US, S. Korea Reach Beef Deal

Mad Cow scare affects two major retailers, but EU, Japan keeping cool

(NEWSER) - Two of South Korea's biggest grocery chains have temporarily halted the sale of US beef in response to the latest mad cow scare . "Not that there were any quality issues in the meat," a spokesman for the country's third-largest chain tells the AP , "but because consumers were worried." Like many Asian countries, South Korea stopped selling American beef after the 2003 mad cow outbreak; when they started selling it again in 2008, people protested in the streets and held candlelight vigils. More»

Cabinet offers resignation as 1m prepare to march

(NEWSER) - The entire South Korean government has offered to resign in the face of a popular protest triggered by the lifting of import restrictions on US beef. The Korean government withdrew a ban introduced to prevent mad cow disease, setting off demonstrations expected to bring a million people onto the streets today. The original agricultural dispute has expanded into a wider movement against Lee Myung-bak, the former construction executive elected president 4 months ago. More»

Health officials gave ammonium hydroxide the OK in 1974

(NEWSER) - If you were appalled by the revelation that the meat industry grinds up beef byproducts and gives them a nice ammonia bath, steel yourself: Experts say ammonia compounds are pretty commonly used in food. Ammonium hydroxide, which was given the OK by health officials in 1974, is added to milk in cheese production to stimulate cheese cultures; ammonium phosphate acts as a leavening agent, but evaporates during the course of baking. "It is quite similar to adding wine to a sauce and cooking away the alcohol," says a rep for Kraft, which uses small amounts of ammonia in some of its products, but isn't exactly tripping over itself to provide a list of those foods. More»

'MBA' certificate program aimed at 21 and younger demographic

(AP) - After a five-decade slide in US meat consumption, the national beef industry is enlisting college students across the country in its public relations fight for America's hearts, minds, and stomachs. The Masters of Beef Advocacy program, or MBA, typically recruits farmers, ranchers, high-end chefs and school dietitians to spread the gospel of red meat consumption, but recently, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's outreach effort is placing a strong emphasis on the Twitter generation. Or at least they're trying to. Participants earn this "MBA" by doing a six-hour online course in beef safety, production techniques, animal care, and nutrition. More»

We're No. 2! We're No. 2!

(USER SUBMITTED) - When it comes to business, Americans have long been used to being on top—but oh, how the mighty have fallen in some arenas. 24/7 Wall Street breaks down the top 10 industries in which "Made in the USA" doesn't dominate as it once did:

• Autos—High labor costs and falling market share have put mighty Detroit behind Japan, the home to Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Mazda.
• Coal—China now pulls about three times more of the black stuff out of the ground than we do.