In brief: Three guilty in salmonella trial
ALBANY, Ga. – A federal jury convicted the owner of a peanut plant and two others Friday in a salmonella outbreak that prompted one of the largest U.S. food recalls ever, sickened hundreds across the country and was linked to several deaths.
Experts say the seven-week trial in Albany, Georgia, marked the first time corporate executives and plant workers were tried in a food poisoning case.
Former Peanut Corp. of America owner Stewart Parnell was convicted on numerous counts including conspiracy, wire fraud and obstruction of justice related to shipping tainted peanut butter to customers and faking results of lab tests intended to screen for salmonella. His brother, Michael Parnell, also was found guilty on multiple charges related to the false lab results, but he was acquitted of actually shipping salmonella-tainted food.
The jury also found Mary Wilkerson, the plant’s quality assurance manager, guilty of obstruction of justice for hiding information about the plant’s salmonella problems from investigators.
Fitch keeps ‘AAA’ rating on U.S.
NEW YORK – Fitch Ratings says that the U.S. still deserves its highest credit rating.
Fitch on Friday affirmed its “AAA” rating on U.S. debt. The ratings agency said its outlook on the rating is stable, meaning it does not expect a downgrade in the near future.
Fitch said the U.S. can tolerate more debt than other countries because the dollar is the world’s pre-eminent reserve currency and fixed-income asset. It also noted the country has the deepest and most liquid capital markets in the world.
But Fitch said economic policymaking in the U.S. is weaker than in other countries with strong credit ratings, as evidenced by the debt ceiling crises, the federal government shutdown in 2013 and other events. It said more debt ceiling wrangling could come in 2015.
P&G drops NFL ‘pink’ promotion
NEW YORK – Procter & Gamble is canceling an on-field breast cancer awareness promotion it had been planning with the National Football League, the latest sponsor to respond to the NFL’s growing problems.
The consumer products maker is the latest major sponsor, following PepsiCo and Anheuser-Busch, to show concern over the NFL’s handling of domestic abuse allegations against several players.
The league has made Breast Cancer Awareness month in October a particular focus.
Part of its NFL Pink “Crucial Catch” campaign, in partnership with the American Cancer Society, features players, coaches and referees wearing pink game apparel, on-field pink ribbon stencils, special game balls and pink coins.
P&G’s Crest brand had been working on a program with players from each of the NFL’s 32 teams to wear pink mouthguards and participate in other activities.
But on Friday, the company said Crest would no longer be part of on-field activities and joined the chorus of sponsors voicing disapproval of the NFL’s actions. It remains a sponsor.
Exxon ending Russian project
NEW YORK – Exxon Mobil said Friday that it will wind down a drilling project in Russia in compliance with U.S. sanctions, but said it received a license to keep working beyond the sanctions’ deadline in order to complete the work.
U.S. sanctions against Russia over its involvement in Ukraine require the removal of U.S. workers on projects in the Russian Arctic and other select locations by Friday.
Exxon is drilling an exploratory well in the Kara Sea in the Russian Arctic, and had planned to stop drilling in October in order to remove equipment and personnel before winter set in.
Exxon said it has received a license from the U.S. Treasury Department for more time to wind down operations safely and close up the project before winter “to ensure a safe and environmentally responsible completion,” Exxon spokesman Richard Keil said. “The license is nonrenewable and no further work is permitted.”