April 10 (Reuters) – KFC parent Yum Brands Inc on
Wednesday reported a sharper-than-expected 13 percent drop in
March sales at established restaurants in China as it works to
recover from a food safety scare and warned that the country’s
new bird flu outbreak took a big toll this month.

The outbreak has already sickened 33 and killed nine, as
Chinese authorities try to clamp down on rumors about the deadly
virus and its potential spread.

April 4 (Reuters) – Hundreds of fast-food restaurant workers
in New York City turned out for protests on Thursday in what
organizers said would be their largest rally yet for better pay.

Employees from familiar chains such as McDonald’s Corp
, Burger King and Yum Inc’s KFC are
seeking to roughly double their hourly wage to $15. They also
say they want the right to form a union without interference.

By Lisa Baertlein

(Reuters) – Hundreds of fast-food restaurant workers in New York City are expected to walk off the job on Thursday in what organizers said would be their largest rally yet for better pay.

Employees from familiar chains such as McDonald’s Corp, Wendy’s and Yum Inc’s KFC are seeking to roughly double their hourly pay to $15. They also say they want the right to form a union without intimidation or retaliation.

March 20 (Reuters) – Starbucks Corp investors on
Wednesday rejected a shareholder proposal to prohibit the
world’s biggest coffee chain from making political contributions
or forming a political action committee.

The Starbucks board had recommended rejection of the
proposal, sponsored by shareholder John Harrington, chief
executive of Harrington Investments. It was introduced at the
annual meeting by a representative of Corporate Accountability
International, where Harrington is a board member.

By Lisa Baertlein

(Reuters) – Whole Foods Market Inc, Trader Joe’s and other food retailers representing more than 2,000 U.S. stores have vowed not to sell genetically engineered seafood if it is approved in the United States, a new advocacy group said on Wednesday.

The announcement from the Campaign for Genetically Engineered-Free Seafood comes as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration appears close to approving genetically engineered salmon from Massachusetts-based AquaBounty Technologies.

LOS ANGELES, March 19 (Reuters) – Taco Bell turned in an
unexpectedly strong sales in 2012, but delivering a second
consecutive year of restaurant sales growth will be a difficult
task for the No. 1 Mexican fast-food chain.

Taco Bell’s two-track strategy – cheap Doritos tacos for
hungry young men and the slightly pricier and higher-quality
Cantina Bell menu for more mature audiences – helped it
outperform the industry in an otherwise tough year.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Starbucks (SBUX.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Chief Executive Howard Schultz jumped into the political arena two years ago, organizing a hundred of his fellow CEOs in a pledge to forswear campaign contributions till Washington came up with a plan to fix the nation’s debt.

Now, a Starbucks investor wants Schultz to go one better by prohibiting the world’s biggest coffee chain from making any political contributions, or forming a political action committee.

By Martinne Geller and Lisa Baertlein

(Reuters) – The Dow Jones industrial average is at an all-time high, the U.S. jobless rate has fallen to a four-year low and the housing market is seeing a recovery, but for many lower income and middle class Americans, the improving economy has yet to take hold.

Instead, they are anxious enough about higher gasoline prices and a payroll tax increase to slash their spending.

By Martinne Geller and Lisa Baertlein

(Reuters) – The Dow Jones industrial average is at an all-time high, the jobless rate has fallen to a four-year low and the housing market is seeing a recovery, but for many lower income and middle class Americans, the improving economy has yet to take hold.

Instead, they are anxious enough about higher gasoline prices and a payroll tax increase to slash their spending.

March 12 (Reuters) – The Dow Jones industrial average is at
an all-time high, the U.S. jobless rate has fallen to a
four-year low and the housing market is seeing a recovery, but
for many lower income and middle class Americans, the improving
economy has yet to take hold.

Instead, they are anxious enough about higher gasoline
prices and a payroll tax increase to slash their spending.