Articles written by Dee-ann Durbin
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With 'functional' beverages, brands rush to quench a thirst for drinks that do more than taste good
Supermarket beverage aisles are starting to look a lot more like a pharmacy. There are sodas made with mushrooms that supposedly improve mental clarity and juices packed with bacteria that claim to enhance digestive health. Water infused with collage...
Storm adds uncertainty to strong holiday travel demand
Concerns about illness or inflation aren't stopping Americans from hitting the roads and airports this holiday season. But a massive winter storm might. Forecasters predict an onslaught of heavy snow, ice, flooding and powerful winds from Thursday...
Fight to curb food waste increasingly turns to science
Hate mealy apples and soggy french fries? Science can help. Restaurants, grocers, farmers and food companies are increasingly turning to chemistry and physics to tackle the problem of food waste. Some are testing spray-on peels or chemically...
Companies could face hurdles covering abortion travel costs
After the U.S. Supreme Court revoked the federal right to an abortion that's been in place for half a century, companies like Amazon, Disney, Apple and JP Morgan pledged to cover travel costs for employees who live in states where the procedure is...
No, you're not imagining it - package sizes are shrinking
It's the inflation you're not supposed to see. From toilet paper to yogurt and coffee to corn chips, manufacturers are quietly shrinking package sizes without lowering prices. It's dubbed "shrinkflation," and it's accelerating worldwide. In the U.S.,...
FDA investigating Lucky Charms after reports of illness
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating Lucky Charms cereal after dozens of consumers complained of illness after eating it. The FDA said Saturday it has received more than 100 complaints related to Lucky Charms so far this year....
Fed up by pandemic, US food workers launch rare strikes
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A summer of labor unrest at U.S. food manufacturers has stretched into fall, as pandemic-weary workers continue to strike for better pay. Around 1,400 workers at Kellogg Co.'s U.S. cereal plants walked off the job this week, s...
COVID-19 surge in the US: The summer of hope ends in gloom
WASHINGTON (AP) — The summer that was supposed to mark America's independence from COVID-19 is instead drawing to a close with the U.S. more firmly under the tyranny of the virus, with deaths per day back up to where they were in March. The delta var...
Changed by pandemic, many workers won't return to old jobs
There's a wild card in the push to return to pre-pandemic life: Many workers don't want to go back to the jobs they once had. Layoffs and lockdowns, combined with enhanced unemployment benefits and stimulus checks, gave many Americans the time and...
Black Friday sees record online as US shoppers stay home
Black Friday online sales hit a new record this year as pandemic-wary Americans filled virtual carts instead of real ones. Consumers spent an estimated $9 billion on U.S. retail websites on Black Friday, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracks...
Insider Q&A: Bloomin' Brands CEO David Deno
As coronavirus lockdowns hit the U.S. in March, Bloomin' Brands CEO David Deno called an emergency meeting for his 12-member executive team. "We collectively said, 'What we do today and over the next few months will be remembered forever, so let's...
Scaled-back Thanksgiving plans leave turkey farmers in limbo
For the turkey industry, this Thanksgiving is a guessing game. Millions of Americans are expected to have scaled-down celebrations amid the pandemic, heeding official warnings against travel and large indoor gatherings. That leaves anxious turkey...
Pilgrim's Pride CEO among indicted for chicken price fixing
WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. (AP) — The CEO of Pilgrim's Pride is one of four current and former chicken company executives indicted Wednesday on charges of price-fixing. The U.S. Department of Justice said a federal grand jury in Colorado found that e...
Target temporarily closing stores due to protest dangers
Target is temporarily closing 105 stores in 10 states after several were broken into during protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week. The company is closing 46 stores in California and 33 in Minnesota, where the company is bas...
Sweet Earth CEO: Changing consumers behind plant-based boom
Kelly Swette and her husband Brian founded Sweet Earth Enlightened Foods seven years ago because they felt the market needed vegetarian food that was more convenient, flavorful and sustainable. As it turns out, they were at the leading edge of a...
Holy nights: New Marriott rooms to get Bible, Book of Mormon
Sheraton, Westin and other Starwood hotels are finding their religion. Marriott International, which bought Starwood two years ago, has begun putting copies of the Bible and the Book of Mormon in the recently-acquired hotels. By year's end, it...
Ford and Miami to form test bed for self-driving cars
DETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co. is making Miami-Dade County its new test bed for self-driving vehicles. The automaker and its partners — Domino's Pizza, ride-hailing company Lyft and delivery company Postmates — are starting pilot programs to see h...
Electric cars have benefits, but likely won't save you money
DETROIT (AP) — Electric cars have a lot of perks: zero emissions, a quiet ride and instant acceleration. But can they save you money? Probably not. Electric car prices are falling, but they still cost more than equivalent gas models because of t...
2 federal agencies send teams to probe Tesla freeway crash
DETROIT (AP) — Two federal agencies have dispatched teams to investigate the California crash of a Tesla Model S electric car that may have been operating under its semi-autonomous "Autopilot" system. It's the second time the National T...
Tesla wants to electrify big trucks, adding to its ambitions
DETROIT (AP) — After more than a decade of making cars and SUVs — and, more recently, solar panels — Tesla Inc. wants to electrify a new type of vehicle: big trucks. The company unveiled its new electric semitractor-trailer Thursday night near its d...
US updates self-driving car guidelines as more hit the road
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The Trump administration on Tuesday unveiled updated safety guidelines for self-driving cars aimed at clearing barriers for automakers and tech companies wanting to get test vehicles on the road. The new voluntary g...
Delivery without drivers: Domino's, Ford team up for test
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — No ring of the doorbell, just a text. No tip for the driver? No problem in this test, where Domino's and Ford are teaming up to see if customers will warm to the idea of pizza delivered by driverless cars. Starting W...
GM raises output of self-driving Bolts, boosts test fleet
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors Co. says it has built 130 self-driving Chevrolet Bolt electric cars at a factory in suburban Detroit, making it among the first automakers to mass produce self-driving vehicles. The automaker has been building s...
Q&A: Internet extremism and how to combat it
DETROIT (AP) — In the wake of Britain's third major attack in three months, Prime Minister Theresa May called on governments to form international agreements to prevent the spread of extremism online. Here's a look at extremism on the web, what's b...
Old car, new tricks: Adding safety tech to an older car
DETROIT (AP) — Old cars can learn new tricks. For a few hundred dollars, drivers can add new safety technology — like forward collision warning systems or backup cameras — to older cars. Cars are lasting longer than ever thanks to improving quali...
