Chick-fil-A changes its chicken!? Hereโs whatโs to blame after they backtracked their no-antibiotics-in-chicken pledge
The fast-food chain Chick-Fil-A backtracked from its decade-old โno antibiotics everโ pledge intended to help prevent human antibiotic resistance linked to the rampant use of the drugs in livestock production.
Firm that hired kids to clean meat plants keeps losing work
The slaughterhouse cleaning company that was found to be employing more than 100 children to help sanitize dangerous razor-sharp equipment has continued to lose contracts with the major meat producers since the investigation became public last fall.
Report: Trump officials, meat companies knew workers at risk
A new Congressional report says that at the height of the pandemic, the meat processing industry worked closely with political appointees in the Trump administration to stave off health restrictions and keep slaughterhouses open even as COVID-19 spread rapidly among workers.
Judge rejects rule that let pork plants speed up production
A federal judge has thrown out a rule allowing pork plants to speed up production lines because the U.S. Department of Agriculture didnt properly consider the risks to workers before the rule was issued in 2019. Union officials praised Wednesday, March 31, 2021 ruling because they say faster line speeds at pork plants increase the risk of injuries for workers. โ A federal judge has thrown out a rule allowing pork plants to speed up production lines because the U.S. Department of Agriculture didn't properly consider the risks to workers. Public Citizen attorney Adam Pulver, who represented the unions, said the agency should have considered worker safety. AdThe judge said her ruling won't take effect for 90 days to allow regulators time to determine how the change will affect plants that already switched to faster line speeds.
PepsiCo goes Beyond Meat in new partnership
PepsiCo is joining forces with Beyond Meat to develop new snacks and drinks made from plant-based proteins. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)PepsiCo and Beyond Meat are creating a joint venture to develop snacks and drinks made from plant-based proteins. The join venture gives Pepsi access to one of the leading plant-based meat companies at a time when consumers are increasingly cutting back on meat consumption and looking for healthier, more sustainable foods. Meat giant Tyson Foods, which used to own a stake in Beyond Meat, now has its own line of plant-based meats. U.S. sales of plant-based meat jumped 45% in the 52 weeks ending Jan. 16; traditional meat sales rose 19% in the same period, according to NielsenIQ, a data firm.
US plants hope to maintain production despite virus threat
But with the nation's COVID-19 death toll eclipsing 300,000 and the virus spiking in communities that surround the plants, industry and union officials say it may be impossible to keep the virus out of factories. Beef and pork production have both been running just below last yearโs levels, Iowa State University agricultural economist Lee Schulz said. Gamble said much of the fear has come from misinformation about workers catching the virus in factories, which is not true. During the spring, more than 1,000 of the plantโs 2,800 workers were infected and at least six died. The company has lined up just-in-time freight to get parts to keep plants running, he said.
Tyson fires 7 at Iowa pork plant after COVID betting inquiry
In this May 1, 2020, file photo, vehicles sit in a near empty parking lot outside the Tyson Foods plant in Waterloo, Iowa. The company said the investigation, led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, revealed troubling behavior that resulted in the firings at the plant in Waterloo, Iowa. An outbreak centered around the plant infected more than 1,000 employees, at least six of whom died. Itโs crazy.โLawyers for the families of four deceased Waterloo workers allege in lawsuits that plant manager Tom Hart organized a buy-in betting pool for supervisors to wager on what percentage of plant workers would test positive for COVID-19. Hart allegedly organized the pool last spring as the virus spread through the Waterloo plant and the broader Waterloo community.
Some meat plants reopen, but Trump order may not be cure-all
FILE - This April 8, 2020 file photo, shows the Smithfield pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, S.D. A Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in South Dakota where more than 850 workers tested positive will partially reopen Monday after shuttering for more than two weeks, a union that represents plant workers said Friday. And Arkansas-based Tyson Foods said its Logansport, Indiana, pork processing plant where nearly 900 employees tested positive will also resume โlimited productionโ on Monday. As Trump touted his executive order on Wednesday that requires meat plants to stay open, he suggested it would solve the breakdown in the food supply chain that threatens the availability of meat in grocery stores while farmers face the prospect of euthanizing hundreds of thousands of healthy pigs. The researchers said plant workers may be at risk for a number of reasons, including difficulties with physical distancing and hygiene and crowded living and transportation conditions.