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Farmer’s market kicks off in Montevallo
Published 5:02 pm Monday, June 2, 2014
By Ginny Cooper / Staff Writer
MONTEVALLO—Despite slightly overcast weather, Montevallo’s first farmer’s market of the season was busy before it even officially opened.
“We were getting bombarded at 10 minutes till three,” Arlene Peters with G and G farms said, and within the first hour the stand was sold out of blackberries, strawberries, okra and kale.
“We had in excess of 100 within the first hour,” Montevallo Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Steve Gilbert said.
Seven vendors attended the farmers market, but Gilbert said many vendors are waiting for their produce to be ready, and “just didn’t make it this week.”
Smith Farms, a local farm in Montevallo, also sold out of produce quickly and within an hour “about three-fourths” of their stock was sold out, including cantelope, seedless watermelon and cucumbers.
“We’re doing way better than expected,” said Harry Hale of Burnette Farms, who attended the market for the first time with his son Wesley, and sold Chilton County peaches and other produce.
Though many of the vendors were Alabama farmers, other products were available at the market as well.
Joe’s Italian sold strawberry cake and lasagna, Frios sold gourmet popsicles and Nature’s Beans sold all natural fertilizer.
The Montevallo farmer’s market will be open on Mondays from June 2 until August 18 from 3-6 p.m. at 660 Main Street.


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TriBeCa is a trendy, upscale neighborhood between New York's Soho and Lower Manhattan districts. It isn't cheap real estate. Nor...
In hopes of continuing its sales momentum in the U.S.
Read This Article
The NHTSA and Subaru this morning announced a safety recall for 2009-2012 Subaru Forester SUV's that were manufactured from November 26, 2007 through March 13, 2012.
The 2013 Subaru Legacy and Subaru Outback (a Legacy wagon on stilts) are supposed to debut at next month's New York International Auto Show.
Subaru is calling back 295,123 Imprezas and Foresters to replace the lower wiper control arm.

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SON plans 13 labs to drive agro-allied products’ global acceptance
The Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Osita Aboloma, has said plans were underway to establish 13 laboratories with focus mainly on live endangering items, agric and agro-allied products, in order to aid diversification of the nation’s economy away from oil. The SON boss disclosed this when the Senate Committee on Industry, Trade…
‘Some regulatory agencies acting contrary to FG's EODB mandate’
Expressing concerns over the myriads of challenges hindering the already burdened business community, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry...
Shippers’ council, SON harp on ethics, integrity in shipping
The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) in collaboration with the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) have intensified efforts to boost the ethics and integrity in shipping trade, urging the importers to comply with the standards and shun unethical practices that is jeopardising growth of the industry. Executive Secretary, NSC, Hassan Bello, at the sensitization workshop jointly…
SON receives global management systems standards
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has received four international management systems standards from the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) of India.
SON urges sorghum farmers, processors to embrace standard guidelines
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has enjoined farmers and processors of sorghum in Kano State and its environs to embrace constant innovations provided in the standardisation process to enable them to earn premium prices on commercialisation of high quality products. The SON Director-General, Osita Aboloma, gave the charge in a lecture during a capacity…
Getting operators to meet minimum standards challenging, says SON
Worried about the high level of failures recorded from its survey of the lubricant market, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has announced plans to intensify efforts to combat the influx of fake and substandard lubricants in the country.
‘Over N22.7 billion substandard goods seized in 2018’
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has disclosed that over N22 billion worth of substandard goods have been seized so far in 2018.
SON inaugurates four new standards on HR to build capacity
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has inaugurated four new standards on Human Resources (HR) to further enhance human capacity in line with stipulated best practices prescribed by the International Standards Organisation (ISO). They include NIS ISO 30400: 2016 – Human Resource Management- Vocabulary, NIS ISO 30405:2016 - Human Resource management - Guidelines on Recruitment,…
SON releases new standards for beans planting
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has unveiled new Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS), and Codes of Practice for planting beans seed across the country.
‘Adherence to standards imperative for global competitiveness, profitability’
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), has charged the business community to adhere strictly to global best practices, saying that this is the only way to be competitive globally.


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“The replacement devices went on sale in South Korea this past Saturday, with Samsung arranging public demos of the Galaxy Note7 the night before.”
Samsung is proceeding with the relaunch of its Galaxy Note7 smartphones.
The move is part of the company’s enormous recall effort in the wake of reports that some users’ smartphones were exploding while being charged. Samsung responded with a total recall of its devices, offering to replace the 2.5 million smartphones already sold, and fully replacing those in stores.
The replacement devices went on sale in South Korea this past Saturday, with Samsung arranging public demos of the Galaxy Note7 the night before. In a statement, the company says its events “attracted large crowds of consumers eager to get their hands on the Galaxy Note7,” with many eager to check out sophisticated features such as the Note7’s pioneering use of iris scanning for user authentication.
Samsung hasn’t set a firm date for the Note7’s relaunch elsewhere in the world, but says that the new devices “will soon be available for purchase in markets across the globe.”


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Groupon’s rejection of Google buyout offer is a head-scratcher
Greed, chutzpah, arrogance. Everyone seems to have their own idea about what motivated Groupon Inc. to turn down a buyout offer of a reported $5 billion to $6 billion from Google Inc. last week.
Neither company is commenting about the negotiations or Groupon’s decision. Their silence leaves a substantial vacuum for outsiders to debate whether the Chicago start-up’s decision was foolish or brilliant. While the headline-grabbing bid dominated the chatter, other variables such as corporate culture and the viability of alternative exit strategies for investors probably played a major role in Groupon’s thinking.
Evaluating Groupon’s decision is especially vexing because the private company is expanding at a whirlwind pace, making any kind of outside valuation difficult. A Forbes cover story in August called the start-up “the fastest-growing company ever.” Published reports have put its annual revenues at $500 million, while the All Things Digital blog said Friday that Groupon stands to rake in $2 billion in sales in 2010.
“No one really knows what happened behind closed doors,” said Lon Chow, general partner at Apex Venture Partners in Chicago. “Let’s also not forget that Groupon is one of the fastest-growing venture-backed companies ever in terms of revenue ramp. They have plenty of options.”
Other factors are also important in corporate negotiations, including financial details such as earn-outs, which are incentives for executives at the target company to hit certain performance goals.
“Deals tend much more to break up over those kinds of issues,” said Lou Kerner, an analyst at Wedbush Securities. “My guess would be [Groupon’s decision] didn’t come to fruition just over price.”
Corporate culture is another crucial consideration.
Tony Hsieh, the chief executive of online apparel retailer Zappos, turned down a buyout offer from Amazon in 2005. In an adapted excerpt of his book published in Inc. magazine in June, Hsieh said he feared being “folded into [Amazon’s] operations,” which would have put Zappos’ “brand and culture at risk of disappearing.”
“That was why we told Jeff [Bezos, Amazon’s CEO] that we weren’t interested in selling at any price,” Hsieh wrote. “I felt like we were just getting started.”
In 2009, Zappos accepted an $850-million offer from Amazon. Groupon may see itself where Zappos was in 2005 — unwilling to be absorbed into a larger company at a young age.
Groupon CEO Andrew Mason is known for his quirky sense of humor, which is evident in the company’s e-mailed daily deal notifications and its office decor. Many members of the sales and writing staff have backgrounds in improvisational comedy.
“I’ve been to some Bay Area offices and never seen a sheet fort,” said Geoff Domoracki, chief executive of Chicago technology start-up consultancy midVentures, referring to a somewhat famous tent fort at Groupon headquarters. “Google’s culture is engineers and algorithms.… Groupon is extremely content- and publishing-oriented in terms of the core competencies of the people and the values represented by that culture. It would be a culture clash if Google acquired Groupon.”
Start-ups have traditionally faced a binary choice when it comes to pleasing their investors: get acquired or go public. But industry players say Groupon has other options. In April, for example, when the company raised $135 million from Digital Sky Technologies and Battery Ventures, part of the money went to employees and early investors.
Another avenue for Groupon might be the secondary market. Jonathan Pasky, senior vice president of corporate development at midVentures, said an increasing number of firms are interested in buying stock or stock options in private companies from investors and employees. Facebook is one company whose stock has changed hands in this manner.
Groupon’s earliest financial backers were Chicago-area entrepreneurs Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell, who remain board members. Two of the pair’s portfolio companies have held initial public offerings. Others, including Groupon, have stayed independent. This strategy puts Groupon in good company. Facebook and Yelp, for example, have continued to grow after reportedly spurning buyout offers and holding off on going public.
In a Monday statement, Yelp noted that in the last 12 months, its monthly traffic has hit 38 million unique visitors and its total number of reviews has gone from 8 million to more than 14 million.
“Yelp has all the makings of a great independent business,” the company said.
Domoracki, who has worked for Lightbank, which is Lefkofsky’s and Keywell’s investment firm, said the investors’ influence may help explain why Groupon rejected a buyout offer.
“Venture capitalists like to put their money in and get [companies] acquired; that’s how they make their money,” he said. “Groupon will tell you a different story because some of the founders, Brad and Eric, are also the investors, and they’re more invested in the long term.... Eric and Brad haven’t sought a strategy to get any of [their companies] acquired.”
In the meantime, the parlor game around divining Groupon’s valuation and future will continue.
“It’s a spectator sport,” Chow said, “and I think people have a lot of fun with it.”


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The event has been sold out for a while now. How pleased are you that exhibitors are so keen to return to face-to-face events and how confident are you that this will translate into high numbers of visitors?
We are delighted by the support the industry has shown the show, as was evident with last year’s Toy Fair. The fact that Toy Fair 2023, which is returning for its 69th year, sold out months in advance, speaks volumes as to how the show is shaping up and with the show now only a few days away, the excitement across the industry is palpable. This will be the second year using the new floorplan layout across the Grand and National Halls, including the gallery levels, which this year we have expanded to occupy the full space, which we think displays how keen exhibitors are to return face-to-face. We had a great turnout at last year’s show despite the challenges and hope that we will have an even higher footfall this year. Visitors can expect to meet 250 incredible exhibiting companies, all under one roof and we have a brilliant schedule of events for press and influencers so there is so much to do and take in at the show.
We are so excited that Toy Fair TV and the Demo Zone are returning to the show this year, for the first time since 2020! The Toy Fair TV team, led by the presenters, Anna Williamson and Gavin Inskip, will be working their way around the show chatting with key spokespeople from exhibiting companies on their stands, as well as capturing all the funny and great moments of Toy Fair. The Demo Zone, where exhibiting companies will be able to showcase their latest launches and offerings will also be filmed by Toy Fair TV and this year it will be located by the press office, so it will certainly be a buzzing area of the show. We’re also delighted to be welcoming back influencers to Toy Fair this year, with our dedicated Influencer Day taking place on Thursday, Jan. 26. And finally, we have a brand-new Toy Fair Instagram page up and running, so make sure to follow @toyfairuk if you aren’t already as there’s lots of brilliant content, updates and blogs to engage with.
What are you most looking forward to about the event?
For me it has got to be seeing the toy industry come together under one roof; it’s lovely seeing familiar faces who have been exhibiting for years and there’s such a sense of community – I can’t wait. I’m also looking forward to seeing the thousands of exciting new products that are being launched this year. We are lucky to be able to facilitate a show for such a creative industry. It’s always very exciting to see the top-trending toy category/ product for the year ahead.
Tell us about some of the companies that will be exhibiting. Are there new exhibitors in additional to regular ones?
Among the 250 exhibiting companies, there are around 50 exciting new exhibitors that we are looking forward to welcoming to the show this year, and many returning faces and re-bookings from last year, all showcasing a great range of products. As a little sneak peek of what’s to come, Little Brian will be at Toy Fair 2023 for the first time, showcasing their colorful range of paint sticks to help make painting less messy. You can also expect to see new exhibitors, Razor USA, who make scooters for kids; Sequin Art Limited, who produce a range of sparkly, sequin craft kits; The Mystery Agency, who make escape room puzzles and
, showcasing their fancy dress costumes. We can’t reveal too much but expect big launches from favorites such as
to name a few.
How do you think licensees and licensors could benefit by attending the event?
It’s a great opportunity to see new products and exciting interpretations of licensing agreements. A whole host of exhibitors will be showcasing licensed toys on their stand, including the likes of
, 8th Wonder, Bladez Toys, Jazwares, who will cover a range of licensed products from preschool licenses such as
. As well as being the perfect place to seek out lucrative opportunities and build connections with toy companies, Toy Fair is a creative environment that will get you thinking outside the box.
Toy Fair takes place at Olympia London Tuesday, Jan. 24 to Thursday, Jan. 26. Visitors can register for their free pass on the Toy Fair website Toyfair.co.uk.
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FlexCom On TV In Trinidad & Tobago
Ian Driscoll has been out to Trinidad And Tobago, and he was featured on TV on the show Morning Edition on TV6, under the heading “Mobile Commerce Comes To Region”. This was an excellent promotional exercise for the company as Ian was able to give an indepth preview of FlexCom to a nationwide audience
Ian talked about how the FlexCom business operates and how it has evolved from its beginnings in Turkey, and he was given time to really explain the FlexCom business model to the presenter.
This interview was recorded before Ian did a presentation at the Signature Hall in Trinidad on July 21st.
Please take the time to see the video below:
Also take a look at this article in the Trinidad & Tobago newspaper, Newsday, which has an excellent article on FlexCom. To see the article click on the following link:
Ian has also been featured in Trinidad And Tobago`s No.1 Newspaper Business Magazine, Trinidad Express Newspapers on July 30th 2013, under the heading “Thanks For Shopping With Me”.
Again this was a very positive article and it gave Ian the chance to once again get over what a boost the Flexkom service could give to individual retailers in Trinidad and the economy as a whole.
You can read the article at the link below:
Below are some photos of the Trinidad & Tobago Conference:


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Today’s evolving threat landscape, where the criminals are getting more and more sophisticated and cunning, is driving the need for total security solutions that protect all devices, irrespective of operating system or manufacturer. With this in mind, Bitdefender has unveiled its new security suite, Total Security Multi-Device 2017.
According to Lutz Blaeser, MD of Bitdefender distributor Intact Security, Total Security Multi-Device 2017 has the same key features as Bitdefender Internet Security: A solid mix of antivirus, firewall, browsing protection, parental controls, anti-theft system, encryption and password manager.
“However, the new suite takes this to the next level by providing protection for Mac OS and Android devices as well as PCs, and adding in some fantastic extras like anti-theft tools and the performance-enhancing feature, 1-click Optimizer.”
The 2017 product also features far more effective ransomware protection, says Blaeser. “It has become very apparent that ransomware is a local as well as a global problem. Also, that just about everybody has a dog in this fight. It has become one of the fastest growing threats in cybersecurity today, and is a popular means for hackers to make money.”
He says as ransomware explodes with new malware variants and increasingly ingenious ways of scamming targets, businesses can no longer afford to shrug it off it as a user-only problem. “This is why the new product can now store the user’s most important files in special folders which trusted applications will be able to access as usual, with everything else getting solidly locked out.”
Bitdefender 2017 also features the newly introduced Wifi Security Advisor, a one-click tool which checks all available wireless networks quickly and identifies any security vulnerabilities. “Another improved feature is the firewall and parental controls, boosting family oriented protection, and privacy protection across all platforms,” Blaeser adds.
“There’s no point in using many different security products when you can have the perfect all-in-one solution. Bitdefender Total Security Multi-Device 2017 is the perfect choice when you want to protect your Windows, Mac OS and Android devices all at once, delivering ironclad protection against even the most sophisticated threats.”
He says it employs the most advanced security technology available today, yet it’s easy and intuitive. “Users need one account to protect up to 10 different PCs, Macs, and Android smartphones and tablets.”


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Existing members can use the sign in option below.
Bobsguide members enjoy:
Coinbase, on September 27, announced customers will soon be able to get paid in crypto or US dollars and choose the percentage of their paycheck to deposit.
On September 28, Mastercard launched Installments, a Buy Now Pay Later programme that’s currently available to the U.Z, Austrailian and UK market.
On September 22, Modulr announced it had opened offices in the Netherlands as part of its EU-wide expansion in 2022 and 2023. The payments-as-a-service platform will run its pan-European operations from a new base in Amsterdam.
Monzo, on September 21, announced Plus and Premium customers can now make card payments from a pot. This announcement follows one the bank made a week prior introducing Monzo Flex, a buy now pay later programme.
On September 16, Lemonway launched Pay By Bank in partnership with Tink to offer its merchants open-banking powered payments.
TrueLayer, on September 15, launched Payouts, a new solution that issues instant refunds and withdrawals using open banking-enabled account verification and the fast payment rails. The new platform is currently being used in TrueLayer’s partnership with online car retailer Cazoo that was announced a week earlier.
VibePay, on September 6, announced that users can now pay or request payments using their voice following the app’s new update. Customers can also create shortcuts through Apple’s Siri.
On September 1, Nium announced it had acquired Ixaris to optimise payments for companies and will aid travel and airline payments through innovative digital solutions.
If you’re in paytech and have a recent update the market should know about, email [email protected]
The A-Z of financial technology solutions


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Signature Fencing and Flooring has been named by Inc magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. The company earned the rank of 18th-fastest-growing manufacturing company, with an overall ranking of 769th out of a total of 5,000 fast-growing companies. Visit www.signaturefencing.com or www.eventdeck.com.
- Expo News
- Industrial Fabrics Foundation
- On the Job
- Press Release


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The 2019 Edge ST, which makes its world debut at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, is the first crossover in the Ford lineup to undergo serious performance tinkering. It comes packing a 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine that pushes out 335 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque.
Ford adds the sporty ST trim level to its Edge lineup as part of a midcycle refresh of the 5-passenger midsize SUV that goes on sale this summer as a '19 model. The V6 is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive is standard. The combination of extra output and tight gear spacing will keep the engine in the powerband and deliver brisk acceleration at any speed. Ford also included a Sport mode, which is created to deliver optimal transmission and engine performance.
Minn. facing potentially severe flu season as hospitalizations climb
Symptoms are often similar, but the onset of flu is marked by abrupt fever, chills and often body aches, sore throat and a cough. The Skagit Valley Herald reports the woman who died of the flu there was also over 65 with a chronic medical condition.
In terms of looks, the new Edge ST SUV stands out from the other 2019 Ford Edge vehicles by featuring deeper side skirts, a black hexagonal grille, and dual exhaust outlets. It also rides on unique 21-inch wheels.
Of course, today's buyer requires more than just performance. The Edge also has available post-collision braking, which Ford said automatically applies moderate brake pressure in the event of a collision to avoid further injury, damage to the vehicle or a second collision.
Zuckerberg makes FB News Feed more 'meaningful'
In contrast, "passively reading articles or watching videos - even if they're entertaining or informative - may not be as good". The change is the biggest tweak the social network has made to the news feed - essentially the soul of Facebook - in years.
The 2019 model comes standard with forward-collision warning, dynamic-brake support, pre-collision assist, pedestrian detection, blind-spot detection, cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping alert and assist, automatic high beams and hill-start assist. In addition, standard safety features include AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control and Curve Control, and 911 Assist.
"Edge drivers expect a sophisticated, modern driving experience", Cristina Aquino, Edge marketing manager said in the release. The Focus and Fiesta, by contrast, come with turbo in-line four-cylinder engines, front-wheel drive and only are offered with six-speed manual transmissions.
Is Matt Patricia set to spurn the Lions for the Giants?
The Lions are an ideal landing spot for Patricia because the team's general manager Bob Quinn was a former Patriots executive. The Indianapolis Colts , Chicago Bears and the Giants interviewed McDaniels, while the Arizona Cardinals interviewed Flores.
The Ford Edge is getting a sharp one. The FordPass Connect multimedia connectivity system with Wi-Fi will be standard, enabling the connection of up to 10 wireless personal electronic devices, and enabling communication with smartphones via the FordPass app. The Edge also gets Auto Start-Stop tech to improve economy. That last item connects your vehicle with your home Amazon assistant, allowing you to keep up with daily appointments, check for nearby points of interest and even make some purchases without ever leaving the driver's seat. The upgraded Sync 3 system expands on the range of possibilities, and includes an 8.0-inch touch screen and a 12-speaker Bang and Olufsen premium audio.


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According to one of our tipsters who spotted the deal on BestBlackFriday.com, Dell is offering the Xbox One S 500 GB Battlefield 1 Bundle with Gears of War 4 and an extra controller for just $249.99! The Black Friday deal will be available on Dell’s website starting November 24, 2016. Xbox One S 500 GB Battlefield Bundle (plus Gears of War 4 and extra controller) for $249.99 on Black Friday at the online Dell store.
In addition to the Xbox One S Black Friday deal, here’s a look at the other deals available on TVs, Windows 10 laptops, desktops, and more available from Dell starting November 24, 2016.
Thanks to Phillip D. for the tip!
Looks like you’re going to have to get to the Dell site early as these won’t last long. Good luck!


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Since we last met in 2006, the Indian pharmaceutical industry has been doing very well indeed, as a very large number of drugs came off patent. This trend will continue in the coming years. Today this is a crucial moment for India: the industry is at a crossroad. How has the Indian pharmaceutical sector changed in these last years, and are you ready to seize tomorrow’s opportunities?
Traditionally, India’s strength has been in generics. If you compare India with other countries, as far as patented products and branded products are concerned, we are still behind because a lot of money, a lot of tenacity, and a lot of time are required for new molecule discovery. Very few companies are on that track right now—hardly three, maximum four, big Indian companies. I do not see much happening in that area in the future unless the government steps up support for R&D—through investment or providing incentives such as tax benefits—and unless Indian companies have greater interaction with academia, as is happening in the West, and even in China now. We are still lagging behind, and unless we do that it will be difficult for us to innovate.
But having said that, our strength has been in generics and now even big players are getting into generics. Our industry is starting to understand that if you want to grow, you need to shift from vanilla generics to value-added generics and that is happening. So the scope is there. It is not that the companies do not have the muscle or the infrastructure to manufacture world-class products, because that is already in place. Outside of the U.S., India has the largest amount of companies filing DMFs and ANDAs, the largest amount of U.S. FDA-approved plants: 169! Not to mention more than 1000 plants approved by WHO.
The momentum is good for Indian companies, with all the in-licensing agreements taking place. The international companies have confidence in India and Indian companies, so they give the entire know-how, the raw materials, all the ingredients, all the sourcing to India and the goods are produced here only for export. There are so many 100% export-oriented units in India. So yes, we are doing well: if you look at numbers, the entire sector has grown to become a $20Bn-plus industry—of which almost 40-45% is exports. And thanks to our infrastructure, we have the capacity to grow more.
An association like yours represents more than 750 companies throughout the industry, from the largest Indian flagship companies to some very small manufacturers. Naturally, they have different interests and face different challenges. How do you manage to represent all of your members?
This is the beauty of IDMA! The industry is walking and we carry everybody with us. Do not forget that the IDMA was formed to protect the interests of the national-sector companies. But now we know that we need to step up the way we function, look at new products, and we need to step up quality—we can read the writing on the wall. While different companies are pursuing different goals, our basic aim is very clear: we want all of our members to know what is going on globally, we want to train our members and they have to come up to standard. Several of our members know their shortcomings, so there are mergers and acquisitions, and certain small players—regional or local players mainly—have to wind up or tie up with other players and capitalize on their strengths. If their strength is marketing, then they have to find a partner for production, and vice versa.
There is still an image issue associated with the “made in India” brand—especially in Europe and the US—involving quality concerns, fear of counterfeit drugs, and a general mistrust. How do you face this challenge, what do you do as an association to promote “made in India?”
We have a lot of training programs. We tell our members how to upgrade to cGMP, and to comply with WHO and U.S. FDA standards. IDMA has a lot of seminars where people from the FDA come and talk to our members about new technologies, new products, how to harmonize their practices and adapt to the different standards. Our concentration is on quality. We also have to protect them from being counterfeited with anti spurious seminars on how to protect our products—with bar coding, holograms, etc.
Recently, we have also supported CDSCO to carry out a survey on spurious drugs. Within 15000 samples, we found only 0.02% contained spurious drugs. This is negligible, especially as the Indian market is so huge—in volume and in value! There are 50000 formulations floating in the country, 12000 manufacturers and the market is almost $10Bn! So from that, 0.02% spurious drugs is nothing. But the U.S. and Europe are trying to malign the image of Indian companies, which is why they are raising the issue of spurious drugs being made in India.
It is not right. For example, they have also held our containers when those goods were only in transit, and not meant for consumption in that country! They know that Indian companies have the know-how and the tenacity to make quality products, and we are cost-competitive on top of it, so they are trying various means to protect their industry—bringing in spurious drugs issues, data exclusivity issues, etc.—to which we say no!
Is the debate about IP protection another way of putting up entry barriers for Indian generic companies?
Exactly. Just barriers. As far as TRIPS is concerned, we totally agree and support the text. At the IDMA, we are clear about two things: first, the innovator has to be rewarded properly—we respect patents. Secondly, the Indian consumer’s interest has to be superior. It is very clear.
The relationship between MNCs and Indian companies seems to be one of love and hate. There are so many collaborations: there is a boom in licensing agreements, sourcing tie ups, and etc. But at the same time, there is a little concern in the domestic industry as MNCs grow their market share and acquire local companies. Where is the balance?
They are buying off our industry! So the government has put up solid rules about FDI. Foreign Direct Investment cannot be more than 49%. We need them of course, which is why they can acquire up to 49%. Like this, as far as training of staff and quality are concerned, as far as getting new products, getting new technologies—nobody can complain. But we do not want them to dominate the market and raise consumer prices afterwards. This can happen if they have a total takeover.
How do you view competition from China?
China has inherent quality and credibility problems. Now, of course, they are getting over it as far as bulk drugs are concerned. They have huge-capacity plants, they make only one or two raw materials per plant, they have government support that we do not have, and they do not compete amongst themselves—they all work together with the government’s direct support. Their line cost is very light, the cost of interest is very low, and they do not have labor problems like we have. Again, they have lots of support from the government—and this is why they manage to be so competitive. And given their capacity, they can manage such low prices that we have no choice but to buy from them.
However, in formulations, we still have an edge over them; we actually are far better than them. And it will not be that easy for China to catch up. Furthermore, China is getting oriented towards the European pharmacopeia, whereas traditionally, India is more aligned with U.S. FDA procedures and standards. We can already see that now, and it is going to take them a couple of years to match our formulations skills.
But when it happens, what are you going to do?
When it happens, we will join China, and become Chindia! We are actually already trying to work together, which is why people call us Chindia. We believe that, in global tenders, if China and India do not compete, and take advantage of the synergy benefits that they enjoy (for example, we buy API from them, and they give us formulations to manufacture), we can do wonders and we can take on the U.S. and European countries.
India has been growing at a pace of 22% year-on-year for many years now. Are these growth figures sustainable?
This type of double-digit growth cannot continue for long obviously. It is as simple as that. It all depends now on how the markets react; how countries look at India. Today, out of our total production, 50% is geared towards exports. And many big companies are outsourcing to India, because they have trust in the Indian industry. So if that trend continues, we will continue to have double-digit growth. But in any case, we will continue to do better than global pharmaceutical growth, at least for the next ten years.
So if we come back in five years time, where do you think the industry will be standing?
There will be few players, or at least not as many as today. You will see that some Indian companies will have come up with their own innovative products and molecules. We will probably be doing very well as far as value-added generics are concerned. You will see that more multinationals, and more big Indian companies, the so-called Indian multinationals, have ties with medium-sized, good-quality Indian companies. The market for clinical research will have opened up—people will come here to do their clinical trials and R&D. And finally, the dependence on Indian generics will certainly increase.
That is a lot of change in five years!
Well, if all does not happen in the next five years, I have no doubt that it will by 2020.


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Intel’s Paul Otellini spoke at the conference call after the chip maker announced $2.8 billion in profits and $13.5 billion in revenue for the past quarter. Interestingly, Intel says its revenue is up on growing interest for ultrabooks and... smartphones. The former is no surprise - what’s surprising is that Intel only has a couple of chips on smartphones right now, and having this reflected in the Q2 results could mean the company’s chips are catching some momentum in mobile.
But probably most importantly, Intel is betting on Windows 8 tablets. Here’s what Otellini had to say about upcoming Intel tablets:
Not bad for a start for Windows 8, is it?
source: Venture Beat


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Fraud can have devastating repercussions, so make sure it doesn’t happen to you or your business.
Fraud costs the UK economy £190bn last year, according to research by Experian. It’s a staggering amount of money – more than the Government spends on health and defence combined.
Protecting your business
Almost three-quarters of fraud happens in the private sector, so if you’re running a business it’s vital to consider the following:
Know your business inside out
This includes understanding the risks relating to your staff, products or services and customers and what your legal and regulatory obligations are. This will help you detect when something isn’t right.
Understand who you’re doing business with
This will help identify when a seemingly ordinary business request or transaction looks out of the ordinary and could potentially be fraudulent.
Think about how a fraudster might target your business from inside and out and test the systems you have in place to reduce your risk. Make sure everyone knows how the systems work and review them regularly.
Make sure your business technology is protected against cyber-crime. Back up your systems regularly in case something goes wrong.
Think about how money leaves your business – including who has authority to make payments and who checks they’re legitimate. It sounds simple, but make sure you always check your bank statements.
Make sure laptops, computers, smart phones and intellectual property are secure and protected. Keep and update inventories and check your insurance cover.
We all need to be vigilant on a personal level too. the Financial Conduct Authority and the Pensions Regulator have launched a TV advertising campaign to warn about pension scams to raise awareness of the most common tactics used by fraudsters.
Pension scams often involve people being persuaded to transfer or cash in their pension pots and put the money into exotic-sounding investments. These scams have been around for many years but have really picked up since April 2015 when the Government introduced reforms giving over-55s more freedom to cash-in their pensions.
If you’re dealing with a firm offering pension investment advice, you can check here to see whether they’re authorised by the regulator: https://www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart
Some other current scams to be wary of include:
‘Get rich quick’ schemes
Bogus investments in mining and trading cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
Fake investment opportunities playing on fears about Brexit. For example, fraudsters may email you, warning that Brexit will affect your savings, and urging you to move them urgently into a seemingly plausible, but actually fake, investment product.
Often students recruited via social media to inadvertently launder money. They receive the stolen funds into their account, and are then asked to withdraw it and send the money to a different account, often overseas, keeping some of the money for themselves.
How to stay in control
Don’t assume that a professional-looking website or social media post is a genuine investment opportunity.
Don’t rush into making decisions about investments.
Get independent advice and thoroughly research companies you’re thinking of investing with.
Be sceptical – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
If you are dealing with HMRC – their guide to scams and phishing is available here: https://www.gov.uk/topic/dealing-with-hmrc/phishing-scams
If you do become a victim of fraud or cyber-crime report it to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and cyber-crime reporting centre: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/


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KOLKATA: Australian dairy and food ingredient major, Ballantyne Foods, is planning to set up its unit in India to cater to their huge customer base in south-east Asian markets.
Prior to that, the company, which is the world's largest producers of canned butter, is targeting to increase its market share in the Indian bakery, biscuit, airline catering industry and the F&B industry as a whole.
The Indian unit will initially start off as a logistics centre with warehousing and distribution facility. With time, it plans to open a manufacturing and R&D facility to cater to their markets in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan and the Middle-East.
The company is concentrating on the food flavour, food colour and cheese powder range of food ingredients for supply to the Indian biscuit industry. It is already supplying to Britannia, Parle and Priya.
"We are currently shipping one container of our products to India. But by this year-end, we expect to ship nearly six containers worth about $500,000," said Hemmat S Nasrallah, spokesperson, Ballantyne Foods.
Ballantyne is also targeting the mini-butter product segment to be packaged in plastic tubs instead of the conventional foil packing prevalent in Indian markets. This product category is designed for the airline and hotel catering industry, Mr Nasrallah said.


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The Volkswagen Polo is an important car for the German automaker in emerging car markets like that of India. While the car represents VW in a very popular segment, it also gave birth to the Vento sedan which has been giving a tough fight to more established Japanese brands. Now, it has emerged that the all new Polo, which is busy being developed, could hit the showroom floors as soon as in 2015. The upcoming generation of Polo will employ Volkswagen’s much talked about ‘MQB’ platform. The latest Audi A3 is the first car to make use of ‘MQB’ platform. The wheelbase of the new Polo will be longer by five centimetres but the car will be same in length as the existing model. The new car will also be lighter than outgoing model by at least 36 kilograms. Watch out for this space for more details of the new car.
Image source: AutoZeitung


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Grower application was one topic that CropLife Media Group editors brought up at a recent informal meeting of leading retailers to discuss industry trends. A conclusion: Farmers are being encouraged to do more application work themselves because retailers haven’t accurately justified the costs to growers.
Participants are concerned that they’ve given too much away to growers over the years in the form of services — and that the whole structure of product movement to the grower will have to change from the current system. Their feeling is retailers have to decide what value they want to bring to big customers who will be around for the next 10 years. If smaller customers don’t want to pay for services, a dealer won’t be able to provide them service.
Brent Sutton, president and general manager of Growers Fertilizer Inc., Lake Alfred, FL, would stand by the complimentary services his company offers. “Salesmen are out in the field constantly bug checking and making recommendations for sprays,” he explains. His staff usually finds a problem before a grower is even aware of it. Soil sampling with fertilizer recommendations is also a free service.
And while precision agriculture services have been growing, CropLife 100 retailers say some growers will always hit a wall with the technology. “A vast majority of people out there are not really into precision,” says Roger Oliver, president of Van Horn Inc., Cerro Gordo, IL. “Our customers aren’t really willing to pay for it.”
Tim McArdle, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Brandt Consolidated, Springfield, IL, agrees: “About 35% to 40% of our customers are doing some sort of precision agriculture. For others the learning curve is steeper, but we feel the investment is justified and profitable.”
Risk management tools will be a big opportunity to get in solid with the more professional grower, believes Dave Coppess, vice president of sales and marketing at Heartland Coop, West Des Moines, IA. “Our sales team is focused on their technical ability to help the grower choose the right seed, the right crop nutrients, crop protection products, but I am not sure the farmer, and in particular the commercial grower, finds as much value in that as they used to,” he says.
“I feel we have to shift as ag retailers to understand what the growers are going to value. The growers have told us that grain marketing skills are what they do value, so I think that, over the longer term, we have to shift the focus of our sales team to become more farm manager-type people,” Coppess says.


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Jackson’s New Habanero Nacho Flavour Spices Up Its Sweet Potato Chip Lineup
七月 23, 2023Jackson’s®, the leader in kettle-cooked sweet potato chips made in pure premium avocado oil, continues to expand its sweet potato chip line with the release of Habanero Nacho Sweet Potato Chips with Avocado Oil.
Jackson’s Bolsters Sales & Marketing Team to Support Strong Brand Growth
四月 09, 2023Jackson’s®, a sweet potato chip snack brand in the United States, is expanding its sales and marketing team by adding three knowledgeable brand leaders to drive distribution throughout the country.
Sweet Potato sibling from Uglies Kettle Chip
五月 16, 2022Uglies Kettle Chips, the brand that brings you naturally imperfect, honestly delicious plant-based snacks, now introduces new upcycled sweet potato chips: Uglies Sweets.
Upcycled sweet potato snack brand Spudsy closes USD 3.3 Million Series A Funding
十月 02, 2021Spudsy, the brand that upcycles imperfect sweet potatoes and turns them into plant-based, delicious snacks, has announced the closing of a $3.3 Million funding round led by KarpReilly and Stage 1 Fund.
Way Better Snacks brings Innovative Fall Flavors to Expo East
九月 17, 2015Live Better Brands will present new better-for-you products in a range of innovative fall flavorsat the Natural Products Expo East trade show
Popchips Heats Up and Sweetens The Competition With Two New Flavor Innovations
三月 06, 2015Popchips inc., the innovative popped snack company, today announced two new flavor innovations at the Natural Products Expo West trade show in Anaheim, California.
Ballreich Bros plans nationwide distribution of sweet potato chips at Walmart and Dollar General
三月 04, 2015Ohio Potato Chip manufacturer Ballreich Bros. is set to expand its reach nationwide with a new sweet potato chip line that is being marketed as a healthier alternative to traditional potato chips.


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NOVATO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct 15, 2022–
Fourth paragraph, third sentence of release dated October 11, 2022, should read: The company also owns Grupo Peñaflor, the leading Argentine wine company, as well as a distribution and production agreement for Diageo’s spirits products in Argentina.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221011005421/en/
WX Brands COO Oliver Colvin (Photo: Business Wire)
The updated release reads:
WX BRANDS ANNOUNCES UPCOMING LEADERSHIP TRANSITION
COO Oliver Colvin to Become CEO in 2023
WX Brands, a leading global wine company, announced that Peter Byck will transition from his role as CEO and will be succeeded by Oliver Colvin, COO, effective January 1, 2023.
After 23 years founding and leading WX Brands, Peter Byck stated the time is right for the move to Oliver Colvin, a 22-year veteran of the company. Colvin has held various positions at WX Brands as head of operations, head of international sales as well as the company’s US sales. Most recently, he has been the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, a position he has held for 10 years.
“This company started as an idea on a PowerPoint deck in my home,” said Byck, “and today, driven forward by Oliver, our executive committee and talented team members, we’ve transformed WX Brands into a top 13 US wine company. Oliver has been a key contributor to the company’s success and is the right person to continue to drive WX’s tremendous success at this time,” he added. Byck will continue to be an individual shareholder and will serve as senior advisor to the board of directors of WX Brands following the transition.
With strong brands, expansion beyond the U.S., and a new owner, the company is well positioned for continued growth. Last year, the Bemberg Family Group announced their Terold investment group purchased a majority stake in WX Brands. The company also owns Grupo Peñaflor, the leading Argentine wine company, as well as a distribution and production agreement for Diageo’s spirits products in Argentina.
“I’m thrilled to now lead our stellar team and supportive partners through the next phase of WX Brands’ expansion,” added Colvin. “I want to continue what Peter has built: a company culture of grit and teamwork, two characteristics that have enabled our success thus far and will carry us into the future,” he added. Prior to joining WX Brands, Colvin was Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Silicon Valley Bank and, prior to that, he was a partner in the law firm Fthenakis & Colvin.
About WX Brands
WX Brands offers a unique portfolio of wine brands that are sold both domestically and globally. WX also develops exclusive wine brands for retailers around the world. Our wines are sourced from 14 countries and sold in 20 countries resulting in over 4 million cases sold annually worldwide. In February 2022, Wine Business Monthly named WX Brands #13 among the Top 50 largest U.S. wine companies.
View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221011005421/en/
Nadea Mina, Benson Marketing Group, 917.633.6002, Ext 16,
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: RETAIL SPECIALTY FOOD/BEVERAGE WINE & SPIRITS
SOURCE: WX Brands
Copyright Business Wire 2022.
PUB: 10/15/2022 01:09 PM/DISC: 10/15/2022 01:09 PM
Copyright Business Wire 2022.


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Want a job at Dubai's EmiratesNBD bank? Walk-in for interview today
The UAE's largest bank Emirates NBD is expanding its retail team and will hire sale executives for two consecutive days.
The Dubai-based bank will hold walk-in interviews on Sunday, February 10, and Monday, February 11, to hire dozens of sales executives and supervisors, aged between 20 to 30 years. The bank will hire credit card sale executives with two-year experience preferably in the sale of cards.
The banks demanded in an advertisement that the interested candidates should possess excellent interpersonal skills and valid UAE or GCC driving licence.
The interviews will be conducted at the bank’s Sales Office in Union Square Branch on Al Maktoum Road, Dubai. Interviews will take place between 9am to 3pm.
Banks are these days fast expanding their sales teams to lift their retail segment growth. Last week, Commercial Bank International had organised walk-in interviews for two days in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to hire sales executives, offering them salary up to Dh8,000.
Excuse me? 5 silliest reasons UAE employees give to take a day off
What To Do When: Your salary is Dh3,000 and you want to open a bank account
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.


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Code Vein Trailer Puts Spotlight on Butterfly of Delirium Boss
Bandai Namco has released a new trailer for Code Vein that takes a closer look at it Butterfly of Delirium boss fight.
This boss is unique, in that it features two heads. Her graceful wings hide a monstrous second set of jaws that can attack players at a moment’s notice. She can also emit deadly spores that allow her to dish out damaging area-of-effect attacks.
See her in action below:
CODE VEIN – Butterfly of Delirium Boss Trailer | X1, PS4, PC
The game will come out for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 27.
Discover what awaits players post-launch in Ubisoft’s upcoming Assassin’s Creed Valhalla with the latest video for the game
Discover what the next generation of consoles has in store for SEGA’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon with the latest trailer for the game


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GXS acquires Brazilian EDI firm
Maryland-based business-to-business software company GXS on Monday acquired Interchange Servicos S.A., one of Brazil's largest providers of electronic data interchange services.
GXS bought Interchange from Banco Real, Citibank Brazil, EDS (an HP company), and Ita' Unibanco. Interchange, founded in 1991, has provided EDI services to more than 450 customers in the financial services, retail and utilities industries, including 50 of Brazil's largest banks. GXS plans to integrate Interchange's EDI services with GXS Trading Grid to enable customers to leverage its global reach and portfolio of B2B managed services.
'The acquisition builds upon GXS's current market presence in Brazil and accelerates the company's growth plans for B2B managed services in Brazil,' GXS said in a statement. 'GXS targeted Interchange for acquisition because Brazil is a key growth market right now, quickly becoming an important geographic center for business and trade. As a result, Brazilian businesses are in need of supply chain management and visibility technologies.'


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Recently, Harley-Davidson has been on the news a lot. In one moment, analysts are predicting its downfall. In the next moment, the manufacturer is announcing a new line of bikes like nothing it has ever built before. The company is even trying to get in on the ground floor when it comes to electric motorcycles… or is it? More developments are casting shadows on Harley’s future, but could some of these changes actually benefit the company?
Is the Electric Harley-Davidson Dream Still Alive?
Months ago, we informed you that Harley had formed a strategic alliance with Alta Motors in California. The two companies struck a deal to exchange knowledge that would lead to two new electric Harleys. However, that alliance has died.
Just six months after striking a deal with Alta, Harley has divested itself from the San Francisco startup. This casts serious doubt on future electric motorcycle projects like Harley’s Livewire, which is due to come out in 2019. That being said, the bar and shield manufacturer hasn’t quite thrown in the towel.
The company has announced that it will now open a research and development center in Northern California. This new R&D center will develop Harley’s new vehicle line, including its heavily anticipated electric models. This new facility is expected to open before the end of the year, and the company is already knee deep in the hiring process.
Engineers of the electrical, mechanical and software variety are being courted for new vehicle development at this facility. But will this new facility be enough to bolster Harley’s promise of new and exciting motorcycles? Will the company be able to stick to the timetables it has already released to the press? Only time will tell at this point, but the motorcycling attorneys at Metier Law Firm will let you know if there are any updates.


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Deceuninck national trade fabricator FastFrameUK has launched its all new website, complete with a personalised animated explainer video. The website has already become a key part of FastFrameUK’s business, generating leads and enquiries, and acting as a hub of information for its existing and prospective customers.
FastFrameUK Sales Director, Paul Moody, says: “Our new website was built using Deceuninck’s ‘Website Builder’ service. It’s professional, clean and looks great. We used to avoid sending people to our website, but now we direct customers and visitors there without a second thought. We are very proud of it and excited about the difference it will make to our business.”
The innovative animated explainer video, available from Deceuninck’s growing suite of tailored marketing support, adds a new dimension to the website. Paul says: “It is unique and adds more interest and appeal to our new site. It’s a great way for customers and prospective installers to learn about our business and products and I think it will help keep visitors on the site for longer and explore other areas.
“Both the website and video have given us a great new platform to promote our business”, continues Paul. “I’m confident visitors to our site will come away with the information they need about our business and it will help our installer customers sell with confidence.”
Visit FastFrameUK’s new website and watch its new video at www.fastframeuk.co.uk.


text: HomeBitcoinGrayscale: Bitcoin Market ‘Looks Like 2016, Before Historic Bull Run’ Grayscale: Bitcoin Market ‘Looks Like 2016, Before Historic Bull Run’ By Crypto News Pipe August 21, 2020 Bitcoin 0 Comments Grayscale notes that long term holders are increasingly dominating the Bitcoin markets over short-term speculators, driving demand relative to supply. Source: Grayscale: Bitcoin Market ‘Looks Like 2016, Before Historic Bull Run’ Tags:Bitcoin Related Posts Total crypto market capitalization posts new all-time high above $1.9T Report Shows That 25% of Major Institutions are Long on Bitcoin Second US Stimulus Package Could Drive Bitcoin Higher, Says OKEx CEO Jay Hao About Author Crypto News Pipe Crypto News Pipe is a cryptocurrency news aggregator service. It presents a continuous flow of articles organized from thousands of publishers and magazines. Add a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment:*Name:* Email Address:* Website: Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.


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WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.
Nokia looks to Europe operators alliances to drive WP8 new smartphone.
Nokia is looking to work closely with a small group of operators for the launch of its first device powered by Windows Phone 8.
hvga, qvga, portable apps, apps, google apps, android apps, android, android market, game hd, game, apk manager, fruit ninja apk, apk download, android market apk, free games, games, android, android market


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FERRIES between Dover and Calais have been suspended due to a strike by staff at the French port.
The 24-hour closure of the Port of Calais began at 8am on Thursday.
Dover-Calais ferries are suspended after strike action at French portCredit: EPA
Ferry operators DFDS and P&O Ferries normally run a total of up to 50 sailings per day between Dover and Calais.
DFDS has switched one of its Calais ships to the Dover-Dunkirk route to provide extra capacity.
Freight vehicles and passengers due to travel between Dover and Calais with DFDS on Thursday are being shipped on the next available Dover-Dunkirk sailing instead.
The Port of Dover said in a statement: “We will continue to monitor the situation closely in liaison with our ferry partners and the Port of Calais.
Ferry operators DFDS and P&O Ferries normally run a total of up to 50 sailings per day between Dover and Calais Credit: Alamy
“Please note that there may be delays to services when the Port of Calais reopens and services resume to normal.”
Any holidaymakers planning a trip to France have to quarantine for two weeks on their return to the UK.
The Government took France off the travel corridor list after a surge of fresh cases in the country on August 15.
The number of daily cases has continued to rise since then, with 13,072 new cases in the country yesterday.
Can I still travel to France?
Yes, but for essential travel only.
Flights are still departing from the UK to France, but the Government advises against “all but essential travel”.
If you decide to book a holiday you will be travelling against official guidance.
This means you are unlikely to be covered under travel insurance.
Jet2 cancels more flights to Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote
Quarantine list UK: Which countries are on the list?
Greece is on the brink of lockdown again as daily Covid cases hit new high
Can I still go on holiday to Wales & Scotland? New UK Covid travel rules explained
Cadbury World reveals new Halloween Spooktacular event opening next month
ONE NIGHT ONLY
Ryanair launches buy one get one free sale on flights – which ends tonight
Continue Reading: Source Link


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To mark the release of Super Troopers 2 on 15th June, we’ve been given 5 merchandise packs including a t-shirt and a Super Trooper-esque moustache to give away.
Everyone’s favourite law enforcement team is back by popular demand with the long anticipated follow up to the cult comedy classic…SUPER TROOPERS. When an international border dispute arises between the U.S. and Canada, the Super Troopers – Mac, Thorny, Foster, Rabbit and Farva, are called in to set up a new Highway Patrol station in the disputed area. Unconventional police work follows, and the result is…SUPER TROOPERS 2.
Competition T&Cs can be found here
The Small Print
- Open to UK residents only
- The competition will close 27th June 2018 at 23.59 GMT
- The winner will be picked at random from entries received
- No cash alternative is available
- To coincide with GDPR regulations, competition entry information will not be stored once the competition has ended and the winners have been chosen and prizes sent out.
The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!


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Health warning labels (HWL) are mandatory on tobacco products in several countries, including Australia, Canada, and the UK. In these countries, evidence suggests that image and text warnings can generate negative emotions and discourage consumers from purchasing tobacco.
Yet despite these positive correlations, HWLs remain largely reserved for the tobacco sector.
What if HWLs were extended to food products – and more specifically, to energy-dense products? How might consumers react? And could such labels be employed as another weapon in the fight against the obesity?
A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge and the University of Bristol have investigated just that in a fresh study published in Appetite this week.
“Graphic health warning labels on tobacco packaging are effective in changing smoking behaviours,” said study author Natasha Clarke from the University of Cambridge. “There is a continued policy and public interest in improved labels on food, including warning labels, and the aim of our research was to investigate whether they can be effective on these products.”
Obesity: the facts
Since 1975, the prevalence of obesity worldwide has tripled.
According to 2016 figures, 61% of adults and 29% of children in the UK are classified as overweight or obese.
Excess weight is a risk factor for several diseases, with obesity being the second most preventable cause of cancer after smoking. It also increases the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a key cause of rising obesity rates is the rise in consumption of excess energy from food, particularly from high fat, energy-dense and nutrient-poor foods.
Text, image, calorie information
It is recognised that multiple interventions are required to combat the obesity pandemic. One potential intervention could be to discourage consumption of energy-dense products with food labelling strategies.
Such labels could display combinations of health warning texts, health warning images, and calorie information. The latter is currently available back-of-pack for most food products, yet less frequently available front-of-pack (FOP).
The UK study therefore conducted an online survey to investigate consumer reactions to various labelling scenarios and compare them to current product labelling without health warnings or calorie information FOP.
In total, 4134 people completed the study. Participants were aged over 18 and regularly consumed energy-dense snacks such as biscuits, cakes, chocolate, or crisps, at least once a week.
Results revealed that energy-dense snack selection was lower for all label types, compared to no label. Therefore, it could be presumed that all labels decreased the odds of selecting an energy-dense snack.
More specifically, image and text HWLs (37%) were more effective in decreasing energy-dense snack selection compared text-only HWLs (46%), calorie information alone (54%) and no label (59%).
Concerning calorie information FOP, findings revealed that without HWL, the presence of calorie information increased effectiveness only slightly (5% decrease in energy-dense snack selection).
Calorie information accompanied by text-only HWL had even less of an impact (4%), and no additional impact in the presence of an image-and-text HWL (1% increase).
Implications for the food industry
Despite the effectiveness of HWLs on food choice in the experimental study, the researchers believe it would be too early for governments to make such labelling strategies mandatory. It may also be premature for the food industry to implement voluntary HWLs.
Looking beyond acceptability of the labelling schemes, another important factor to consider is the potential for HWLs to lead to unintended consequences, noted the study authors, such as weight stigma, which can have a negative impact on health.
“Our focus is on generating evidence for the effectiveness of health warning labels on foods, before they are considered for implementation we need further research on whether they work in a variety of settings,” explained Clarke.
“We also need more research on their acceptability by the public, and on any potential adverse effects, such as obesity stigma, as there is some initial research that suggests graphic warnings on sugary drinks can lead to increased stigma.”
More research is required to determine how such labelling schemes would work on food products in real-life scenarios, she stressed.
“This study was conducted in an online hypothetical scenario, where labels were displayed on images of products and participants did not receive the snack they selected, so we cannot draw conclusions about whether or not they would work on food products in other settings. Before we do that, we need studies in more naturalistic real-world settings.”
‘Impact of heath warning labels on snack selection: An online experimental study’
Published online July 2020
Authors: Natasha Clarke, Emily Pechey, Eleni Mantzari, Anna K.M. Blackwell, Katie De-loyde, Richard W. Morris, Marcus R. Munafo, Theresa M. Marteau, and Gareth J. Hollands.


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Cash prices in the U.S. reach lowest in almost a decade
Premiums for Brazil supplies have more than tripled since May
Soybean prices in the U.S. and Brazil, the nations that account for roughly 80 percent of global exports, have taken drastically different paths thanks to Donald Trump’s trade war.
In the U.S., average cash prices fell to about $7.79 a bushel this week, the lowest in almost a decade, according to an index compiled by the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. China’s tariffs on American goods including farm products have now taken effect after the U.S. implemented a raft of duties earlier in the day Friday and President Trump threatened more action.
Meanwhile in Brazil, exporters have been handed high times. Soybeans to be loaded in August at the nation’s Paranagua port fetched $2.21 a bushel more than Chicago futures as of Friday, the widest gap since data starts in 2014. The premium has more than tripled since the end of May, according to data from Commodity 3.
"Premiums reflect the rising possibility of China being more dependent on Brazil’s soybeans," Luis Fernando Roque, an analyst at consultancy firm Safras & Mercado, said in a telephone interview from Porto Alegre.
The rally means the added premium for Brazil supplies are equal to about two-thirds the cost of the tariffs China is planning to levy on U.S. shipments, according to a report from INTL FCStone.
So far, good crushing margins are helping to keep Chinese demand robust for Brazilian supplies, even with surging premiums. China bought about 1.1 million metric tons of soybeans from Brazil last week, while no purchases from the U.S. were reported, according to the China National Grain and Oils Information Center.
That’s an unusual move for this time of the year, when China usually starts booking U.S. supply in the months before the North American harvest starts. Supplies in Brazil begin to fall after shipments peak for the season in May.
-Copyright 2018 Bloomberg LP


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FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., March 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The all-new 2011 Hyundai Elantra, in its mission to redefine the compact car segment, is also proving that non-hybrid vehicles can be among the most fuel-efficient cars on the road. TrueCar.com, the authority on new car pricing, trends and forecasting, named its Top Ten most fuel-efficient cars and the Hyundai Elantra was the only non-hybrid to make the list. With a starting price of just $14,830 and standard 40 mpg highway fuel economy, the Hyundai Elantra is demonstrating that fuel efficiency can be achieved in a high-volume, non-hybrid vehicle without the need for special fuel economy packages.
TrueCar.com compiled the list of Top Ten most fuel-efficient cars currently being sold based on fuel economy and cost of gas, per 15,000 miles driven annually. For example, when looking at the vehicles based on annual fuel costs and price, the 2011 Toyota Prius (base) average price paid is $22,235 and costs $1,064 annually based on the current price of $3.52 per gallon of unleaded fuel and 15,000 miles driven annually. The 2011 Hyundai Elantra (base) is 32 percent cheaper than the 2011 Toyota Prius (base) at $15,052, based on average price paid, yet costs only $531 more to fill up annually. At that rate, it would take more than 13 years to recoup the additional investment in the Prius.
"When purchasing a fuel-efficient vehicle, consumers should consider two factors – price and annual cost of fuel," said Jesse Toprak, vice president of Industry Trends and Insights at TrueCar.com. "If you're looking for the most cost-effective and fuel-efficient car, the Hyundai Elantra is the clear winner."
The 2011 Elantra sets the bar in the compact sedan category offering a "class-above" midsize car interior volume, modern design, outstanding fuel economy, and loads of comfort and convenience features, all at an attractive starting price. Elantra also continues to lead the industry in standard advanced safety technologies including a new Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) system to optimally manage Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and the Motor-Driven electric Power Steering (MDPS).
"The all-new Elantra, with its 29 mpg city and 40 mpg highway standard fuel economy rating, is a perfect vehicle for consumers looking for an affordable solution to rising gas prices," said Mike O'Brien, vice president, Product and Corporate Planning, Hyundai Motor America. "Elantra is at the core of Hyundai's fuel economy strategy. In February, 20 percent of all Hyundai vehicles sold achieved 40 mpg on the highway thanks in large part to Elantra's success."
Hyundai made a commitment to lead the industry in sales of 40 mpg vehicles in 2011, and seeks to achieve this through the wide availability of vehicles that achieve 40 mpg on the highway. Hyundai's strategy of standard 40 mpg highway ratings on vehicles like the Elantra and the forthcoming 2012 Veloster and 2012 Accent, contrast the practice of competitors, which limit 40 mpg sales to low-volume and/or extra cost option package and trim levels. Hyundai is also moving ahead to be the first automaker to achieve a corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) rating of at least 50 mpg by 2025 for its lineup of passenger cars and light duty trucks.
About TrueCar, Inc.
TrueCar, Inc., a leading market innovator, stands alone as an automotive solutions provider focused on changing how cars are sold by providing a significantly better customer experience, while helping qualified dealer partners to gain incremental market share and reduce costs. TrueCar, Inc. works with a national network of nearly 4,700 Certified Dealers that provide up-front, no-haggle, competitive pricing to assist some of the nation's largest and most well respected membership and service organizations meet the auto buying needs of their members and customers. These partnerships include American Express, AAA Clubs, USAA and more than 60 others. Collectively these audiences represent over 1,000,000 in-market customers each month. Founded in 2005, TrueCar, Inc. is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA and has offices in San Francisco. With nearly 200 percent year-over-year growth, TrueCar has driven more than 200,000 sales and is developing a suite of transaction-oriented products and services centered on transparency and radical clarity as a result of comprehensively analyzing market data and information. You can follow TrueCar on Twitter @truecar and become a fan of TrueCar on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/truecar.
HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA
Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 800 dealerships nationwide. All Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes the 5-year/60,000-mile fully transferable new vehicle warranty, Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty and 5-years of complimentary Roadside Assistance.


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The experience of a top U.S. retailer tells a lot about what it is like to do business in China now. Over the years, this company had built a broad supply base in China involving hundreds of firms — and inch by inch its rivals were doing the same. To seize an advantage over its competitors, the retailer decided to significantly narrow this supply base and create deeper relationships with a relative handful of trusted suppliers. It was a wise move: Benefiting from supplier expertise and collaborative partnerships, the retailer gained a 33 to 50 percent advantage over its competitors in terms of the time needed to introduce new products to the American market.
Although the retailer can claim success, few companies have followed its lead. The myth still persists in some quarters that smart analysts in a back room can understand bids from Chinese suppliers a continent away, despite having little contact with the companies that are being asked to produce and ship critical components and products. Indeed, many U.S. and European manufacturers send an RFP (a Request for Proposal, asking suppliers to bid on a job) to Chinese companies without ever setting foot on the mainland.
Such practices will no longer work, partly because of important structural shifts under way in China’s economy, including commodity and wage inflation, the rising value of the Chinese currency, high real costs of talent due to low employee retention, and the failure of many manufacturers to implement efficient and lean operational systems in their plants. Because of these factors, some 50 percent of multinational companies doing business in China think the nation’s competitiveness in low-cost manufacturing is eroding, according to a new survey by Booz & Company and the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. Almost a fifth, or 17 percent, are considering — and in some cases already pursuing — a shift of operations to even lower-cost countries such as India, Vietnam, and Thailand. Nonetheless, the vast majority of these companies find China to be highly attractive as a growth market, thanks to its expanding economy and a middle class that continues to grow by tens of millions of people every year.
Faced with these conditions, companies will find it increasingly necessary to pursue a dual strategy of using the Chinese platform to make more sophisticated product components for export and simultaneously seeking to penetrate the domestic market. This means taking a more holistic view of how sourcing fits into a company’s overall activities in China, and it requires a deeper level of management engagement. Consequently, we believe that multinationals should consider adopting the new approach to working with Chinese suppliers that we call knowledge-based sourcing, which significantly increases insight into the supply base through a deeper understanding of — and two-way discussions about — production costs, manufacturing and transportation economics, lead-time requirements, schedule stability, the likely degree of product design changes, and the technical skills of the suppliers.
The use of knowledge-based sourcing in China is a controversial idea for some Western executives. In their minds, an investment of this magnitude, which can require maintaining a staff of dozens or hundreds of people in the country, could offset any possible gains from sourcing there. Wal-Mart seems to adhere to this view. It requires its suppliers to participate in an annual bidding process that consistently awards contracts to the lowest bidder (even as, critics allege, the quality of its products declines). This process serves the purpose of driving the price down with each passing year, which is Wal-Mart’s primary motivation. But it does little to develop strategic supplier relationships, decidedly a low priority for the retailer.


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Google announced Wednesday that The Interview will be available to rent on YouTube starting at 1:00 PM EST. It will also be available for purchase through Google Play. In a blog post announcing the deal, Google even pointed out that it will be available to Xbox Video customers and at seetheinterview.com (that URL redirects to kernel.com as of this writing).
Rockstar Consortium, Inc. announced a major patent sale to licensing firm RPX on Tuesday. The company, which is co-owned by Apple, Microsoft, BlackBerry, Ericsson, and Sony, will part with more than 4,000 patents, the bulk of its remaining patent portfolio. The move signals a further de-escalation of the patent wars in the mobile space, because RPX will license the patents to some 30 different groups of companies across the industry.
Many of Dr. Mac's readers and friends had problems updating to iOS 8 over WiFi, reporting that their iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch complained that the update couldn’t be installed because it requires at least 5.7GB of storage. If your iDevice only has 8 or 16GB of storage, chances are you saw a similar message. Here is Dr. Mac's advice to those whose iDevices are full or nearly full...
I have an extremely cool device for today's deal. It's called the PowerCube, a very clever way to maximize your power outlets. As the name suggests, it's a cube, which has six sides. One of those sides has a male plug for your wall. Four of the sides each have a female plugs, while the outside sixth face has two USB ports for dual charging. It's a very efficient way of turning one plug into four, with two USB ports to spare—all with a very small footprint. You can get the PowerCube for just $17.95 through our deal, so snap it up!
Here’s Dr. Mac's final batch of reasonably priced Apple related gadgets (and holders for Apple gadgets), all of which will be much appreciated by the geeks you love.
The long-rumored 12-inch MacBook Air will finally start production in early 2015—or so claims the latest rumor. That news comes from Digitimes, which has a dubious record with its laptop predictions, but will no doubt have many hopeful shoppers holding their breath waiting for a summer launch.
"Apple Pay has the ability to significantly transform the mobile payment space." That's the conclusion of an ITG Investment Report published on December 19. A major finding is that Apple Pay has been responsible for one percent of all digital payment dollars. This is a "strong showing" given that Apple customers must have the latest iPhones and the limited list of merchants. John Martellaro summarizes the report.
Apple has raised the price of apps in the Russian App Store in the midst of a meltdown in the value of the Russian ruble. The move follows Apple's decision earlier in the week to stop selling iPhones in Russia because of the volatility.
Calling the Apple Watch just a cooler, better smartwatch isn't
the right way to look at this revolutionary device. Apple would hardly settle for that. Instead, the Apple Watch will so change people's lives that no other device on the wrist will do, and that will bring incredible success. John Martellaro makes his case.
If you live in a multi-platform house, we have a deal for you on a 6-foot charging cable that's convertible between microUSB (for Android devices) and Lightning (for iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch). Better yet, the converter is actually attached to the cable, eliminating the chance to lose it! That's clever, and I like clever. It retails for $40, but you can get it through our deal for $21.
TMO Weekly Sponsor
ACM 286: Apple and The Interview, Rockstar and the Mobile Patent Wars
Jeff and Bryan want to know why Apple didn't jump on the opportunity to run The Interview, the Sony comedy…
TMO Daily Observations: 2014-12-24
Not only will "The Interview" be in theaters on Christmas Day, but it's available to watch online right now, unless…


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Inflation in Portugal exceeded the EU average in July to hit 9.4% from 8.9% in June.
This is according to the EU’s statistics department Eurostat which released the inflation figures for the Eurozone.
It is the country with the ninth lowest inflation rate of all the Eurozone countries but nevertheless was still above the European average rate.
Looking back to one year ago in July 2021, before the Ukraine invasion crisis and when government measures across the EU were artificially propping up economies against the worst effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, inflation was 2.5% in Portugal.
The rising cost of energy products (an increase of 4.02 percentage points) was the factor that most contributed to the increase in the inflation rate for the EU as a whole, followed by higher prices for alcohol and tobacco (+2.08%) and services (+1.6%) and non-energetic industrial goods (+1.16%).
Austria had the same inflation rate as Portugal (9.4%), while France and Malta were both at 6.8%, followed by Finland (8%), Sweden (8.3%), Italy (8.4%) and Germany (8.5%).
The countries with the highest inflation rates were Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia – all above 20% in July. All three countries share a border with Russia and have depended on the supply of natural gas from their large, bellicose neighbour.


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Camarillo's Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. has announced the details of its agreement with underwriters as part of its public stock offering and revised the share price.
Vitesse said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that underwriters will buy shares of its common stock at $2.015 per share and have the right to buy another 2.42 million shares to cover overallotments. The chip maker said it expects to raise nearly $33 million in the deal.
Vitesse expects the shares to be delivered around June 25. Needham & Co. is representing the underwriters in the deal.
In a separate SEC filing Thursday, Vitesse announced it would sell 16.3 million shares to the public at $2.15 per share. That changes the terms from Vitesse's announcement Wednesday when the Camarillo company said it would sell about 10.9 million shares of common stock to the public at $2.27 per share with the expectations of raising about $30 million.
Proceeds from the stock sale will go to working capital, but also help Vitesse pay down or restructure $63.7 million in debt, some of which is coming due in February and October of 2014.
A shareholder request to Vitesse to consider selling the company in lieu of its debt may be prompting Vitesse's stock sale.
Columbia Pacific Opportunity Fund, which owns 9.82 percent of the company's common shares, has asked Vitesse to seriously consider selling to a semiconductor designer that approached Columbia Pacific about buying Vitesse, according to the fund's SEC filing. The fund believes Vitesse shares are undervalued and its intellectual property and rapidly growing new products may be more valuable to a private investor than as a public company.
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30 Jan 2020
Realme C3 to be launched in India on February 6
As an addition to its portfolio of pocket-friendly smartphones, Chinese tech giant Realme is all set to launch the Realme C3 in India on February 6.
27 Nov 2019
Moto-Lenovo Days sale: Best deals on Motorola and Lenovo smartphones
In a bid to attract buyers, e-commerce giant Flipkart is hosting a "Moto-Lenovo Days" sale on its platform.
23 Sep 2019
Moto E6s to go on sale in India starting today
The recently launched Moto E6s is all set to go on its first sale in India starting today.
22 Sep 2019
#NewsBytesWeeklyRecap: Vikram Lander update, Google for India, OnePlus TV, more
The third week of September was a tad quiet but did witness some interesting launches, including that of Motorola's first-ever line of TVs.
16 Sep 2019
Moto E6s, with dual rear cameras, launched at Rs. 8,000
As an addition to its pocket-friendly E series, Motorola has launched the all-new E6s smartphone in India at Rs. 7,999.


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Illegal use of “lean meat powder,” a banned drug in animal feed, is widespread in China. Lean meat powder inhibits the growth of fat in farm animals, thus making the meat more attractive looking and better tasting, but poisonous to humans.
Mutton fed with lean meat powder from a well-known lamb producer in Yanwo Township of Shandong Province has been found in 17 Chinese provinces.
In March, lean meat powder was detected in 198 sheep from Qingyue County, Shandong Province. In late September, eight more sheep farms were found using lean meat powder in Lijin County, Shandong Province.
Lean meat powder is a chemical that belongs to the family of adrenal gland nerve system stimulants. Human consumption of such stimulants leads to dizziness, upset stomach, lethargy, and trembling hands. It is especially dangerous to people with heart disease and high blood pressure. Long-term consumption may also cause chromosome abnormality.
Many villagers in Yanwo Township make a living raising sheep. Farms raise anywhere from several hundred sheep to as many as tens of thousands.
A villager from Xihou Village, who did not want to give his name, told The Epoch Times several sheep farms were punished for using lean meat powder late last year when the news was made public.
“It badly hurt the income of the entire village, but now the condition is a little better, and about 90 percent of the farms are okay,” he said.
Sheep given lean meat powder produce 3 -- 4 lb. more lean meat, and the meat looks more attractive and tastes better, he said.
An employee at the Yanwo Township Credit Union, who also declined to give his name, said he only buys free-range baby goats from the farmers. He would not buy the sheep from the barn. He said even though each batch of meat is [going through] inspection, it is very likely that some is not inspected.
In an Oct. 26 report, Beijing News said that mutton products from over 1,000 farmers in Yanwo Township are shipped to 17 provinces and cities in China, including Beijing, Henan, Jiangsu, Liaoning, and Tianjin. Many employees at No. 1 Lubei Meat Market in Yanwo Township stated that around Sept. 26, four batches of about 1,000 sheep each had not passed inspection. By end of September, at least eight batches failed inspection and were returned.
To avoid detection, farmers have been found meddling with the inspections.Sheep farmer Liu Quan admitted to using lean meat powder and fooling inspectors. He said out of hundreds of sheep, he marked six and stopped giving them lean meat powder about 20 days before the inspection. During the inspection, these six sheep were used to supply urine tests, and when they passed, the rest of the sheep also passed.
After that, he would rent out these six sheep to other farmers at 1,000 yuan (US$158) per inspection and thus earn an extra 6,000 to 7,000 yuan, Liu said.
Sun Changjie, another farmer, told Beijing News that he spent 3,000 yuan on lean meat powder tablets. He said he knows at least 10 lean meat powder dealers. One of them is a friend of his, who assured him that there would not be any shortage of lean meat powder in Yanwo Township.


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"A New Lease On Life," so reads your headline in the May 18 Business section [page E1]. Who gets this terrific-sounding bonanza?
Could it be the thousands of hard working wage earners who invested their hard-earned wages in a local company with a great product, a and seemingly great future and potential named Breed? They also invested their money with hope of a return, as Cargyle so nicely put it.
It sadly turns out that these stockholders did not get a return. As a matter of fact, they do not even have an investment.
In all the weeks past and thousands of words The Ledger has printed about Breed, not one word has been said about the many millions of dollars we investors have lost so that Cargyle can waltz in and get "a new lease on life."
What you really meant is, "Pick what meat was left on our bones."
Why can't you print how this could happen. Who gains by this fiasco? Who was responsible for allowing this to happen?


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Bitcoin might be going through hell at the moment while other cryptocurrencies seem to be going well.
Analysts have taken different stances on the most recent bitcoin crash. One of the latest experts to add his voice is Blockchain Capital’s Spencer Borgart. He says that it has been a blessing in disguise for other cryptocurrencies.
According to him, even though bitcoin is not going anywhere, it is currently facing a lot of competition from other digital currencies the likes of Ripple and Monero.
He draws the public’s attention to the 2014 crash that saw the currency plummet from an all-time high of $1000 to $300. That was when the Mt. Gox and Silk road bust took place. He adds that at that time, most people even hardcore bitcoin believers thought that would be the end of the currency.
But in contrast, at the moment, there are lots of people who believe in the currency and consider the crash as a buying opportunity. In saying this, he echoes the sentiments of Tom Lee, who has advised aggressive buying now as this is the lowest the coin will go this year.
Bogart says that it is not the top bitcoin competitors like Ripple that pose the greatest risk to this king of crypto. Rather, it is the private models like Monero and Zcash that should be watched.
He explains that this is the case because with the fungibility that the blockchain offers, there should be privacy as well. This is where the aforementioned networks excel. He also adds that even the current currency models recognize this fact. This is why bills spent are not traceable.
Bogart feels that Monero and Zcash offer that precise advantage over bitcoin since all the transactions on their networks are treated equally. But with the latter, every coin acquired comes with a history that could be potentially risky to its holder.
Looking at the performance patterns on the three different currency networks, a trend emerges. With every rise on the value of BTC, there was a proportional increment in Zcash, Ripple, Ethereum and Monero as well.
Could Cryptocurrency Regulation be the Answer?
The most recent rises and falls in the various crypto spheres have been attributed to major sell-offs that were sparked by rumors of impending trade bans in China and South Korea. As is always the case in the industry, the FUD resulting from such rumors leads to panic and a majority wants to sell to the lowest bidder and get out while they can.
According to Cryptocompare founder Charles Hayter, the more the regulatory uncertainty surrounding the space, the more the likelihood of such extreme market reactions.
Other analysts believe that the upcoming G20 summit scheduled for March in Argentina will clarify matters surrounding the industry. This summit is meant to discuss the rise of bitcoin and the crypto industry as a whole.
Shuhei Fujise, an analyst at Alt Design, says that cryptocurrencies will most likely be capped ahead of this meeting.


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Thanks to the Food Network and many other television shows, the foodservice industry has become more accessible to the general public than ever before. And because celebrity chefs have done such a good job of translating their complex dishes into something a simple home cook, like myself, can execute, everyone has suddenly become an expert on all things foodservice. And restaurant-related reality programs give the public front row seats to all of the action on the cooking line.
The good news about the Food Network phenomenon is that it has given birth to a very engaged customer, one that is eager to experiment and willing to try new dishes like never before. And the foodservice industry continues to become a more appealing career choice for people of all generations. As a result, culinary schools continue to sprout up all over the place, keeping countless foodservice design consultants busier than they had expected.
The downside of the Food Network phenomenon is that it continues to spawn people with little or no foodservice experience who have become self-proclaimed foodservice experts. Like callers into sports talk radio shows, these experts look to share their perspectives with anyone who will listen via one of the many restaurant-related blogs that litter the Internet. That places increased pressure on foodservice pros to deliver the highest quality guest experience on a transaction by transaction basis.
Bottom line: while the foodservice industry continues to enjoy the benefits of being very fashionable in the public eye, there is tremendous responsibility that comes with it. So because of the increased visibility the industry is enjoying, it must continue to do things better and faster than other businesses. That's because consumers have a very close relationship with their food and the people that provide it. And it is a relationship that's growing closer by the day.
This is not lost on the government, which is why the groundbreaking healthcare legislation passed last year has provisions that require foodservice operators to provide nutritional information via menu boards, receipts and other means.
The tight economy has more consumers turning to dining out to help escape their day-to-day grind. Even on-site foodservice providers, like colleges and hospitals, use foodservice to improve the quality of life for their patrons. As a result, savvy operators are turning to their tabletops to help set customers' expectations and create memorable experiences.
Many people refer to the tabletop as the most important three feet in the house and in many ways they are right. Foodservice operators that fail to manage customers' expectations on the front end face an uphill climb in all points of service. In this issue FE&S celebrates some of the industry's brightest and most innovative installations with our 2011 Tabletop Performance Awards.
But fashion and responsibility extend well beyond the watchful eyes of today's customers. It has to extend to the way foodservice operators specify and buy their equipment and supplies. By its nature, foodservice operations are large consumers of energy and various natural resources. So it is only appropriate that the industry lead the way when it comes to conservation and being more efficient. That means it is time to stop buying solely on price and start looking at the bigger picture in the form of return on investment. Warewashers (page 61), because of all they consume and the relative importance to any foodservice operation, are a great place to start.
Foodservice has a chance to avoid becoming a slave to fashion by maintaining its leadership position in such areas as healthy eating, energy efficiency and innovative presentation.


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The Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) on Wednesday announced strict penalties for exporters who mix Cambodian rice with low-quality rice from other countries after receiving complaints that some exporters have been using the method to increase profits.
“Firstly, some customers have said that the rice they have bought is not Cambodian, but Vietnamese. Secondly, they say that Cambodian rice is not so pure and is low quality because it sells at a cheap price,” said Hun Lak, vice president of the CRF.
Mr. Lak said that such complaints about quality have had a negative effect on the image of Cambodian rice, although he said the CRF has found no proof of such practices.
“We don’t want these rumors to happen anymore,” he said. “We need to have clear and strict measures, mechanism [and] discipline.”
According to a post to CRF’s Facebook page Thursday, the penalties on exporters will depend on the severity of their actions.
Importing rice from a neighboring country with the intention of exporting it as Cambodian rice will lead to fines of between $150 and $300 dollars per ton.


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Lake Worth Utilities customers may have had credit card information stolen
Customers of the City of Lake Worth Utilities who utilized the online credit card payment option to pay their bill may have experienced a possible breach of their credit card information.
Lake Worth Utilities is encouraging all customers to check their statements for any fraudulent transactions that occurred between August 28 and October 9, 2018.
The City of Lake Worth Utility Billing does not manage online credit card payments. They utilize an external vendor who is currently investigating the issue.
Read more on WPTV.
Update of October 16: When this was first posted, the incident sounded like another Click2Gov breach. Another news source, subsequently confirmed that by naming Central Square Technologies as the vendor.


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Keith Stuart: The original Force Unleashed was the fastest selling Star Wars game ever, shifting seven million copies. But can the sequel finally provide the deep Jedi combat experience that its predecessor promised?
What was it Yoda said about trying? Clearly Star Wars fans haven't been listening. The demo of Force Unleashed, the new Star Wars game, is apparently the first to reach 1 million downloads on Xbox 360. Force Unleashed, released next week, is being billed as the "next film", giving fans the chance to find out what happened between the ends of episode 3 and 4