General Mills to Improve Strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups Labeling

General Mills to Improve Strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups Labeling Settlement Agreement Negotiated with CSPI Resolves Lawsuit WASHINGTON--General Mills has agreed to improve its labeling for Strawberry Naturally Flavored Fruit Roll-Ups. The agreement resolves a lawsuit brought against the company by a California woman, Annie Lam, who was represented by the nonprofit nutrition watchdog group the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the consumer protection law firm Reese Richman LLP. Strawberry Naturally Flavored Fruit Roll-Ups contain no strawberries but are made with pears from concentrate, corn syrup, dried corn syrup, sugar, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, and 2 percent or less various natural and artificial ingredients. So long as the product continues not to contain strawberries, the new labels will not depict images of strawberries, according to the agreement. And, so long as the product’s label carries the claim “Made with Real Fruit,” such claims will be required to include the actual percentage of fruit in the product. Both of those changes will take effect in 2014. “By stating the actual percentage of fruit in the product, these labels will be less likely to lead consumers to believe that the product is all or mostly fruit,” said CSPI litigation director Steve Gardner. “A more accurate name for the product would be Pear Naturally Flavored Fruit Roll-Ups, since pear is present and strawberry is absent. But the removal of pictures of strawberries is a step in the right direction. We are pleased to have worked cooperatively with General Mills to reach this agreement.” In recent years, CSPI’s litigation unit has negotiated agreements or otherwise spurred improvements in labeling or advertising for products as diverse as Airborne dietary supplements, Centrum multivitamins, and Aunt Jemima Blueberry Waffles. CSPI negotiated a historic settlement agreement improving the nutritional quality of Kellogg products marketed to children, and its lawsuit against KFC spurred that company to cease using partially hydrogenated oil. Currently, CSPI is pursuing litigation aimed at correcting labeling and advertising for Coca-Cola’s Vitaminwater and Dr Pepper Snapple Group’s 7UP “Antioxidant” varieties.

Chairwoman Stabenow Statement on Expected Doubling in Consumer Milk Prices, Following House’s Failure to Pass Farm Bill

Chairwoman Stabenow Statement on Expected Doubling in Consumer Milk Prices, Following House’s Failure to Pass Farm Bill Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today released the following statement concerning the expected doubling in consumer milk prices come January 1, as a result of the House’s failure to pass a new farm bill. While the Senate passed a strong, bipartisan farm bill with overwhelming support that saves taxpayers $23 billion, House Republican leadership has refused to bring the farm bill to the floor for consideration. As a result, the agriculture economy and the 16 million jobs that rely on agriculture will soon face uncertainty. "Fiscal cliff tax increases would hit middle class families' pocketbooks, but so would paying six or seven dollars for a gallon of milk. It is absolutely critical that Congress pass a new five-year Farm Bill to keep food prices stable and protect America's 16 million agriculture jobs. The Farm Bill reforms programs and cuts spending by $23 billion, so including it in a final deficit reduction deal will help the country avoid the fiscal cliff."

Foodie news: Five Easy Steps to Buff Up Your Buffalo

Five Easy Steps to Buff Up Your Buffalo The Wild Mushroom’s Chef Jerrett Joslin Shares his Tips to Grilling Buffalo Looking to switch up a stale dinnertime routine? Instead of buying the typical slab of beef to grill, venture out and experiment with the tasty flavors of buffalo. An extremely juicy option that is extremely versatile, buffalo can easily be incorporated into many different dishes. Chef Jerrett Joslin, chef and owner of The Wild Mushroom Steakhouse, explains his tips for grilling the perfectly cooked buffalo. “Buffalo is a very lean meat, so making sure you watch it closely and cook it correctly is vital. It is also super tender and can be made for many dishes, but grilling a nice big ribeye is the ticket to a great meal,” says Chef Jerrett Joslin. · What to look for- It is very important to find the best quality buffalo at your local grocery store or butcher so you can appreciate the meat’s natural flavor. Look for a deep blood red (almost red brown) piece of meat to ensure preservatives were not used to make the meat look artificially red, as buffalo meat does not marble. · Seasoning the meat- Buffalo is already a flavorful meat and seasoning it excessively is not necessary. Dash it with salt and pepper and throw it on the grill for the best results. · Finding the right temperature- Since buffalo is so lean, it cooks very quickly on the grill and it is important to cook it very slowly on low to medium temperatures. The heat should range from 300-355 degrees Fahrenheit. · Grilling is everything- Buffalo can be very juicy and flavorful, if cooked properly. You want to be patient with grilling, and make sure not to cook it too quickly, or else the meat will become rubbery. Cook on the grill for about 6-7 minutes on each side for a medium-rare texture. · Patience is a virtue- It is extremely tempting to cut into the piece of buffalo right away and start tasting the flavors, but it’s important to be patient and let the meat rest. The key is to let it sit for about 10 minutes after you take it off the grill so that the juices stay in the steak and you get the full effect. At The Wild Mushroom Steakhouse, Chef Joslin tops his Buffalo Ribeye with a black truffle butter sauce and a side of mashed Yukon Gold garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus before serving.

The Pope's on Twitter - you should be too

The Pope's on Twitter – If You’re Marketing, You Should Be, Too 3 Lessons for Small Businesses Inspired by @Pontifex By: Marsha Friedman His handle is @Pontifex and 85-year-old Pope Benedict XVI can tweet in eight different languages on his brand new Twitter account. On Dec. 12, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church tentatively typed out his first tweet on an iPad. It read, "Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart." (For those of you counting, that's the maximum 140 characters allowed per tweet. Once His Holiness gets the hang of things, he'll want to shorten them up a bit so they'll be easier for his followers to re-tweet.) And followers he has -- more than 1.8 million and counting. The pope is already a hit in the Twitter-verse, which makes one wonder why he didn't sign up a long time ago. And that thought leads to a more important question: How many of small business owners, entrepreneurs, professionals and authors are not yet using this marvelous social networking platform? It's time to take a lesson from the Vatican -- whether or not you're Catholic. The pontiff took to Twitter for the same reasons anyone with something to market should: • He needs to generate leads. "Part of the pope's job description is to spread the word," Greg Burke, senior communications adviser for the Vatican, has said. "Twitter is turning out to be a very effective way of doing this." Like business owners, the Catholic Church must generate leads to bring in new "customers." According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, while there are 66.3 million Catholics in the United States, the growth rate has slowed in past years, and only 24 percent of those Catholics attend Mass every week. The church also has a problem with declining numbers of U.S. priests. The shortage has left nearly 3,400 parishes without a resident pastor. And book and product sales? Word of mouth to the world's more than 1.2 billion Catholics can only help. • He wants to keep the customers he has. It's not just about growing his clientele; the pope wants to keep his existing church members coming back. Interacting with them regularly through the give-and-take of a platform like Twitter helps him create a more personal relationship with them. (On his first day of tweeting, the pope responded to three questions posed by followers using his #askpontifex hashtag.) It will also keep him in front of his target audience if he posts tweets regularly, responds to followers, and occasionally re-tweets their messages. • He has an important message to share. The pontiff had thousands of followers even before his first tweet! Why? Because many people were already interested in his message, and they expect his posts will have value for them. So far, they apparently have. The third and final question from followers that he answered on his first day tweeting was, "Any suggestions on how to be more prayerful when we are so busy with the demands of work, families and the world?" His response: "Offer everything you do to the Lord, ask his help in all the circumstances of daily life and remember that he is always beside you." It had been re-tweeted nearly 20,000 times by Dec. 14. The pope has a message he wants the world to hear. That's a good sign he'll be successful on social media. I find it fascinating, but not surprising, that Pope Benedict XVI is embracing social media. While the Catholic Church is a centuries-old institution steeped in tradition, it recognizes the need to be where its audience is if it hopes to remain visible and relevant in their lives. For anyone in business, or anyone marketing anything, that's not only true for you, too, it's essential. About Marsha Friedman Marsha Friedman is a 22-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations (www.emsincorporated.com), a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors and professional firms. Marsha is the author of Celebritize Yourself: The 3-Step Method to Increase Your Visibility and Explode Your Business and she can also be heard weekly on her Blog Talk Radio Show, EMSI’s PR Insider every Thursday at 3:00 PM EST.