Feb 13 (Reuters) – Anti-obesity advocates who want to curb
Americans’ sugar habit on Wednesday asked the government to set
a safe level for added sugars in soda and other beverages.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which
is leading the regulatory push, has urged the government to take
actions to reduce Americans’ sugar consumption since the 1970s.

By Lisa Baertlein

(Reuters) – Anti-obesity advocates who want to curb Americans’ sugar habit on Wednesday asked the government to set a safe level for added sugars in soda and other beverages.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which is leading the regulatory push, has been urging the government take actions to reduce sugar consumption by Americans since the late 1970s.

Feb 13 (Reuters) – Anti-obesity advocates who want to curb
Americans’ sugar habit on Wednesday asked the government to set
a safe level for added sugars in soda and other beverages.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which
is leading the regulatory push, has been urging the government
take actions to reduce sugar consumption by Americans since the
late 1970s.

Feb 13 (Reuters) – Penny-pinching U.S. diners plan to eat
out more this year and spend less on each meal, according to a
new forecast released by consulting firm AlixPartners on
Wednesday.

Those intentions threaten to squeeze restaurant operators,
who are grappling with rising costs for beef and other popular
ingredients as they increase spending on advertising and special
deals to stay ahead of rivals in a brutally competitive
industry.

Feb 5 (Reuters) – Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc
reported higher quarterly profit on Tuesday, despite higher
costs for beef and other ingredients that took a bite out of
margins.

The results from the popular burrito chain come as U.S.
restaurant companies virtually across the board are bracing for
higher food prices due to last summer’s historic U.S. drought.

By Lisa Baertlein

(Reuters) – KFC parent Yum Brands Inc (YUM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) on Tuesday said time, not ad spending, is the cure for a steep sales decline at its restaurants in China that was sparked by a food safety scare late last year.

The fast-food operator makes more than half of its overall sales in China, and customers there began shunning Yum’s restaurants in December after news reports and government investigations focused on chemical residue found in a small portion of its chicken supply.

Feb 5 (Reuters) – KFC parent Yum Brands Inc on
Tuesday said time, not more advertising spending, is the cure
for a steep sales decline at its restaurants in China sparked by
a food safety scare in the country that accounts for more than
half of the fast-food operator’s overall sales.

“We totally underestimated the impact of this incident,” Yum
Chief Executive David Novak said on a conference call with
analysts.

Feb 4 (Reuters) – KFC parent Yum Brands Inc warned
on Monday that it expects 2013 earnings to shrink rather than
grow as it struggles to manage a food safety scare in China, and
sees no return to growth in restaurant sales there until the
fourth quarter.

Yum shares fell 5.6 percent in after-hours trading, as Wall
Street analysts and investors digested the disappointing news
from the company that is widely seen as a model for how to do
business in the complex Chinese market.

By Lisa Baertlein

(Reuters) – KFC parent Yum Brands Inc (YUM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Monday warned that it expects 2013 earnings to shrink rather than grow, as it grapples with a food safety scare in China where it makes more than half of its overall revenue.

Yum shares fell 6 percent in after-hours trading, as the news was even worse than expected by the analysts, who have largely stuck by the company in recent months.

By Lisa Baertlein

(Reuters) – KFC parent Yum Brands Inc (YUM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) on Monday warned that it expects 2013 earnings to shrink rather than grow, as it grapples with a food safety scare that ensnared some of its chicken suppliers in its top market, and shares fell more than 6 percent.

The company, which gets more than half of its overall sales and operating profit from China, reported a 6 percent drop in fourth-quarter sales at established restaurants in China due to “adverse publicity” regarding its poultry supply.