The ESL Free Press

Operation Rotten Tomato

The former owner of a large tomato company has been arrested. Frederick Scott Salyer is charged with racketeering (running an illegal business) and other crimes.

Salyer owned SK foods, which grew and and processed tomatoes. It sold tomato paste to stores and factories. The paste was made into sauce, juice, and ketchup by several companies.

The charge says Salyer got his workers to bribe (pay off) managers at the other companies. In return for money, the managers agreed to buy from SK instead of other companies. They did this even though SK products were more expensive.

Salyer is also accused of making workers put the wrong labels on products. For example, they were labeled "organic" when they were not, the charge says. Also, it says, food that would only stay fresh for a year was sold when it was three years old.

Salyer went to Switzerland when some of his workers were arrested. He was arrested himself when he went back to the U.S.

FBI Agent Paul Artley says, "I take it personally because I was a victim just like every other consumer."

Source

Printable:Download operation rotten tomato.pdf (19.7K)

Thanksgiving Desserts

Right: Pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Left: Fruit pie with lattice (criss-cross) crust.

Traditional Food at Thanksgiving Photographic Print
Buy at AllPosters.com

Dinner Impossible

John Irvine is the star of Dinner Impossible, a TV show on the Food Network. Irvine is a chef. Every week, he has to cook a dinner in a way that's not easy.

Recently, Irvine made dinner for 850 U.S. Marines. They had just finished a month of training for desert fighting at Camp Pendleton, California.

Irvine says, "I had three things stacked against me: No food, terrible equipment and no trained staff."

He had to cook the dinner in a field (camp) kitchen. Six Marines helped him, but they were not trained to cook. They had to go to another base to buy food.

Irvine found the meat was very tough. He had two Marines hit it with cans to make it tender.

He finished the dinner on time, and the Marines enjoyed it.

Irvine was once a cook in the British Navy. He also cooked for the royal family for ten years.

Source: "America Supports You: Marines Give Chef His Marching Orders" by Samantha L. Quigley, American Forces Press Service

No Vitamin C After All

Ribena is a British soft drink. For years, its makers have said it had a lot of vitamin C. But two students in New Zealand did a test on the drink, and found it had almost none.

The drink's makers, GlaxoSmithKline, were taken to court in New Zealand. They must pay a fine of $217,000. They must also run ads that say the former ads were incorrect.

The students, Jenny Suo and Anna Devathasan, are both 14. Anna says they did the test for fun.

Adapted from www.wikinews.org . You are free to reprint this post.  (Click Permalink for a print-ready version.) To learn more, go to http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/

Sources:

"Ribena makers fined $217,000 for misleading public". 3 News, March 27, 2007

Frank Thorne "Drugs giant faces court after girls' Ribena test". Scotsman, March 27, 2007

NZPA "Ribena maker admits it misled public". Stuff, March 27, 2007

Retrieved from "http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Ribena_fined_over_misleading_advertising"

Cookie Warning

Small, sharp pieces of metal have been found in some cookies in Canada. The Kraft company is telling customers to bring them back.

The cookies are Chewy Chunks Ahoy. They were made in Toronto. They went to stores in Ontario, Québec and Labrador City.

Twice, customers complained about finding pieces of metal in the cookies. The company is looking into it.

The numbers on the packages are:

Package Date: 2007 JL30 KT16, Size: 325 g, UPC: 0 6672101602 7

Package Date: 2007 JL30 KT26, Size: 325 g, UPC: 0 6672101602 7

Package Date: 2007 JL31 KT36, Size: 325 g, UPC: 0 6672101602 7

Package Date: 2007 JL31 KT16, Size: 325 g, UPC: 0 6672101602 7

Package Date: 2007 JL31 KT26, Size: 325 g, UPC: 0 6672101602 7

To find out more, people can call 1-800-310-3704.

Image: www.clipartisland.com 

Adapted from www.wikinews.org . You are free to reprint this post.  (Click Permalink for a print-ready version.) To learn more, go to http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/

Sources:

"Health Hazard Alert: Suspected Tampering Associated With Christie Chewy Chunks Ahoy! Cookies". Canadian Food Inspection Agency, March 02, 2007

Canadian Press "Suspected tampering prompts Kraft to recall Chewy Chunks Ahoy! cookies". CBC News, March 02, 2007

Mike Koreen "Cops probe metal objects in Kraft cookies". Sun Media, March 04, 2007

Retrieved from "http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Kraft_Canada_recalls_cookies_after_reports_of_%27sharp_metal_objects%27_baked_into_the_cookies"

Coke Secrets

A woman who worked for Coca-Cola has been found guilty of trying to sell its secrets to the Pepsi company.

The woman was a secretary for Coke. She took home samples and secret papers. She says two men took them from her home. The men say the woman gave them the samples and papers.

Last May, Pepsi wrote to Coke saying someone was trying to sell them secret information on Coke.

The woman could go to prison for ten years.

Adapted from www.wikinews.org . You are free to reprint this post.  (Click Permalink for a print-ready version.) To learn more, go to http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/

Sources:

"Ex-secretary found guilty of stealing Coke secrets". CNN, February 2, 2007

Karen Jacobs "Ex-Coke aide found guilty in trade secrets case". Reuters, February 2, 2007

Retrieved from "http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Woman_found_guilty_of_plotting_to_sell_Coke_documents_to_Pepsi"

Beer for Dogs

Kwispelbier is a new kind of beer -- for dogs.

Terrie Berenden, who owns a pet shop in Amsterdam, invented it. It's made of malt and beef extract, with no alcohol.

Ms. Berenden goes hunting with her dogs every year. After the hunt, the humans drink beer. She thought the dogs should get some, too.

Images: www.clipartisland.com 

Adapted from www.wikinews.org . You are free to reprint this post.  (Click Permalink for a print-ready version.) To learn more, go to http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/

Sources:"Got Beer? Now Your Dog Can Have A Brew". WNBC, January 24, 2007

"Pet shop creates beer for dogs". China Daily, January 23, 2007

Retrieved from "http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Amsterdam_pet_shop_owner_creates_beer_for_dogs"

Not Just Candy

Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State, with Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Egypt's Foreign Minister.

The Secretary is meeting with leaders in the Middle East. She thanked the Minister for the dinner served during their meeting. She said, "In New York, I served water and candy."

State Dept. photo by Josie Duckett.

Source: "Remarks With Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit After Their Meeting", Secretary Condoleezza Rice, Cairo, EgyptOctober 3, 2006

Coffee Time in Iraq

This is a free coffee shop for U.S. Marines and sailors at Camp Habbaniyah, Iraq.

It's run by Lieutenant John G. Anderson, a Navy chaplain (religious leader).

From Defenselink.  U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ray Lewis

Fat Ban?

The Health Board of New York City wants to ban trans fatty acids (trans fat) from the city's restaurants.

Trans fat may cause heart disease. It's found in milk and some meats. (These would not be banned.)

But most of it comes from cooking oils and fats like margarine. There are also oils without trans fat, and the Board wants restaurants to use those.

"It is a dangerous and unnecessary ingredient," says Dr. Thomas Frieden, Commissioner of the Health Board. "No one will miss it when it's gone."

Image: www.clipartisland.com

Adapted from www.wikinews.org . You are free to reprint this post.  (Click Permalink for a print-ready version.) To learn more, go to http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/

Sources:

David B. Caruso "NYC mulls ban on trans fats in eateries". Associated Press, September 27, 2006

Thomas J. Lueck "New York City Plans Limits on Restaurants' Use of Trans Fats". New York Times, September 27, 2006

Daniel Trotta "New York trans fat ban: Life-saver or Orwellian?". Reuters, September 27, 2006

Retrieved from "http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/New_York_City_considers_stricter_regulations_on_trans_fat"