Consumers spending more at restaurants, but…
By Rita Jane Gabbett on 5/14/2010
New data released this week indicated that more consumers are spending money at restaurants in the United States, but the average dollars spent per check continues to decline.
In a report based on credit card data, First Data Corporation said the number of credit-card transactions at restaurants in April rose by 9.8 percent, up from quarterly increases in 2009 of 8.6 percent, 8.5 percent, 8.8 percent and 8.1 percent.
The data also showed a 5 percent dollar volume growth in restaurant spending in April, following a gain of just 2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009 and gains hovering around just 1 percent in each of the first three quarters of 2009.
Average dollars spent per check in April, however, declined by 4.3 percent from a year ago, compared to a 5.6 percent decline in the fourth quarter of 2009 and declines of about 7 percent in each of the first three quarters of 2009.
The April 2010 SpendTrend report is based on consumer spending data First Data tracks from credit and debit cards at U.S. merchant locations that use the company’s processing systems. First Data serves 5 million merchant locations, 2,000 card issuers and their customers and millions of consumers worldwide.
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Perdue Farms to pay fine on age discrimination
By Rita Jane Gabbett on 5/14/2010
Perdue Farms Inc. will pay $25,500 to settle an age discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced.
The EEOC had charged that Perdue violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) by refusing to hire Audrey Sheftall when she was 66 years old because of her age.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Perdue refused to hire her for a position she was qualified for in the deboning department at Perdue’s Lewiston, N.C., facility. Perdue subsequently hired approximately 74 substantially younger individuals within the month after Sheftall applied, including Sheftall’s granddaughter, who had applied on the same day as Sheftall, the EEOC said.
In addition to paying monetary relief to Sheftall, the settlement requires Perdue to take other actions, including providing annual training on age discrimination and unlawful retaliation to all of its managers and supervisors.
Perdue must also post at its Lewiston facility a notice concerning employees’ rights under federal anti-discrimination laws and provide periodic reports to the EEOC on its hiring practices.
Perdue response
Perdue issued the following response to Meatingplace by email:
“Perdue Farms Incorporated (“Perdue”) denies the allegations in their entirety, as the Consent Decree the EEOC signed makes clear. Perdue employs individuals without regard to age or any other protected characteristic. Notwithstanding Perdue’s meritorious defenses to the Complaint, Perdue entered into the Consent Decree because it desired to resolve the matter without the burden, expense, and delay of further litigation.”
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Magazine names steak as ‘superfood’ for weight loss
By Rita Jane Gabbett on 5/14/2010
(Update: While this article showed up on Self magazine’s Web site Friday as its “most viewed” article, the article was first published in August 2008. The story is revised below to make that clear.)
Self magazine, a publication aimed at women and focused on health and beauty, named steak as one of 20 “superfoods” for weight loss.
“Beef has a rep as a diet buster, but eating it may help you peel off pounds,” the magazine said in an article that was first published in August 2008, but appears at the top of the list on its Web site under “Today’s Readers Pick” as its most viewed story.
It quoted a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that said women on a diet that included red meat lost more weight than those eating equal calories but little beef.
“The protein in steak helps you retain muscle mass during weight loss,” it quoted study author Manny Noakes as saying. Noakes is also co-author of “The Total Wellbeing Diet.”
The magazine went on to say, “Try to consume local organic beef; it’s healthier for you and the environment.” It gave no explanation or data to support this assertion.
The other “superfoods” cited were: eggs, kale, oats, lentils, goji berries, wild salmon, apples, buckwheat pasta, blueberries, almond butter, pomegranates, chiles, yogurt, quinoa, sardines, tarragon, parmesan, avocado and olive oil.
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