Tyson to withdraw
from lobbying group
Tyson Foods, Inc., is not renewing its membership with the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the food industry's most powerful lobbying group in Washington.
"While we respect the work of the organization, our company is moving toward a more global discussion about the future of food," the company said in a statement Friday.
Departures by Tyson Foods and London-based Unilever are the most recent after Campbell's Soup Co., Nestle, Dean Foods and Mars, which all recently decided to abandon the trade group.
Disagreement over how the food industry should keep up with demand from shoppers seeking healthier food and more transparent labeling has led some of the nation's largest food companies to withdraw their support, said Ken Shea, Bloomberg senior analyst of food and beverage.
-- Nathan Owens
Truckers' electronic
log deadline nears
Truck drivers and other interstate commercial carriers face a Monday deadline to begin using electronic logging devices rather than paper logbooks to track their hours of service.
The devices automatically record working hours and ensure a driver is complying with regulations. In the final rule published in December 2015, the government said the device "improves commercial motor vehicle safety and reduces the overall paperwork burden for both motor carriers and drivers."
But the Arkansas Highway Police, which enforces federal commercial vehicle regulations in the state, says that while its officers will issue citations to drivers found not in compliance, they won't take their trucks out of service for violations of the new regulation until April 1, 2019.
"The AHP believes that deferring the [electronic logging device] out-of-service criteria will provide for an educational period that will promote a smoother transition and afford the motor carrier industry, shippers and its enforcement officers with time to adjust," the agency said in a statement.
-- Noel Oman
State index up 4.68;
12 stocks advance
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, rose 4.68 to 399.65 Friday.
Twelve stocks advanced, five declined and one was unchanged. Three bank stocks -- Simmons First National, Home BancShares and Bank of the Ozarks -- each closed up 3.1 percent.
Total volume for the index was 61.5 million shares. The average daily volume for the week was 32.1 million shares.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.
Business on 12/16/2017