News on Energy and Environment from the United States

Today the Snack Food Industry made its case in US congress for changes in the US biofuel policy, in light of the dramatic increase of food prices and the environmental costs.

SunChips, Frito-Lay's popular line of multigrain snacks, is stepping up to help rebuild the city of Greensburg, Kansas, which was tragically struck by a devastating tornado that destroyed nearly all of the community. In conjunction with Discovery Commu...

Two Latin American leaders have issued warnings about the effects of biofuel production on food supplies.Speaking at the UN in New York, Bolivian President Evo Morales said the development of biofuels harmed the world's most impoverished people. And P...

El presidente de Bolivia, Evo Morales, criticó el lunes en la ONU "a algunos presidentes sudamericanos"por apoyar el uso de biocombustibles, que según dijo son responsables por los altos precios de los alimentos y la hambruna global. De visit...

Today, on the 38th anniversary of the first national Earth Day celebration, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger highlights California's environmental efforts. He highlighted the ability to protect business and the environment at the same time by helping lau...

Burger King Corp. announced today a green makeover of Kids Meals packaging in the U.S. Beginning in July, Kids Meals will be packaged in bags made from 100 percent recycled materials. In addition, the beverage cups ordered with Kids Meals will be made...

As the price of fossil fuels and commodities like grain climb, nutritionally questionable, high-profit ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup will, too. As a result, Cokes are likely to get smaller and cost more. Then, the argument goes, fewer peopl...

The newest demonstration of solar power(figuratively) is coming from the Frito-Lay division of PepsiCo, which is using the sun to help transform its SunChips line of multigrain snack chips into a “green” brand. The initiative is centered on the additio...

When Chipotle Mexican Grill executives decided to begin serving local pork from one of the most famous farmers in America, they did the opposite of what most big companies would do when jumping on the latest trend. They said nothing. "We wanted ...

One of the PotatoPro readers tipped us on the following event which we would like to share with you:   The development and implementation of a successful waste-to-energy or energy conservation bio-processing facility requires extensive planning, a cl...

A recent survey of executive opinions on climate change found that the majority regard it as a strategically important issue - but more than a third said it is seldom or never considered when actually developing strategy.   The survey, conducted by the...

According to a Nielsen Global Food Packaging Survey, nearly one in two global consumers would give up all forms of packaging provided for Convenience purposes if it would benefit the environment, including: packaging designed for easy stacking/storing ...

More research is urgently needed on the biodiversity impact of palm oil production, says a new report, as food and other consumer goods manufacturers make sustainable sourcing a priority.   Palm oil, a major source of vegetable oils and fat, is derived...

Trends are set to combine in 2008, with Americanized ethnic flavors and healthy but indulgent products steering the market, while locally, ethically sourced food will continue to grow in popularity, says a new report. Packaged Facts Food Flavors and In...

Wal-Mart will launch a major retail-industry effort to improve social, ethical and environmental standards in the factories of its suppliers, CEO and president Lee Scott told a meeting of store managers.   Wal-Mart says it is already demanding that so...

About half of U.S. consumers consider at least one sustainability factor in selecting consumer packaged goods items and choosing where to shop for those products, a new Information Resources Inc. survey reveals. Respondents were presented with sustaina...

The cooperative water conservation effort by the San Antonio Water System and the city's business community is a true success story.   Frito-Lay is an excellent example. Through its partnership with SAWS, the company's San Antonio plant has reduced i...

Frito-Lay is embarking on an ambitious plan to change the way its Casa Grande factory operates, and in the process, create a new type of snack: the environmentally benign chip. Goal is to take the Casa Grande plant off the power grid, or nearly so, a...