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Starbucks gives logo a new look

Starbucks new logo design. (AP)

Starbucks Corp. is giving its siren a facelift. The world’s largest coffee company is unveiling a new logo Wednesday that drops the words encircling its iconic sea nymph and gives her a few subtle updates.

Starbucks says the changes amount to more than nips and tucks to its favorite lady. The fresh look goes with a new direction for the company as it makes its way back from its toughest times in its 40-year history. Get the full story »

Funding uncertain for U.S. food safety overhaul

Republican opponents of food safety legislation are already promising a fight over its funding, even before it becomes law.

President Barack Obama was scheduled to sign the bill on Tuesday. It allows the Food and Drug Administration to increase inspections of food producers and gives it more enforcement authority.

The legislation follows a series of widespread outbreaks of foodborne illness and food product recalls. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius calls it “the most significant food-safety law of the last 100 years.” Get the full story »

ADM buys remaining stake in peanut company

Archer Daniels Midland Co., the world’s largest corn processor and one of the largest U.S. ethanol producers, said in a statement Tuesday that it had acquired the outstanding capital stock of Alimenta (USA) Inc. to control 100 percent of Golden Peanut Co. LLC. Golden Peanut, which processes and exports peanuts, peanut oil and peanut-derived ingredients, is based in Alpharetta, Ga. Get the full story »

Starbucks weighed down by Kraft’s Tassimo

From Bloomberg News | Starbucks Corp. is trying to break a 13-year-old deal that ties its single-cup home brewing business to Kraft Foods Inc.’s slow-selling Tassimo machine. Under the terms of the deal, Starbucks can’t put its coffee in the Keurig Home Brewer, which dominates the U.S. market for machines that make single cups of coffee in a minute or less. Get the full story>>

Anheuser, baseball renew Budweiser sponsorship

Anheuser-Busch Inc, the maker of Budweiser beer, and Major League Baseball announced a multi-year renewal of their sponsorship agreement, averting a possible end to a more than 30-year relationship. Get the full story »

Companies hope sourcing will stem illegal honey

A beekeeper stirs honey at an apiary near Wuhan of Hubei Province, China. (China Photos/Getty Images)

Honey companies and importers are launching a program in January to try to stop the flow of illegally sourced honey from coming into the country.

The True Source Honey Initiative is an effort by a handful of producers and importers looking to certify the origin and purity of the honey sold to U.S. consumers in jars and products such as cereals, snacks and glazes. Get the full story »

Starbucks denies Kraft performed ‘well’

From Bloomberg News | Starbucks Corp. denied Kraft Foods Inc.’s claim that the foodmaker has performed “exceptionally well” under an agreement that Kraft claims gives it exclusive rights to sell Starbucks coffee in grocery stores through 2014.

“Starbucks avers that it has repeatedly expressed its dissatisfaction to Kraft regarding Kraft’s performance” under the agreement, the world’s biggest coffee shop chain said in its answer to Kraft’s complaint. Get the full story>>

Bunge sees volatile food prices in 2011

Grain prices, already at two-year highs, are set to rise further this year before normalising in 2012 as the higher prices prompt farmers to plant more, the head of agribusiness giant Bunge told the Financial Times.

“For the next 12 months I think you will see volatility of prices,” Alberto Weisser said in an interview published on Wednesday. Grain prices rallied in 2010 after poor harvests in Russia and Australia. Get the full story »

Sara Lee agrees to sell cleaning products unit

Sara Lee said it agreed to sell its White King and Janola cleaning products business to Australia-based detergent maker Symex Holdings for 37.9 million euros ($49.7 million).

The deal brings Sara Lee closer to its goal of focusing on selling food, coffee and tea.

Sara Lee, which has already spun off its body care, air care businesses and its stake in a joint venture with India’s Godrej, expects the deal with Symex to close during the first quarter of 2011. Get the full story »

FDA links tainted sprouts to Urbana farm

By Monica Eng | The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning Monday for consumers to avoid alfalfa sprouts and spicy sprouts that were grown on a farm in Urbana, Ill., because of a suspected link to salmonella. Get the full story »

McDonald’s names VP of multicultural marketing

McDonald’s promoted its vice president and general manager of the Indianapolis region to vice president of multicultural marketing.

Edgardo A. Navarro Linares will be responsible for the company’s strategic and ethnic consumer marketing efforts in the United States. Get the full story »

Starbucks: Kraft not up to snuff in distribution deal

Starbucks Corp., which is in a legal dispute with Kraft Foods Inc. over a distribution deal, says the foodmaker has not performed up to its expectations — with Kraft admitting missteps in internal communications.

Kraft, which says the coffee chain violated terms of a distribution deal, announced late last week that a New York court may consider its request for a preliminary injunction against Seattle-based Starbucks. Both companies have until Jan. 21 to present their positions. Get the full story »

Rolf’s recalls desserts that have sickened 100

A gourmet bakery in Lincolnwood specializing in European style pastries is recalling all its desserts made after Nov. 1 because of a food poisoning outbreak that has sickened 100 people. Get the full story »

No peace, love in popcorn trademark suit

The Peace, Love, Popcorn logo is being challenged by the Popcorn Factory.

The Popcorn Factory's logo

Here’s the story of how peace and love turned into a lawsuit about popcorn.

In May 2008, Gary Paparella and his youngest daughter, Meagan, were at a Pittsburgh restaurant doodling logos and names on napkins for a gourmet popcorn and candy store. The family was moving to Frisco, Texas, for Paparella’s job at Dr Pepper Snapple Group and had decided to leave the corporate world behind to open a family business.

That’s when 19-year-old Meagan wrote the words “love peace popcorn,” doodling a heart, a peace sign and a piece of popcorn. Today, the brick and mortar store sells “peace love popcorn” T-shirts, fudge and, of course,  popcorn in more than 60 flavors  — even dill pickle-flavored. They’re on Twitter, Facebook and online with three registered domain names. They even trademarked the name and logo.
Get the full story »

Starbucks plans to cut ties with Kraft Jan. 29

In the ongoing legal spat between Kraft Foods Inc. and Starbucks Corp., Kraft said Starbucks plans to sever a 12-year coffee-distribution deal on Jan. 29, although Kraft is scrambling to block the plan.

“By the week of Feb. 13, Kraft would be out of stock of many products, thereby causing harm to its retail customers in the form of lost sales,” Kraft said in a court filing dated Dec. 17. Get the full story »