Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Burger King was sued on Monday by a vegan customer who accused the fast-food chain of contaminating its meatless “Impossible” Whoppers by cooking them on the same grills as its traditional meat burgers. In a proposed class action, Phillip Williams said he bought an Impossible Whopper, a plant-based alternative to Burger King’s regular […] Read more
Impossible Whoppers contaminated by meat, suit claims
How a major U.S. farm lender left a trail of defaults, lawsuits
Reading Time: 5 minutes Harrod, Ohio | Reuters — After completing a credit review in a half-hour phone call, a BMO Harris Bank underwriter cleared US$12 million in loans for Ohio corn and soybean producer Greg Kruger in 2013. Kruger had initially asked for a $2 million loan to build a grain elevator. But the Chicago-based bank, one of […] Read more
U.S. meat industry sues California for animal protection ‘overreach’
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — California was sued on Friday by the largest U.S. trade group for meat packers and processors, which wants to block enforcement of a voter-approved measure requiring farmers to provide more space for animals being raised for food. The North American Meat Institute, whose members include processors such as Tyson Foods and retailers including […] Read more
Packers win dismissal of U.S. pork price-fixing suits
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — A federal judge on Thursday dismissed antitrust lawsuits accusing several large U.S. pork companies of conspiring to limit the supply of pork to inflate prices and their own profits at the expense of consumers and other purchasers. Chief Judge John Tunheim of the federal court in Minneapolis said the plaintiffs failed to show […] Read more
U.S. judge cuts $2 billion Roundup verdict against Bayer to $86 million
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters – A California judge on Thursday reduced a $2 billion jury verdict, slashing the award for a couple who blamed Bayer AG’s glyphosate-based weed killer, Roundup, for their cancer to $86.7 million. Superior Court Judge Winifred Smith of the California Superior Court in Oakland said the jury’s billion-dollar punitive damage awards were excessive and […] Read more
Bayer seeks glyphosate litigation advice as Elliott reveals stake
Reading Time: 2 minutes Frankfurt | Reuters — Chemicals giant Bayer , under pressure from activist shareholders, said on Wednesday it has hired an external lawyer to advise its supervisory board and has set up a committee to help resolve a multi-billion dollar glyphosate litigation issue. Bayer has seen its share price tumble in the wake of its US$63 […] Read more
U.S. refiner group sues Trump EPA over E15 gasoline
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — The main U.S. refining industry association said on Monday it sued to block the Trump administration’s effort to expand sales of higher ethanol blends of gasoline, arguing the move exceeded the administration’s authority. The legal challenge from the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) association escalated a battle between the oil and corn […] Read more
Bayer shareholders vent ire over Monsanto-linked stock rout
Reading Time: 2 minutes Bonn | Reuters — Bayer shareholders vented their anger over its stock price slump on Friday as litigation risks mount from the German drugmaker’s US$63 billion takeover of seed and chemical firm Monsanto. Several large investors said they will not support aspirin invesotr Bayer’s management in a key vote scheduled for the end of its […] Read more
R-CALF suit alleges U.S. packers conspired to suppress fed cattle prices
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Four of the largest U.S. beef-packing companies were accused in a lawsuit on Tuesday of violating federal antitrust law by conspiring to drive down prices they paid ranchers for cattle, even as retail beef prices hovered near record levels. Tyson Foods, Cargill, the JBS USA unit of Brazil’s JBS and National Beef Packing […] Read more
U.S. jury says Bayer must pay $80 million to man in Roundup cancer trial
Reading Time: 3 minutes San Francisco/New York | Reuters –– A U.S. jury on Wednesday awarded US$80 million to a man who claimed his use of Bayer’s glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup caused his cancer, in the latest legal setback for the company facing thousands of similar lawsuits. The jury in San Francisco federal court said the company was liable for […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
