French lawmakers have passed a bill that will significantly improve the issue of food waste. Its main targets are big supermarkets who destroy gigantic amounts of food that cannot be sold, but that could still be eaten. From now on, they will be obligated to donate this type of food to various charities and animal protection organizations.

This bill proposed by Guillaume Garot, the Socialist Deputy, has received unanimous votes from the National Assembly on Thursday, and has therefore passed with flying colors, in the hope that it will be instituted as quickly as possible.

“It’s scandalous to see bleach being poured into supermarket dustbins along with edible foods.”, said Guillaume Garot.

One of the most important issues covered by this bill is the fact that supermarkets deliberately spoiling food is strictly forbidden. Supermarkets used to make sure that the food they threw away was not edible at that point so as to make sure that it is not stolen from their bin. One of the most common methods was to poor detergents and chemicals over it.

Instead of this wasteful practice, they will henceforth be required to have contracts with various charity organizations, that put the food that would otherwise just be destroyed to extremely good use.

There are very many factors that may compel a supermarket to retract various kinds of products from its shelves. For instance, food and vegetables that did not meet the physical criteria required for the products that can be sold used to be thrown away.

This meant that because they might have had a few bumps and bruises here and there, they would have been destroyed, despite the fact that they were perfectly edible. From now on, these fruit and vegetables could be donated to places like soup kitchens, that use a large amount of food at once, and could therefore be put to good use.

Another example would be all the food whose expiration date is approaching soon . Some of them get retracted even one or more days before they actually expire. Now, instead of being wasted, they can make their way into the hands of people who desperately need them.

Strict boundaries will obviously have to be instated, so that the transportation time of the food be as short as possible, ensuring it a better longevity. There is a great possibility that the proximity between the supermarkets and the various charities will play a key role in how the contracts will be made.

Furthermore, there is also a timeline in which this whole endeavor needs to be set up. By July 2015, the supermarkets who do not have contracts that ensure that their food is put to good use will have to pay fines as high as £53,000. In the case that they refuse to comply, there is even penitence by jail time stipulated in the new law.

In addition to the new responsibilities that large-scale supermarkets will have to face, the bill also includes plans to lower individual food waste that feature awareness campaigns and programs that will conducted in schools and various companies.

Reducing food waste is a concern that every country should have, as it is one of the key issues of our generation, because it has a multitude of implications on both food production companies and the environment, as it contributes to climate change.
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Target is changing its ways and turning towards healthy products. They plan to put vegetables, yogurt and whole grains in front and all the packaged sugary sweets in the back for good. So it’s very bad news for companies like Kellogg Co and General Mills Inc, who have just been informed that their products are no longer in line with Target’s image.

By choosing to promote healthy foods, Target is going to win a lot of popularity among parents concerned about what their children eat. And to further prove that this is their main target audience, they plan to include the highest quality products in the baby and children isles.

In line with its new branding strategy, Target will compartmentalize all of its products into three very different categories: “signature”, “outperform” and “perform”.

Obviously, all the whole grain goods along with the juicy fresh fruit and vegetables and all the bio products in the store will be included in the “signature” category and the promotion carried out by Target will focus on this one.

Therefore, Target will soon be associated with the words “affordable” and “healthy”. And that make for a much better reputation than “fine offer”.

The biggest struggle that the mainstream non-organic companies will have to surpass is getting into the “outperform” category rather than in the “perform” category.

While some products like Campbell Soup Co’s additive filled canned soup will go into “perform” without any chance of ever escaping it in the near of further future, there will be a fine line for others, like some Kellogg Co products, that will have to fight to get included in the “outperform” section.

The main reason why falling into the “perform” category is very risky for business is that it will be a true fighting pit, as Target private-label products will be very hard to beat for the purchase.

The company plans to heavily promote their own products from the “perform” category, leaving the others on the back of shelves, with little or no promotion tactics drawing attention to them.

“That doesn’t mean that mac and cheese is being eliminated, but clearly assortment is being shaped around what consumers are looking for,” said CEO Brian Cornell.

He is the man behind this colossal re-branding process and his plans are most definitely going to make Target bring in a very pretty income. By focusing on healthier products, the company could easily outdo its closest contenders and take home the prize.
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With childhood obesity gone over the edge, especially in the U.S., Dairy Queen decides to wipe out soda from the kids’ menu to show that they promote healthy eating.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity has increased by more than 100 percent in the last three decades. This is mainly due to their dietary options and lack of physical activity.

Therefore, many franchises have had to take measures to prevent children from eating unhealthy food and drinks that could prove harmful to them in the long run. Among these, soft drinks are often considered to be the black sheep of the family, as they provide the consumer with a large number of calories with very little nutritional value, without offering the satiety that the same quantity of milk or of yoghurt would offer.

Thus,  Dairy Queen has decided to follow in the footsteps of other brands such as Burger King, Chipotle, McDonald’s, Wendy’s Subway and Panera Bread and stop offering soft drinks with kids’ menu. Instead, children can get either milk or water.

Starting on September 1^st 2015, 4,300 franchise locations will comply to this new regulation, according to William Barrier, D.Q. executive vice president of product development and quality, who announced their decision in a letter sent on Thursday, the 14^th of May 2015, to the Center of Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

In reply to that, Margo Wootan, CSPI nutrition policy director states that Dairy Queen should be granted credit for being collaborative and accepting to change their menus in response to their request.

Parents will certainly be grateful once they are able to order their children’s favorite menu without having to refuse the drink that comes with it. Dairy Queen’s Franchise Advisory Council made the decision at the end of April.

Dairy Queen associate vice president of communications, Dean Peters, announced that the company has long been discussing the possibility of providing healthier options for kids: “Children’s nutrition is important to everyone here at DQ and we have been working for a while with our Franchise Advisory Council to [provide] more, and healthier, options,” he said.

It was probably the pressure they got from various interests groups that urged them to make this decision, in order to avoid consumer controversy. Soft drinks will still be on their menus and Dairy Queen employees will not stop children’s parents from ordering them if they want.

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Netflix just might be taking “House of Cards” and “Orange is the new black” to China for good, as they are currently very close to signing a billion-dollar deal with Chinese online video market companies. Obviously, this made Netflix share explode to a whopping $600 a pop.

Netflix is in talks with several Chinese companies at the moment, including Wasu Media Holding Co., one of the biggest and brightest in the local business and the partnership between these two can prove nothing but lavishly fruitful.

It appears that after they close the China deal, Netflix is looking to go even further from there. If this keeps up, the company will most definitely take over the world. The world of online streaming that is. And there is even a timeline on that bold plan, because Netflix is looking to achieve global domination by 2016.

However, Netflix expects to have some rather tumultuous adventures in China, because this market, no matter how extensive, comes with some very strict censorship rules, that considerably differ to those anywhere else in the world.

Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer was in Cannes this Friday, attending the local film festival. When asked about this particular issue, he said “There are a lot of operating constraints in China that are different to anywhere else. We don’t have any operating partners anywhere else in the world, so that would be a new skill for us too.”

At the moment, Chinese broadcasters are not allowed to show episodes from American series until the season has ended in the US, because the Chinese rules clearly state that any motion picture broadcasted must be verified prior to it airing on local television channels or online streaming websites.

All video content will be assessed for content that might be overly sexual and/or violent and also for anything that might be offensive to the Communist Party. Evidently, this takes up a lot of time and considerable resources.

But the partnership with Netflix could bring the entire Chinese nation up to date with amazing shows like “Mad Men” or “The Simpsons” far faster. Furthermore, it would give the possibility of streaming all-time American favorites like “Friends” or “3rd Rock from the Sun”, and even introduce them to fresh new additions like “Peaky Blinders”.

Even if it comes with huge head-scratchers, Netflix’s journey in China stands to make the $5,9 billion richer and therefore it is worth all of their troubles and efforts. An official affiliation has yet to be announced, but there are significant chances that it will hit the media sooner rather than later.
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Premier Estate Sales Network’s event in Missouri City, Texas turned out an unexpected story of family heirlooms when Emil Knodell purchased a handcrafted walnut chest topped with marble for the modest price of 125 dollars.

An enchanting story for treasure hunters and history aficionados. At the sale, Emil Knodell who comes from Bellville, Texas purchased the chest drawers to be placed in his house. When trying to load the chest for transportation back to his home, metallic sounds were heard from its insides. It was discovered that beside the three obvious, beautifully embellished drawers, a secret compartment had been built inside.

To Mr. Knodell’s surprise, the metallic sounds came from a small treasure hidden in the secret compartment. This drew the exclamation:

„And we opened it up and three of us looked in and it was like the ‘Hardy Boys.’ Holy smokes, jackpot!”

 What drew the exclamation were the diamonds, rubies and emeralds alongside cold and silver coins all stacked up against the walls of the secret compartment. Paper money from around the world, stamps and Civil War medals held them company. The small fortune is estimated at approximately 10,000 dollars so far. Nonetheless, Mr. Knodell has no intention of following the finders-keepers rule.

He declared that it would simply feel unrighteous to keep the belongings that are probably dear to another family. He also added:

“I bought the chest drawers. I didn’t buy those things. If I kept them, I would never feel right about it. There would be a cloud over the whole thing.”

Searches for previous owners have started and found that the rightful owner would be the son of the last known owner.

And, as a beautiful ending to a story, the officials of Primer Estate Sales Network said that it was established that the family delightful trinkets will be returned on Thursday.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed civil fraud charges against the national for-profit college operator ITT Educational Services (ITT).

The operator and CEO Kevin Monday, as well as financial officer Daniel Fitzpatrick are found under charges since Tuesday. No action has been taken so far concerning the fraud allegations. Yet, company officials are hopeful that the situation will not change pending results of the court.

The charges filed by SEC refer to the company having hid the financial impact of two in-house student loan programs, financially guaranteed by ITT.

The two programs, known as „PEAKS” and „CUSO” were established after the collapse of the private student loan market. Both provided off-balance sheet loans to students at more than 130 campuses. In attracting financing of the loans, ITT proposed a guarantee against risk of losses.

Although private lenders had withdrawn from the market and banks had ceased their credit extending to students based on their reported high default rates, ITT decided to take the lead.

However, the student loan programs performed well under expectations, triggering ITT’s guarantee obligations. Allegedly, faced with the situation, the response of ITT Kevin Monday and Daniel Fitzpatrick was to design a cover-up, feeding investors misleading statements regarding the company projections of paying millions of dollars on the aforementioned guarantees.

SEC regards this as a fraud meant to hide the true extent of the financial impact. When the first statements regarding the financial consequences of the loan guarantees were released, ITT’s value dropped dramatically on the market. Now, with the federal lawsuit looming on the for-profit national college operator, ITT’s shares dropped by as much as 43.5 percent to a low 1.75 dollars.

ITT Educational Services is not the first for-profit college operator to take a plunge under federal lawsuits coupled with low student enrollment. Corinthian Colleges, the subject of another federal lawsuit has filed for bankruptcy. Career Education Corp. announced that it would close the Stanford-Brown schools. Other examples are speaking for the same trend.

ITT Educational Services boasts 130 campuses nationwide. It offers both bachelor level and master level programs in the areas of criminal justice, IT, nursing, business and others. However, as of March, enrollment dropped 16 percent. Overall, enrollment dropped 10 percent year to year.

Many wonder if ITT Educational Services will face the same fate as Corinthian Colleges, with the Education Department withdrawing its funding. So far, there was no statement from the Education Department sustaining this move. Nonetheless, spokesperson Denise Horn stated that ITT needed to provide the Education Department with a letter of credit for 80 million dollars. Its purpose is covering students under the circumstances that the company cannot cover federal student aid liabilities.

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The Labor Department announced that the United States job market rebounded with the increase of 223,000 work places provided by employers in April.

This is good news for the unemployment rate which saw a decrease to 5.4 percent from over 8 percent only 2 two years ago. It was feared previously that the economic winter stall will loom long into 2015, especially with the disastrous March reports. The April comeback is a sign of stabilization in the job creating sector and brings along economic perks.

Yet, although the creation of work places fell in line with analysts’ predictions and expectations and is perceived as a normal move to stabilize the economy, it has so far failed to translate into significant pay increase.

This moves to enable public frustration and most certainly a flowering political debate during the presidential campaign.

Before the report of the Labor Department was released on Friday, it was expected that pay increase would reach approximately 0.2 percent on an hourly basis. Reports showed that April only saw a 0.1 percent increase, sparking a controversy surrounding the Federal Reserve Policy makers.

The professional and business services fared among the highest job creators, with an addition of 62,000 working places. Both Health and the Constructions sectors brought an addition of 45,000 jobs. It stands in stark contrast with previous years, when the Construction sector alone brought as much as 280,000 places. The biggest losses were registered in the energy sector, with a 15,000 jobs lost in the mining industry and 10,000 job cuts in the mining support activities. The decline of the energy sector is further continued by the loss of 3,000 jobs in the oil and gas extraction industry.

Therefore, even with the decrease in unemployment, the situation doesn’t look too rosy. All measures in view of economic gain should be taken with caution. The Wall Street analysts agree. As the Federal Reserve has the task of shaping the economy, the current stall in wage increase is favoring a wait-and-ponder attitude. Nonetheless, Wall Street commends precautionary principles and on Friday major market indexes reached almost 1.5 percent.

Against this background, the people are faced with a frustrating conundrum. Employment rates are going up, the economy is gaining wind, yet wages seem to be carved in stone for the time being. The Federal Reserve is warning of an inflation risk if with the employment growth comes a hurried wage increase.

What adds to the problem are “missing workers”. This segment is represented by those currently operating on the black market or by people who are forced to take part-time jobs as they cannot find any full-time positions. The latter segment remains at 10.8 percent currently, while the former is signaled at 9.6 percent.

Waiting to see what happens with these potential employees is one of the main arguments behind the Fed reasoning. The job market is currently looking beyond the existing workforce and policy makers are waiting to see if it materializes in a full recovery.

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The Wendy’s Company, the number three United States burger chain revealed the financial results of the first financial quarter and future operations in a conference call on Wednesday.

Swiftly, the company positively surprised financial analysts and topped their expectations. The main announcement is that the company sales increased 3.2 percent, despite the fall in earnings by 40 percent to 27, 5 million dollars. The increase was registered at both franchises and company-owned stores.

This year is set to witness the selling of 380 company-owned restaurants based in both the US and Canada. 2016 will see another 260 restaurants sold in a bid for an estimated 475 million dollars. The announcement increased the stock value of Wendy’s by 7 percent on Wednesday alone. It is reported that at the end of 2014 Wendy’s had an array of 6,515 restaurants across the world.

There is an increase that indicates Wendy’s is on top of its game and their efforts to attract their customers are paying off in outstanding revenues and surprising financial results. Sustained efforts saw the revamping campaign started in 2012 in the search for a new logo or restaurant renovation to bring them back to a contemporary background.

At the same time, with a new face, came a new, more appealing menu. The move was a stepping stone in differentiating and drawing customers away from the main competitors on the market, amongst which Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panera Bread Co..

Albeit the diversifying of the menu, Wendy’s also announced on Wednesday that it is planning to sell the New Bakery Company in Zanesville, Ohio which returned revenues of 61,8 million dollars in 2014. The New Bakery Company produces standard buns and value buns for Wendy’s, but the sale simply aims at more flexibility for the company to acquire higher end buns from other producer in order to offer customers a better taste experience.

Against this background and with a steady increase previewed for the next financial quarter, Wendy’s Company looks to be on the right track when its greatest asset is the value-price area.

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