providing the silver bullet to recover from recession. Must Roubini diagnose the economy and fix it too?

Why buying local organic is still a good plan Better for you, the environment and so on. Plus if it cost more we might waste less.

Tesco's challenge from Aldi in the UK could temper U.S. expansion Interesting read how Aldi stores in the UK and Trader Joe markets in the U.S. West (also owned by Aldi) are challenging Tesco. Trader Joe's is seen as the principle rival for Fresh and Easy, and wresting customers away from Trader Joe's is not easy or cheap.


Nova Scotia to back local food infrastructure Several millions dollars over three years to make it easier and more convenient to buy local foods.

EU, Latin America look to WTO for banana deal Uptdate on long running Latin American banana saga in Europe

Surprise: kids like fruits and vegetables 4 and 5 years old say they prefer fruits and veggies over candy. If wishes and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry merry Christmas.

Give it up for grapes - National Retail Report - Dec. 5

From the National Retail Report of Dec. 5:


Retailers wasted no time switching gears from Thanksgiving to the Christmas season. Items for holiday baking were widely featured in the grocery section, while the floral departments of many stores were dominated by holiday arrangements, wreaths, and of course, poinsettias. With holiday celebrations around the corner, fruit and vegetable party trays, and decorated cakes and cookies were prominently featured items this week. Overall fresh produce ad activity decreased over 7% with a significant decrease in vegetable ads of 38%. Fruit ad activity increased approximately 18%. The top 5 featured items this week were all fruits: Grapes, avocados, blueberries, clementines, and Bartlett pears. These 5 items accounted for 53% of total fruit ads. Some retailers had 10 for $10 ads promoting apples, pears, grapefruit, avocadoes and mangoes. Grapes, clementines, oranges, blueberries, pears and asparagus were widely seen on the front page of ads this week. The new crop of peaches and nectarines from Chile have made their first appearance in ads in the Southwest and Northwest.