Memphis firm recalls chicken, dumplings
Nearly 27,000 pounds of chicken and dumplings from St. Clair Foods Inc., a Memphis firm that distributes to Arkansas, have been recalled because of misbranding, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.
The USDA said the dumplings contain milk, a known allergen, that was not declared on the product label.
The agency classified the error as a Class I health hazard, the highest category, because "there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death." At the time of the recall announcement, the agency hadn't received any complaints reporting illnesses.
The chicken and dumplings were produced on various dates between Sept. 13 and Oct. 6.
The products are: 2-pound and 5-pound plastic, sealed packages of St. Clair Foods Chicken and Dumplings with package codes 16257, 16264, and 16280; and 5-pound plastic, sealed bags of Ron's Homestyle Foods Chicken and Dumplings with the package codes 16280, 16272, 16264, and 16257.
Consumers with the products should dispose of them or return them to the retailer, the USDA said.
-- Stephen Steed
Burger King's global sales rise in 3Q
OAKVILLE, Canada -- Restaurant Brands International Inc., owner of the Burger King and Tim Hortons chains, followed McDonald's Corp. in posting better sales in international markets last quarter while its U.S. business suffered from a broader industry slowdown.
Burger King said Monday that its same-store sales dropped 0.5 percent in North America in the third quarter, trailing analysts' projections that they'd rise by that same percentage. Meanwhile, the chain's results topped expectations in all of its international units, including strong performances in Brazil, Argentina and China.
The results suggest that Burger King's business in the United States is suffering from the same malaise that's weighing on its larger competitor. Unsettled by the turbulent election season and the shaky economy, Americans are eating out less frequently. Cheaper grocery prices are also making it more affordable to cook at home.
Burger King is seeing particularly strong results in China, where it has about 500 restaurants, Chief Financial Officer Josh Kobza said. The company offers delivery there, and is pleased with it so far, he said.
Strength in overseas markets helped profit rise to 43 cents a share, excluding some items, which beat analysts' 40-cent average estimate. Total revenue rose to $1.08 billion, also exceeding analysts' projections.
-- Bloomberg News
Outdoors firm to close for Black Friday
NEW YORK -- Specialty outdoor retailer Recreational Equipment Inc. will keep its stores closed on the day after Thanksgiving for the second straight year, even though it's one of the busiest shopping days of the year. It will also again pay employees for the day off in a campaign that encourages people to spend time outdoors.
Online shoppers can put items in their cart, though no orders will be processed that day.
Chief Executive Officer Jerry Stritzke said the company's move last year, which it dubbed #OptOutside, gained momentum on social media from various outdoor groups. He said he saw more than 20,000 social media posts from Recreational Equipment's 12,000 employees. Many had their first Black Friday off in more than 20 years, he said.
Recreational Equipment, which has 149 stores, is now working with more than 275 organizations from the nonprofit, private and public sectors, including the National Parks Service, to push the idea.
The Thanksgiving weekend has been fiercely competitive, as many stores that were opening earlier and earlier on Friday are now open on Thanksgiving itself. That has hurt business on Black Friday, which had been the traditional kickoff to the Christmas shopping season. But there's also been a backlash, as employees have complained that stores are putting profits over workers celebrating the holiday.
-- The Associated Press
Belgium halts EU-Canada trade deal
BRUSSELS -- The Belgian government said Monday that it cannot yet give the necessary backing to the European Union's free trade deal with Canada, making it unlikely that the bloc can sign the deal officially on Thursday as planned.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said Monday that EU leaders and Canada had asked for a clear commitment on Monday, "and the clear answer, at this stage, is no."
It left it open to what extent the EU and Belgium could continue negotiating over the next days and weeks with the southern Belgian region of Wallonia, which needs to approve the deal before it can become official. The deal needs unanimity among the 28 EU nations, and Belgium is the only approval lacking since it needs the backing of all its regions.
The EU's executive called for patience in an attempt to save a free trade deal and had already dismissed a Monday night deadline as counterproductive.
On Monday, Wallonia President Paul Magnette insisted he would agree to nothing under the threat of an ultimatum.
"Each time they put forward such an ultimatum, it makes a serene discussion and a democratic debate impossible," Magnette said.
-- The Associated Press
Iraq seeks exemption from OPEC cuts
BAGHDAD -- Iraq threw an obstacle in OPEC's path toward a final deal to stabilize oil markets when it balked at joining efforts to trim output to prop up crude prices.
The group's second-largest producer should be exempted from cutting production because it's embroiled in a war with Islamic militants, Oil Minister Jabber Al-Luaibi said Sunday at a news conference in Baghdad. Iraq currently produces more than the 4.7 million barrels a day it pumped in September, and output could rise still higher as the government urges international companies to boost production at its fields, he said. The minister disputed Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries figures that peg Iraqi output at fewer than 4.2 million barrels daily.
"We are with OPEC policy and OPEC unity," Al-Luaibi said. "But this should not be at our expense." A meeting in Algeria last month of the group's 14 members stretched to seven hours as Iraq argued over the level of production that should be used as a baseline for setting quotas.
OPEC is trying to woo other producers to join in the group's first output cuts in eight years, a policy shift that members agreed to in Algeria.
-- Bloomberg News
Business on 10/25/2016