AGRIC AND FOOD : View Posts

WASHINGTON, – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that China is lifting its suspension of red and golden delicious apple imports from Washington State. The Chinese market for Washington apples was valued at $6.5 million in calendar year 2011.

“USDA employees worked closely with the apple industry and China over a long period of time to achieve this market access,” said Secretary Tom Vilsack. “We continue cultivating a strong relationship with China and paving the way for future bilateral trading opportunities.”

In 2012, China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) suspended access for Washington red and golden delicious apples due to the repeated interception of three apple pests AQSIQ considers significant: speck rot, bull’s-eye rot, and Sphaeropsis rot. To lift this suspension, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) worked with the U.S. apple industry to develop additional safeguarding measures that address China’s concerns about these pests. Some of these new measures include cold storage of apples and visual inspection of apples prior to shipping to ensure there is no evidence of disease. USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service also worked closely with industry stakeholders to ensure the successful outcome.

This market access success comes as the United States and China continue to work to normalize trade in apples. Ongoing efforts include negotiating access for all U.S. apples to the Chinese market, as well as the safe U.S. importation of apples grown in China.

USDA remains a strong partner and advocate in the international marketplace, working with foreign governments and international regulatory or standard-setting organizations to ensure the smooth flow of international trade. Strong agricultural exports contribute to a positive U.S. trade balance, create jobs, boost economic growth and support President Obama’s National Export Initiative goal of doubling all U.S. exports by the end of 2014. APHIS also ensures that all imported agricultural products meet the Agency’s entry requirements to exclude pests and diseases of agriculture.

ANCHORAGE, – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is providing more than $352 million in loans and grants to upgrade rural water and wastewater systems nationwide and make infrastructure improvements in rural Alaska villages. The projects funded will not only help ensure rural places have access to clean water, but will also create jobs and help communities retain and attract new businesses and families.

“These investments are critical for our health and safety, and in the long term for sustainable economic development,” Vilsack said. “Investments like these in the nation’s water infrastructure also are critical to address the impact of climate change on our water supplies. The projects supported with these resources will ensure rural families have access to clean water and create jobs in communities across the country.”

Climate change is putting more stress on municipal water systems, Vilsack noted. Many areas around the country have seen changes in rainfall, resulting in more floods and droughts, declines in snowpack, intense rain as well as more frequent and severe heat waves. All of these are placing fiscal strains on communities – causing them to make more frequent and often costly repairs and upgrades.

Vilsack announced the awards during a speech here today at the annual conference of the Alaska Federation of Natives.

Since 2009, USDA Rural Development has invested nearly $11 billion in new and improved water and wastewater infrastructure that has benefited nearly 15 million rural residents and almost 6 million households and businesses.

USDA is providing $175 million in loans and $165 million in grants through the Water and Environmental Program. This is part of more than $1.5 billion USDA invested in rural water and wastewater projects during the 2014 Fiscal Year, which ended September 30.

In Alaska, the city of Buckland is receiving a $45,000 grant to conduct a cost analysis for preliminary engineering and environmental reports for a proposed solid waste site.

Edgerton, Wis., is receiving a $7.8 million loan and $2.5 million grant to upgrade its 31-year-old water treatment facility. The city is under a schedule of compliance with the Department of Natural Resources. The new facility will allow the city to meet newly imposed discharge limits.

In addition to the investments to upgrade rural water and wastewater systems, Vilsack announced six grants totaling $12.1 million to help rural Alaskan villages make infrastructure improvements. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium has been selected for a $5 million grant to remove dire sanitation conditions in the community of Akiachak. Many residents there lack indoor plumbing and must haul water and utilize honey buckets for waste disposal. The consortium will use the grant to construct sewer mains, build a lift station and bury water mains.

Akiachak is one of many communities targeted for special assistance through USDA’s StrikeForce Initiative for Rural Growth and Opportunity. USDA launched StrikeForce in 2010 to address persistent poverty in the United States through intensive outreach and stronger partnerships with community leaders, businesses, foundations and other groups that are working to combat poverty. Since then, the Department has partnered with more than 400 community organizations to support more than 80,000 projects that have leveraged nearly $10 billion in investments into rural America.

The investments announced today are provided through USDA’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS), which also administers infrastructure programs that fund broadband and rural electric systems to meet the needs of rural communities. View the complete list of recipients and projects receiving funding under today’s announcement.

USDA’s infrastructure investments have had a profound impact on rural communities. This year alone, USDA provided nearly $10 million to improve water and waste systems to help 74,000 residents of drought-affected areas of rural California.

In April, USDA allocated $150 million in Farm Bill grants plus $237 million in Rural Development funds for the Department’s largest Earth Day investment in rural water and wastewater systems. Of the nearly $387 million awarded for 116 Earth Day projects, 16 were in areas of persistent poverty and 29 were in communities served by USDA’s StrikeForce Initiative for Rural Growth and Opportunity.

President Obama’s historic investments in rural America have made our rural communities stronger. Under his leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way – strengthening America’s economy, small towns and rural communities.

ATLANTA, – The Coca-Cola Company today announced actions to reinvigorate growth. These actions support the previously announced five strategic priorities to restore momentum and the Company’s long-term growth target of high single-digit comparable currency neutral EPS.

“We are taking decisive action to position The Coca-Cola Company to continue delivering long-term value for our shareowners,” said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Coca-Cola Company. “We have taken a hard look at our progress to date and realize that while the strategies we laid out at the beginning of the year are on the right track, the scope and pace of our actions must increase. In addition to announcing an expanded productivity program, we are streamlining our operations and further aligning our incentive plans to deliver against our growth objectives. We are also evolving our 2020 Vision to reflect these changes. Within this
context, we are maintaining our long-term high single-digit EPS growth target, while changing our operating income metric to profit before tax and adjusting our net revenue target to mid single-digit growth.

“While we expect the macroeconomic environment to remain challenging through 2015, we are confident in our ability to return to sustainable growth over the long term. This confidence is supported by the attractive long-term dynamics of our industry and the unparalleled reach of our brands and our global system. We are fully dedicated to strengthening our position as the world’s leading beverage company.”

KEY INITIATIVES

The Company introduced the following initiatives to reinvigorate growth:

Streamlining and simplifying its operating model to speed decision making and enhance local market focus. These organizational changes, along with the previously announced changes being made to long-term incentive metrics, will empower employees and link line-of-sight accountability to business results.

Expanding its current successful productivity program by targeting annualized savings of $3 billion per year by 2019. This productivity program will focus on four key areas:

• Restructuring the Company’s global supply chain, including manufacturing in North America;
• Implementing zero-based budgeting across the organization;
• Streamlining and simplifying its operating model; and
• Driving increased discipline and efficiency in direct marketing investments.

As a result of these productivity initiatives, the Company expects to fund the marketing initiatives and innovation required to deliver sustainable net revenue growth. These savings will also support margin expansion and increased returns on invested capital over time.

Refocusing on its core business model of building the world’s greatest beverage brands and leading an unmatched global system of strong local bottling partners. This will include refranchising the majority of Company-owned North American bottling territories by the end of 2017 and a substantial portion of the remaining territories no later than 2020.

Strategically targeting brand and growth investments that leverage its global strengths. This includes previously announced plans to improve the quantity and quality of marketing, as well as making future investments that will target markets and categories where brands remain underfunded relative to the opportunity. The Company has a disciplined strategy for incremental investments, prioritizing spending in markets where the Coca-Cola system has the right price/package architecture and execution capabilities in place. We will also continue to grow investments in our still beverages while leveraging our new partnership model.

Focusing on driving revenue and profit growth across markets while providing local operations with a clear line of sight and aligned compensation targets. Beginning in 2015, revenue growth will be added as a metric in the Company’s incentive plans. The Company will adjust the relative importance of volume and price/mix in each market in order to drive the right behavior for each market type.

LONG-TERM GROWTH TARGETS AND FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

As described above, the Company is maintaining its long-term high single-digit EPS growth target, adjusting its net revenue target to mid single-digit growth, and targeting profit before tax in place of operating income to account for increased equity income growth from its new partnership model. Going forward, the Company will have a profit before tax target of 6% to 8%.

“While investments made in recent months are yielding early signs of progress, we recognize that our five strategic priorities and the initiatives announced today will take time to produce results,” Kent added. “We remain confident in the vibrancy of the nonalcoholic ready-todrink beverage industry and are determined to make the necessary changes to sustainably meet or exceed our long-term growth targets. At the same time, we are cautious in our near-term outlook given challenging macroeconomic conditions. In this context, our 2020 Vision will remain focused on delivering value growth ahead of the industry for our system.”

The Company expects to be below its long-term EPS growth target in 2014 and, based on the current outlook, does not expect comparable currency neutral EPS growth in 2015 to be significantly different from 2014. Further, the Company expects fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates to have an unfavorable impact on its results in 2015. Based on current spot rates, existing hedge positions, and the cycling of 2014 rates, the Company expects a mid single-digit headwind on profit before tax in 2015. Longer term, the Company intends to return to
delivering against its stated growth targets.

Supplemental materials that support the prepared remarks for the Company’s conference call with investors and analysts today, Oct. 21, 2014 at 9:30 a.m. EDT, will be available for download on the Company’s website, http://www.coca-colacompany.com in the “Investors” section.

About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most valuable and recognizable brands, our Company’s portfolio features 17 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.9 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo, visit our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com or find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company.

WASHINGTON, – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today awarded more than $18 million in grants to small businesses for high quality, advanced research and development that will lead to technological innovations and solutions for American agriculture. NIFA awarded 100 grants through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

“Small businesses are adept at finding solutions that can advance agriculture, create new jobs and grow our economy. These grants will provide resources so small businesses can innovate and create new breakthroughs,” said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The SBIR program has provided hundreds of small businesses with the ability to explore new ideas that have led to cutting-edge solutions to pressing challenges and helped keep American agricultural innovative and strong.”

The SBIR program exists to stimulate technological innovations in the private sector and to strengthen the role of federal research and development in support of small businesses. The program also fosters and encourages participation by women-owned and socially or economically disadvantaged small businesses.

Companies initially apply for Phase I feasibility studies, which may be followed by Phase II research and development projects. Phase I grants are limited to $100,000 and a duration of eight months, while Phase II grants are limited to $450,000 and a duration of 24 months. Approximately 30-40 percent of Phase I projects continue onto Phase II.

In fiscal year 2014, USDA awarded $7,421,711 in Phase I grants and $11,048,055 in Phase II grants. A complete list of fiscal year 2014 SBIR awards is available at http://www.nifa.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2014news/10_20_sbir_grant_descriptions.html.

Since 1983, the SBIR program has awarded more than 2,000 research and development grants to American-owned, independently operated, for-profit businesses with 500 employees or fewer.

NIFA funds and administers the SBIR program, with additional funding provided by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Agricultural Research Service, the Economic Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and the U.S. Forest Service.

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people’s daily lives and the nation’s future. More information is at www.nifa.usda.gov.

(NEW YORK) — The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the American Heart Association and Clinton Foundation, has worked with representatives from American Beverage Association, The Coca-Cola Company, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and PepsiCo to announce a new landmark agreement to decrease beverage calories in the American diet.

President Bill Clinton, founder of the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, Susan Neely, President and CEO of the American Beverage Association, and Dr. Howell Wechsler, CEO of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, announced the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment today at the 2014 CGI Annual Meeting in New York City. They were joined on stage by Wendy Clark, President, Sparkling Brands & Strategic Marketing, Coca-Cola North America, The Coca-Cola Company; Rodger L. Collins, President, Packaged Beverages, Dr Pepper Snapple Group; and Albert P. Carey, CEO, PepsiCo Americas Beverages, PepsiCo.

“I am excited about the potential of this voluntary commitment by the beverage industry. It can be a critical step in our ongoing fight against obesity,” said President Clinton. “Our work with beverage companies to reduce the number of calories shipped to schools by 90 percent demonstrates the power of creative cooperation. We look forward to continuing to work together to achieve the goals outlined in this commitment.”

America’s leading beverage companies have set a goal to reduce beverage calories consumed per person nationally by 20 percent by 2025. To help achieve this goal, the beverage companies will take a two-pronged approach:

National Initiative: The beverage companies will leverage their marketing, innovation and distribution strength to increase and sustain consumer interest in and access to beverage options to help consumers reduce calories consumed. Such beverage options include smaller portion sizes, water, and other no- or lower-calorie beverages. Through these efforts, water and other lower-calorie beverages are expected to grow significantly. The companies will engage in consumer education and outreach efforts to increase consumer awareness of and interest in the wide array of no- and lower-calorie beverages and smaller portion sizes available. Each beverage company will provide calorie counts, and promote calorie awareness on all beverage company-controlled point-of-sale equipment nationwide, including more than 3 million vending machines, self-serve fountain dispensers, and retail coolers in convenience stores, restaurants and other locations.

Community Initiative: Each beverage company commits to focus efforts in communities where there has been less interest in and/or access to options that help consumers reduce their calories with a goal of achieving a 20 percent per person reduction of calories consumed from beverages in those communities within ten years. Beverage companies will promote consumption of their bottled water products. Each beverage company may undertake additional activities including: introducing and expanding new lower-calorie products and smaller-portion packages; product placement such as end aisle and checkout displays featuring only reduced-calorie beverages; merchandising efforts such as repositioning reduced-calorie beverages on shelves; providing coupons and other incentives promoting no/lower-calorie options; and taste tests/sampling programs in and out of store.

“This is the single-largest voluntary effort by an industry to help fight obesity and leverages our companies’ greatest strengths in marketing, innovation and distribution,” said Susan K. Neely, President and CEO of the American Beverage Association. “This initiative will help transform the beverage landscape in America. It takes our efforts to provide consumers with more choices, smaller portions and fewer calories to an ambitious new level. We’re proud to continue our successful partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and President Clinton and further our commitment to bring meaningful solutions to families and communities nationwide.”

The beverage companies will retain an independent, third-party evaluator, in conjunction with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, to track progress and interim benchmarks toward their commitments. The beverage industry and the Alliance will work jointly to define the reporting schedule for all aspects of this agreement.

Working with industry has been a critical strategy for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a national nonprofit working to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity. The Alliance works with more than 120 companies to improve their individual and industry-wide business practices to more positively impact the nation’s youth.

In May 2006, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation worked with representatives of The Coca-Cola Company, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, PepsiCo and the American Beverage Association to establish the Alliance School Beverage Guidelines that limit portion sizes and reduce the number of beverage calories available to students during the school day. As a result of the guidelines, the industry committed to changing the beverage mix in schools across America by removing full-calorie soft drinks and providing for lower-calorie, nutritious beverage options in age-appropriate portions. An independent analysis of the Alliance School Beverage Guidelines published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2012 showed there had been a 90 percent reduction in calories from beverages shipped to schools between the 2004-2010 school years.

“Calories from beverages such as regular sodas and fruit drinks make up 6 percent of Americans’ daily caloric intake,” said Dr. Howell Wechsler, CEO of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. “Reducing the number of calories consumed from beverages in the United States is imperative to helping curb obesity. We commend the beverage industry for making this strong commitment to reducing the number of beverage calories consumed per person by 20 percent.”

About the Alliance for a Healthier Generation
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation, empowers kids to develop lifelong, healthy habits. The Alliance works with schools, companies, community organizations, healthcare professionals and families to build healthier environments for millions of children. To learn more and join the movement, visit www.HealthierGeneration.org.

About The Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation
The Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation builds partnerships of great purpose between businesses, governments, NGOs, and individuals everywhere to deliver lasting solutions and empower people to live better lives. Because of our work, 18,000 American schools are providing kids with healthy food choices in an effort to eradicate childhood obesity; 21,000 African farmers have improved their crops to feed 30,000 people; 248 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions are being reduced in cities worldwide; more than 5,000 people have been trained in marketable job skills in Colombia; more than 5 million people have benefited from lifesaving HIV/AIDS medications; and members of the Clinton Global Initiative have made nearly 2,300 Commitments to Action to improve more than 400 million lives around the world. Learn more at http://www.clintonfoundation.org, and on Twitter @ClintonFdn.

About the Clinton Global Initiative
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date CGI members have made more than 2,300 commitments, which are already improving the lives of more than 400 million people in over 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $73.5 billion.
CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world, and, this year, CGI Latin America, which will bring together Latin American leaders to identify, harness, and strengthen ways to improve the livelihoods of people in Latin America and around the world. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

About American Beverage Association
The American Beverage Association is the national trade organization representing the broad spectrum of companies that manufacture and distribute non-alcoholic beverages in the United States, including regular and diet soft drinks, bottled waters and water beverages, ready-to-drink teas, sports drinks, energy drinks, 100 percent juices and juice drinks. ABA and its member companies have a longstanding commitment to being part of the solution to obesity. For more information, please visit www.deliveringchoices.org and www.ameribev.org.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., — Chiquita Brands International, Inc. (NYSE:CQB) (“Chiquita”) today announced that its Board of Directors, after careful consultation with its legal and financial advisors, unanimously determined that the offer from the Cutrale Group and the Safra Group (“Cutrale / Safra”) announced on October 15, 2014, to acquire all of the outstanding stock of Chiquita for $14.00 per share in cash, is inadequate and not in the best interests of Chiquita shareholders.

In making its determination, the Board noted that:

Chiquita believes, as previously announced, that the implied present value of future share price range of ChiquitaFyffes is $15.46 to $20.01 based on a range of EBITDA growth during 2015 of 5% to 15% and an LTM EBITDA multiple range of 7.0x to 8.0x.

The ChiquitaFyffes transaction maintains the shareholders ability to realize significantly greater value than $14.00 per share, without losing any control premium that shareholders may receive in the future.

Cutrale / Safra has failed to deliver an irrevocable offer that would remain open past October 24, 2014, so Chiquita shareholders have no assurances that the $14.00 per share offer would remain available should the Fyffes vote fail.
Chiquita Reaffirms Recommendation that Shareholders Vote to Combine with Fyffes

The Chiquita Board of Directors has unanimously reaffirmed its recommendation that Chiquita shareholders vote to approve the definitive transaction agreement between Chiquita and Fyffes, as revised on September 25, 2014, at Chiquita’s Special Meeting of Shareholders scheduled for October 24, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. ET.

Chiquita remains committed to completing its transaction with Fyffes, which it believes will create a combined company that is better positioned to succeed in a highly competitive marketplace, while driving strong performance and value for shareholders.

In addition, on October 14, 2014, Chiquita reported strong preliminary third quarter 2014 earnings results, including expected net sales of approximately $739 million and expected adjusted EBITDA in the range of $25 – $27 million. Additional details on the preliminary third quarter 2014 earnings and the benefits to Chiquita shareholders of the revised transaction agreement with Fyffes can be found in the investor presentation Chiquita filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on October 14, 2014.

Chiquita Sends Letter to the Cutrale Group and the Safra Group

Below is a full copy of the letter that Chiquita sent to Cutrale / Safra:

October 16, 2014

Michael Rubinoff
On behalf of the Cutrale Group and the Safra Group

Dear Mr. Rubinoff,

We are writing in response to your letter of October 15, 2014, proposing that the Cutrale Group and the Safra Group acquire all of the outstanding common stock of Chiquita at a price of $14.00 per share in cash. After careful consultation with our legal and financial advisors, our Board of Directors has unanimously concluded that the Cutrale Group and the Safra Group’s offer of $14.00 per share is inadequate and not in the best interests of Chiquita shareholders. Further, the Board is disappointed that you declined our recent invitation to engage with us about ways to improve your offer and address our concerns.

The Board continues to strongly believe in the strategic merits and value provided by the revised ChiquitaFyffes transaction, given the revised exchange ratio. With updated projections, revised synergy estimates and receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, we believe the Fyffes transaction is meaningfully more valuable for Chiquita shareholders.

As highlighted in our investor presentation filed with the SEC on October 14, the combination with Fyffes has the potential to deliver values significantly greater than $14.00 per share. The revised Fyffes transaction provides Chiquita shareholders with an implied pro forma share price of ChiquitaFyffes of $15.59 at the low end of our analysis, based upon the new exchange ratio and incremental EBITDA expectations, implying a significant increase in value relative to the original transaction with Fyffes.

The Cutrale / Safra offer, in our judgment, is not a compelling alternative to ChiquitaFyffes as it limits the ability of Chiquita shareholders to realize the long-term value inherent in a combination of Chiquita and Fyffes, particularly the recently improved exchange ratio and synergies. Chiquita is in the midst of a turnaround and is also about to close on a combination with Fyffes that would create a leading global produce company with financial flexibility, significant cash flows and a more efficient capital structure. Chiquita also recently announced preliminary third quarter results, with adjusted EBITDA ahead of plan.

We note that Cutrale / Safra has failed to deliver an irrevocable offer that would remain open past October 24, 2014, so our shareholders have no assurances that the $14.00 per share offer would remain available should the Fyffes vote fail. In addition, important unresolved issues remain in the drafts of the transaction agreements provided to us by your counsel.

For these reasons, the Chiquita Board will continue to recommend that Chiquita shareholders vote to approve the combination with Fyffes at Chiquita’s Special Meeting of Shareholders scheduled for October 24, 2014. Of course, our Board is always willing to give fair consideration to an increased offer by Cutrale / Safra.

Sincerely,

Kerrii B. Anderson
Chairwoman of the Board of Directors

Edward F. Lonergan
President and Chief Executive Officer

About Chiquita Brands International, Inc.

Chiquita Brands (NYSE:CQB) is a leading international marketer and distributor of nutritious, high-quality fresh and value-added food products – from energy-rich bananas, blends of convenient green salads, other fruits to healthy snacking products. The company markets its healthy, fresh products under the Chiquita® and Fresh Express® premium brands and other related trademarks. With annual revenues of more than $3 billion, Chiquita employs approximately 20,000 people and has operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit www.chiquita.com.

No Offer or Solicitation

This communication is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy or an invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction pursuant to the proposed combination of Chiquita and Fyffes or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Important Additional Information Has Been Filed and Will Be Filed with the SEC

Regarding the transaction with Fyffes, ChiquitaFyffes Limited, a private limited company organized under the laws of Ireland (“ChiquitaFyffes”) has filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4 that includes a Proxy Statement that also constitutes a Prospectus of ChiquitaFyffes. The registration statement was declared effective by the SEC on July 25, 2014. The Form S-4 also includes the Scheme Circular and Explanatory Statement required to be sent to Fyffes shareholders for the purpose of seeking their approval of the combination. Each of Chiquita and Fyffes has completed mailing to their respective shareholders the definitive Proxy Statement/Prospectus/Scheme Circular in connection with the proposed combination of Chiquita and Fyffes and related transactions. ChiquitaFyffes has filed with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement on Form S-4 that includes a First Supplement to the Proxy Statement/Prospectus/Scheme Circular. The post-effective amendment to the registration statement on Form S-4 was declared effective by the SEC on October 8, 2014. Each of Chiquita and Fyffes has completed mailing the First Supplement to the Proxy Statement/Prospectus/Scheme Circular to each of the Chiquita shareholders that previously received the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and to each of the Fyffes shareholders who appears on the register of shareholders as of the date of the mailing. INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS/SCHEME CIRCULAR (INCLUDING THE SCHEME EXPLANATORY STATEMENT) , THE FIRST SUPPLEMENT TO THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS/SCHEME CIRCULAR AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS (INCLUDING A SUPPLEMENT TO THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS/SCHEME CIRCULAR DESCRIBING THE REVISED TERMS FOR THE FYFFES TRANSACTION) FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT CHIQUITA, FYFFES, CHIQUITAFYFFES, THE COMBINATION AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors and security holders are able to obtain free copies of the definitive Proxy Statement/Prospectus/Scheme Circular (including the Scheme), the First Supplement to the Proxy Statement/Prospectus/Scheme Circular and other documents filed with the SEC by ChiquitaFyffes, Chiquita and Fyffes through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. In addition, investors and shareholders are able to obtain free copies of the definitive Proxy Statement/Prospectus/Scheme Circular (including the Scheme), the definitive First Supplement to the Proxy Statement/Prospectus/Scheme Circular and other documents filed by Chiquita, Fyffes and ChiquitaFyffes with the SEC by contacting Chiquita Investor Relations at: Chiquita Brands International, Inc., c/o Corporate Secretary, 550 South Caldwell Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28202 or by calling (980) 636-5000, or by contacting Fyffes Investor Relations at c/o Seamus Keenan, Company Secretary, Fyffes, 29 North Anne Street, Dublin 7, Ireland or by calling + 353 1 887 2700.

Participants In The Solicitation

Chiquita, Fyffes, ChiquitaFyffes and their respective directors and executive officers may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the combination. Information about the directors and executive officers of Fyffes is set forth in its Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2013, which was published on April 11, 2014 and is available on the Fyffes website at www.fyffes.com. Information about the directors and executive officers of Chiquita is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, which was filed with the SEC on March 4, 2014 and its proxy statement for its 2014 annual meeting of shareholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 11, 2014. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitations and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, are contained in the definitive Proxy Statement/Prospectus/Scheme Circular and the First Supplement to the Proxy Statement/Prospectus/Scheme Circular described above that were mailed to shareholders and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC when they become available.

CHICAGO, – Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) today announced that it has completed the acquisition of WILD Flavors GmbH.

“One of the most important ways we are working to increase returns and reduce earnings volatility is through the growth of our specialty ingredient offerings,” said ADM Chairman and CEO Patricia Woertz. “These high-value products provide the opportunity for increased margins and strong sales aligned with global consumer trends. WILD Flavors is the latest in a series of strategic expansions in specialty ingredients, including our new Brazilian protein specialties complex and our Chinese soluble-fiber facility.”

ADM will form a new business unit, WILD Flavors and Specialty Ingredients, which will include the WILD business as well as the following ADM product lines:

Specialty proteins (including isolated soy proteins, textured vegetable protein, soy protein concentrates, and soy flour & grits)
Emulsifiers
Edible beans
Natural health and nutrition (natural-source vitamin E, plant sterols, soy isoflavones and Omega-3 DHA)
Soluble fiber
Polyols
Hydrocolloids
The new business unit will be a reportable segment beginning Jan. 1, 2015.

Greg Morris will be president of the WILD Flavors and Specialty Ingredients business unit. He most recently was ADM’s president, North American Oilseeds Processing, where in addition to overseeing more than two dozen oilseed crushing plants, he led the creation of the company’s Foods & Wellness business, developing a high-margin, highly specialized portfolio of innovative products.

WILD North American Chief Operating Officer Vince Macciocchi has been named global president, WILD Flavors. In addition to leading the WILD Flavors business worldwide, Macciocchi will be responsible for designing the new business unit’s go-to-market strategy and will play a key role in several ADM initiatives, including the company’s innovation and customer excellence efforts.

Mike Ponder, WILD’s chief executive officer, recently announced his retirement and will join former majority owner Dr. Hans-Peter Wild on an advisory board for the business.

“Greg and Vince are responsible for ensuring that WILD Flavors’ recipe for success continues,” Woertz added. “Dr. Wild has built a great company, and we intend to support WILD’s innovative, entrepreneurial culture. Between our global networks, tremendous innovation capabilities, great teams, and extensive product lines from both ADM and WILD, we now have one of the world’s leading flavors and specialty ingredient companies. We are excited about offering complete food and flavor solutions to our customers around the globe.”

About Morris
Greg Morris will be president of ADM’s WILD Flavors and Specialty Ingredients business unit. Previously, he served as ADM’s president, North American Oilseeds Processing. In that role, he oversaw more than two dozen crushing plants, Southern Cellulose Products, Inc., and the company’s Foods & Wellness group.

Morris joined ADM in 1995 and has held several management roles across the organization. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, and an MBA from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

About Macciocchi
Vince Macciocchi is ADM’s global president, WILD Flavors. In this role, he is responsible for the WILD business within ADM’s new WILD Flavors and Specialty Ingredients business unit. He is also responsible for the new business unit’s go-to-market strategy. Macciocchi has more than a quarter century of experience in the ingredients industry. He came to WILD as its North American chief operating officer in 2012. Prior to that, he spent more than a decade at Givaudan flavors. He has also held positions at American-Maize Products Company, Roquette America and IngredientsNet.com.

Macciocchi holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois, and an MBA from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois.

About ADM
For more than a century, the people of Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) have transformed crops into products that serve vital needs. Today, 31,000 ADM employees around the globe convert oilseeds, corn, wheat and cocoa into products for food, animal feed, industrial and energy uses. With more than 270 processing plants, 470 crop procurement facilities, and the world’s premier crop transportation network, ADM helps connect the harvest to the home in more than 140 countries. For more information about ADM and its products, visit www.adm.com.

About WILD Flavors
ADM’s WILD Flavors is one of the world’s leading suppliers of natural ingredients to the food and beverage industry. Its management offices with production sites are located in Heidelberg-Eppelheim, Germany; and Erlanger, Kentucky. Thirteen further production sites are located in Europe, North America, Asia, South America and the Middle East.

The WILD Flavors product portfolio includes full flavor and ingredient solutions, known as flavor systems, fruit juice concentrates and blends as well as other food and beverage ingredients including natural flavors and extracts, mint oils and flavors, colors from natural sources, sweetening systems, seasonings, specialty ingredients, taste modifiers, and fermentation technologies. WILD Flavors provides the global beverage and dairy market as well as the baked-goods, confectionery and ice cream industry with its products. In the USA and Canada, WILD Flavors is a supplier for the cereals, snacks, and processed food markets as well. For more information about WILD, please visit www.wildflavors.com.

WASHINGTON, – Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will improve farm loans by expanding eligibility and increasing lending limits to help more beginning and family farmers. As part of this effort, USDA is raising the borrowing limit for the microloan program from $35,000 to $50,000; simplifying the lending processes; updating required “farming experience” to include other valuable experiences; and expanding eligible business entities to reflect changes in the way family farms are owned and operated. The changes become effective Nov. 7.

“USDA is continuing its commitment to new and existing family farmers and ranchers by expanding access to credit,” said Harden. “These new flexibilities, created by the 2014 Farm Bill, will help more people who are considering farming and ranching, or who want to strengthen their existing family operation.”

The microloan changes announced today will allow beginning, small and mid-sized farmers to access an additional $15,000 in loans using a simplified application process with up to seven years to repay. These efforts are part of USDA’s continued commitment to small and midsized farming operations, and new and beginning farmers.

In addition to farm related experience, other types of skills may be considered to meet the direct farming experience required for farm loan eligibility such as operation or management of a non-farm business, leadership positions while serving in the military, or advanced education in an agricultural field. Also, individuals who own farmland under a different legal entity operating the farm now may be eligible for loans administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). Producers will have an opportunity to share suggestions on the microloan process, and the definitions of farming experience and business structures through Dec. 8, 2014, the public open comment period.

FSA is also publishing a Federal Register notice to solicit ideas from the public for pilot projects to help increase the efficiency and effectiveness of farm loan programs. Comments and ideas regarding potential pilot projects will be accepted through Nov. 7, 2014.

Since 2010, USDA has made a record amount of farm loans through FSA — more than 165,000 loans totaling nearly $23 billion. More than 50 percent of USDA’s farm loans now go to beginning farmers. In addition, USDA has increased its lending to socially-disadvantaged producers by nearly 50 percent since 2010.

These programs were made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill, which builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

BENTONVILLE, Ark., – In front of hundreds of associates, suppliers and nonprofit organizations at its Global Sustainability Milestone Meeting, Walmart today announced its commitment to create a more sustainable food system. The company will reach this goal through four key pillars: improving the affordability of food for both customers and the environment, increasing access to food, making healthier eating easier, and improving the safety and transparency of the food chain.

“The future of food is absolutely critical for both our society and for our business, which means we have a huge opportunity to make a difference here,” said Doug McMillon, president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. “We’ve learned on our sustainability journey that we’re most successful when our initiatives create social and environmental value and business value at the same time. Food is our number one category worldwide, and we are going to do even more in our grocery business in the years ahead. Paving a sustainable future for food is necessary for society and our business.”

The four pillars outlined in Walmart’s sustainable food system commitment aim to address major issues and threats facing today’s global food system, including how to address the food needs of a growing population while reducing environmental impact; meeting an increasing consumer demand for greater food transparency; providing more options for healthier eating; and alleviating global hunger. While Walmart has already made significant progress across the four pillars, today’s announcement outlines new steps towards a more sustainable food system:

Affordable: Continuing to reduce the “true cost” of food. Working collaboratively with suppliers, Walmart has the opportunity to lower the “true cost” of food – not only by providing everyday low costs for customers, but also by decreasing the environmental impact of agricultural practices. The company has already made enhancements in the area of sustainable agriculture, and will advance this work through the launch of its Climate Smart Agriculture Platform. The Platform is designed to provide increasing visibility over the next ten years to agricultural yields, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and water usage, while driving adoption of best practices in sustainable agriculture. Working with suppliers and others, these efforts will improve environmental outcomes, as well as the well-being of farmers and consumers.

Accessible: Fighting hunger by providing for those in need. Walmart believes that everyone should have access to affordable, nutritious, sustainably-grown food. That means making it easy for customers to buy food through the company’s network of thousands of stores around the world, and increasingly through home delivery and convenient collection points. Yet for too many, even this access may be out of reach. Since announcing its “Fighting Hunger Together” commitment in 2010, Walmart and Sam’s Club facilities have donated more than 1.58 billion pounds of food, surpassing the initial goal of 1.1 billion over five years, a year early. In addition, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation will elevate their commitment to accessibility by aiming to provide 4 billion healthier meals to those who need them in the U.S. over the next five years.
Healthier: Making eating healthy easier. Walmart is committed to ensuring that eating healthier is easy and affordable. The company has reduced sodium by 13 percent and sugar levels by 10 percent in Great Value, Marketside and nationally branded products, and launched its “Great for You” icon to empower consumers to identify healthier food options on store shelves. Moreover, to help more consumers to adopt healthier eating habits,
starting in 2015, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation will provide nutrition education to 4 million U.S. households.

Safe and Transparent: Showing consumers where food comes from. A transparent food chain fosters improved food safety, worker safety, and animal welfare. Walmart will work to provide more information and transparency about the products on its shelves so customers can see where an item came from, how it was made, and decode the ingredient label.
As with all of its sustainability initiatives, Walmart will continue to collaborate with its suppliers to track and report the progress of creating a truly sustainable food system, and will take additional steps in the years ahead to advance the affordability, accessibility, healthier eating, safety and transparency of the food supply system.

“Walmart has made major progress since we set out to achieve our three ambitious sustainability goals to create zero waste, be powered by 100 percent renewable energy, and sell products that sustain people and the environment. We believe it’s especially critical to focus our time and effort on advancing the sustainability of our food products and practices,” said McMillon. “Grocery is a very personal category – it’s about what you feed your kids and how you take care of yourself. It’s about your health and wellbeing. And it all comes down to trust. Customers have to trust us on food. When we focus on food, we are doing right by our customers, our communities, and our planet.”

For more details and to watch the replay of Walmart’s Global Sustainability Milestone Meeting, please visit: http://news.walmart.com/events/global-sustainability-milestone-meeting.

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About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better — anytime and anywhere — in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, more than 250 million customers and members visit our 11,053 stores under 71 banners in 27 countries and e-commerce websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2014 sales of over $473 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.

WASHINGTON, – Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman announced that the United States and Brazil have reached agreement to settle the longstanding Cotton dispute in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Under the terms of the agreement, Brazil will terminate the Cotton case, giving up its rights to countermeasures against U.S. trade or any further proceedings in this dispute. Brazil has also agreed not to bring new WTO actions against U.S. cotton support programs while the current U.S. Farm Bill is in force or against agricultural export credit guarantees under the GSM-102 program as long as the program is operated consistent with the agreed terms.

“Through this negotiated solution, the United States and Brazil can finally put this dispute behind us,” said Secretary Vilsack. “Without this agreement, American businesses, including agricultural businesses and producers, could have faced countermeasures in the way of increased tariffs totaling hundreds of millions of dollars every year. This removes that threat and ensures American cotton farmers will have effective risk management tools.”

“I am pleased that the United States and Brazil have found a permanent resolution to the Cotton dispute,” said Ambassador Froman. “Today’s agreement brings to a close a matter which put hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. exports at risk. The United States and Brazil look forward to building on this significant progress in our bilateral economic relationship.”

Background

The Cotton dispute is a decade-long dispute brought by Brazil against the United States at the WTO. In 2005 and again in 2008, the WTO found that certain U.S. agriculture programs (domestic support to cotton under the marketing loan and countercyclical payment programs, and export credit guarantees under the GSM-102 program) were inconsistent with the United States’ WTO commitments. In August 2009, WTO arbitrators provided the level of countermeasures that Brazil could impose against U.S. trade.

In June 2010, the United States and Brazil signed a Framework Agreement to avert the imposition of countermeasures by Brazil against the United States that at the time would have affected approximately $800 million of U.S. trade, including U.S. intellectual property rights. The Framework provided specific interim steps and a process for quarterly discussions on the programs at issue. The United States also made monthly payments to the Brazil Cotton Institute for technical assistance and capacity building activities for the sector under a related Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). During discussions under the Framework over the past four years, Brazil and the United States worked on the elements of a settlement to the dispute, including changes to the operation of the GSM-102 program and changes to cotton domestic support programs. The Framework expired on February 7, 2014, when the 2014 Farm Bill was enacted. The Farm Bill included significant changes to U.S. cotton domestic support programs, along with changes to the GSM-102 program.

Over the last several months, the United States and Brazil have held intensified discussions to resolve the dispute. Today, the two governments have reached an agreement that provides for formal termination of the Cotton case at the WTO Dispute Settlement Body within 21 days. Brazil will also relinquish all rights to countermeasures against U.S. trade. Other terms and conditions are contained in a MOU that includes new rules governing the fees and tenor for guarantees under the GSM-102 Program, a final transfer of funds to the Brazil Cotton Institute, and limitations on new disputes against U.S. cotton domestic support programs and the GSM-102 program.

The 2014 MOU provides for additional support for the technical assistance and capacity building activities begun under the 2010 Memorandum of Understanding. The United States will make a one-time final contribution of $300 million to the Brazil Cotton Institute, or IBA. The 2014 MOU also provides for additional uses for the funds, such as research in conjunction with U.S. institutions.

More information can be found on the 2014 Memorandum of Understanding Related to the Cotton Dispute.

Atlanta, — The Coca-Cola Company today released its 11 th annual Sustainability Report highlighting the progress the Coca-Cola system made in 2013 against the 2020 sustainability goals announced last year.

“Coca-Cola can only be as healthy, vibrant and resilient as the communities we proudly serve around the globe. That’s why we’re working together with our bottling partners across our system to build stronger, more active communities and advance environmental conservation,” said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company. “Unlocking the collaborative power of the Golden Triangle of business, government and civil society organizations allows for a much greater collective impact than any one organization or even sector could hope to achieve alone.”

This is the first report to include both an update on existing sustainability goals and the Company’s new global 2020 goals. The report follows the Company’s sustainability framework — “Me, We, World” — and is rooted in three leadership priorities:

Women: In our fourth year, we continue our journey to economically empower 5 million women entrepreneurs across our value chain by 2020 through our 5by20™ program. This initiative aims to help women entrepreneurs, from fruit farmers to artisans, overcome the barriers they face to succeed in business. As of December 31, 2013, our 5by20 programs had enabled more than 550,000 women in 44 countries since 2010. More than 255,000 women were impacted in 2013, an increase of more than 50% over the previous year.
Water: We are working to balance the water we use by 2020, returning to our communities and nature an amount of water equivalent to that used in our beverages and their production. We are currently on track to achieve this water goal. In 2013, we replenished an estimated 68% (a calculated estimate of108.5 billion liters) of the water used in our finished beverages through 509 community water partnership projects in more than 100 countries, and we improved our water use efficiency for the 11th consecutive year with an 8% improvement over 2010.
Well-being: We continue our work to meet our 2013 global business commitments to promote well-being and to help address the public health challenge of obesity. In 2013, we offered more than 800 reduced-, low- and no-calorie products worldwide — nearly 25% of our global portfolio. We also supported more than 290 physical activity programs in nearly 125 countries.
The report also updates other areas of progress. Through The Coca-Cola Foundation, the Company’s global philanthropic arm, we invested $143 million (1% of our operating income) to support sustainable community initiatives in 2013 . We also continue applying our supply chain and logistics expertise to help deliver essential medicines to communities that need them through Project Last Mile.

We continue to work against ambitious new goals to reduce the carbon footprint of “the drink in your hand” by 25% and to sustainably source key agricultural ingredients by 2020. In addition, through June 2014, we had then distributed more than 25 billion fully recyclable PlantBottle™ packages across nearly 40 countries since the program launched in 2009.

“We’re investing in sustainability because it helps us grow our business, make a positive difference for the people and communities we serve, and protect the environment we all share,” said Bea Perez, Chief Sustainability Officer at The Coca-Cola Company. “The results in our report reflect Coca-Cola’s commitment, our employees’ passion, and the power of our many partnerships.”

The 2013/2014 Sustainability Report demonstrates The Coca-Cola Company’s commitment to continuous improvement, increased disclosure, risk assessment and expanded stakeholder engagement. The report is available on the Company’s website, Coca-Cola Journey, and features social and multimedia capabilities. This year, the Company developed the report at the Core In Accordance level of the GRI G4 guidelines. Ernst & Young LLP, a registered public accounting firm, provided external assurance on sustainability indicators related to water use ratio, PlantBottle™ packaging, lost-time incident rate, front-of-pack labeling and manufacturing greenhouse gas emissions.

To view The Coca-Cola Company’s 2013/2014 Sustainability Report , please visit www.coca-colacompany.com/sustainability .

About The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most valuable and recognizable brands, our Company’s portfolio features 17 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.9 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo, visit our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com or find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company.

DOSWELL, Va., Sept. 29, 2014 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the award of over $52 million in support of the growing organic industry and local and regional food systems through five U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant programs. The Secretary made the announcement during an event with Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe and local farmers at the Virginia State Fair.

“Local and regional food systems are one of the pillars of our efforts to revitalize rural economies,” said Secretary Vilsack. “Consumers are increasingly demanding more local and organic options. Investing in local and regional food systems supports the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers, especially smaller operations, while strengthening economies in communities across the country. Today’s announcements also improve access to fresh, healthy food for millions of Americans.”

Most of the grants announced today were authorized through the Agricultural Act of 2014 (the 2014 Farm Bill), including the Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) Farmers Market Promotion Program and Local Foods Promotion Program, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and Community Food Projects (CFP) grant program. Also announced today are grants from AMS’s Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP). Together, these investments represent USDA’s commitment to strengthening organic and local and regional food systems through projects that recruit and train farmers, expand economic opportunities, and increase access to healthy foods.

Secretary Vilsack made the announcement while in Virginia, where M. James Faison, a farmer and business owner of Milton’s Local Harvest, was awarded a Local Food Promotion Program grant. Milton’s Local Harvest will develop aggregation and wholesale distribution channels for farmers producing local swine and cattle products in Virginia and the District of Columbia. The project will improve the commercial viability of small to medium scale farmers, allowing wholesalers to source locally and increasing consumer access to local, sustainable, and healthy meat.

USDA’s AMS awarded over $27 million in competitive grants to expand marketing through the new Local Food Marketing Promotion Program (LFPP) and the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP). LFPP will invest millions annually in marketing and promotion activities for local food enterprises including food hubs, aggregation businesses, local food processors, farm to institution activities and other similar efforts. FMPP makes annual investments in marketing and promotion activities for farmers markets, CSAs and other direct producer-to-consumer outlets for local food.

“These Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program grants provide farmers and ranchers around the country with tools to reach consumers, strengthen ties between urban and rural communities, and help meet the growing demand for locally and regionally produced food,” said AMS Administrator Anne Alonzo.

Through the Organic Research and Extension Initiative, USDA is awarding more than $19 million in grants to help producers and processors who have already adopted organic standards grow and market high-quality organic agricultural products. OREI’s priority concerns include biological, physical and social sciences. Organic Research and Extension Initiative -funded projects assist farmers and ranchers with whole farm planning by delivering practical research-based information and will improve the ability of growers to develop the Organic System Plan required for certification. For fiscal year 2014, special emphasis was given to research, education and extension relating to management of diseases, insect pests and weeds in specific regions.

Community Food Projects addresses a serious local issue, which is basic food access for low-income families and individuals. CFP projects bring together a wide range of food system experts to share their knowledge, skills and resources to develop innovative solutions to the nation’s food and hunger problems. USDA is awarding $4.8 million in CFP funding to 22 projects in 16 states.

Visit www.nifa.usda.gov for more about these grants awards.

AMS is also awarding over $1 million in matching FSMIP grants to state departments of agriculture and state colleges and universities. Funds support research projects to address challenges and opportunities in marketing, transporting, and distributing U.S. agricultural products domestically and internationally. FSMIP grants are funding 17 projects in 13 States.

All of these USDA grants make a difference to diverse stakeholders across the nation. For example, previous FMPP grants have led to increased sales and attendance at farmers markets, which creates more opportunities for more producers to become vendors.

The local and regional food systems grant projects support the USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative (KYF2) which coordinates USDA’s support in local and regional food systems. Past FMPP and FSMIP projects supporting this work can be found on the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass. For additional grant information on the awardees please follow on the grant program links in this release or see:

http://www.ams.usda.gov/FSMIP

http://www.ams.usda.gov/LFPP

http://www.ams.usda.gov/FMPP

Much of the funding announced today was made possible through the 2014 Farm Bill, which builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for the taxpayer. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

HUXLEY, Iowa –Novozymes and Monsanto Company leaders this week highlighted how the companies’ BioAg Alliance is working to develop innovations for agriculture to boost productivity and further support the management of natural resources on the farm. The Alliance is expected to expand the research and commercialization of a new generation of microbials to help farmers meet the world’s demands for food and feed in a sustainable way. This year, the companies conducted research across 170,000 field trial plots in 70 locations throughout the United States, and the companies expect to more than double the number of research field plots next season.

“The early results from 2013 showed a lot of promise – we discovered several microbes that are demonstrating increased yield in corn and soybeans. We have expanded testing this year and believe we are on track to discover transformational microbial products farmers can add to their toolbox,” says Robb Fraley, executive vice president and chief technology officer, Monsanto.

Microbial-based solutions are derived from various microbes such as bacteria and fungi. The BioAg Alliance is researching the next generation of these solutions, and has already introduced two types of microbial products: inoculants products, which help plants take up nutrients, and biocontrol products, which help protect plants against pests, disease and weeds. The products can be utilized by farmers that grow broad acre crops such as corn and soy, and on fruits and vegetables.

“Microbials have a significant potential to transform modern agriculture and help meet growing global demand for food. The goal of The BioAg Alliance is to bring cutting-edge innovation in microbials to farmers, so they can produce more crops with fewer inputs,” says Thomas Videbæk, executive vice president for business development, Novozymes.

Microbials make up about two-thirds of the agricultural biologicals industry today, and build on the successful application of microbes in everything from personal healthcare to food processing and production. Today, microbials such as Rhizobium offer farmers ways to replace or complement traditional fertilizers, while Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) sprays continue to be used in organic and conventional agriculture.

Novozymes and Monsanto formed The BioAg Alliance in February 2014. The Alliance brings together Novozymes’ capabilities for discovering, developing, and producing microbes and Monsanto’s discovery capabilities, field testing, and market reach.

To watch a brief video that explains microbials or for a graphic illustration of how microbials work, click here.

The BioAg Alliance pipeline will be featured in Monsanto’s tent during the Farm Progress Show, taking place in Boone, Iowa, August 26-28, 2014.

About Novozymes
Novozymes is the world leader in bioinnovation. Together with customers across a broad array of industries Novozymes creates tomorrow’s industrial biosolutions, improving its customers’ business and the use of our planet’s resources. With over 700 products used in 130 countries, Novozymes’ bioinnovations increase industrial performance and safeguard the world’s resources by offering superior and sustainable solutions for tomorrow’s ever-changing marketplace. Read more at www.novozymes.com.

About Monsanto Company
Monsanto is committed to bringing a broad range of solutions to help nourish our growing world. We produce a variety of seeds ranging from fruits and vegetables to key crops – such as corn, soybeans, and cotton – that help farmers produce abundant and nutritious food. We work to find sustainable agriculture solutions that help farmers conserve natural resources, use data to improve farming practices, use water and other important resources more efficiently, and protect their crops from pests and disease. Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate with farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and others to help tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. To learn more about Monsanto, our commitments and our more than 20,000 dedicated employees, please visit: discover.monsanto.com and monsanto.com. Follow our business on Twitter® at twitter.com/MonsantoCo, on the company blog, Beyond the Rows® at monsantoblog.com or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed.

DEERFIELD, Ill., — Mondelez International Chairman and CEO Irene Rosenfeld today joined world leaders at the UN Climate Summit to announce the first global timeline to slow and then end forest loss. The New York Declaration on Forests strives to cut forest loss in half by 2020, and end it by 2030 – and also calls for restoring at least 350 million hectares of degraded forest lands by 2030, an area greater than the size of India.

Mondelez International joined world leaders at the UN Climate Summit to announce the first global timeline to slow and then end forest loss. The company also pledged new support for UNDP Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil Platform.

Rosenfeld, leading a private sector panel at the Climate Summit, also announced the next phase of Mondelez International’s work with United Nations Development Programme’s Green Commodities Program and the Indonesian government to establish the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil Platform. The platform will coordinate efforts to reduce deforestation, improve land governance and strengthen smallholder livelihoods.

“Mondelez International is a proud signatory to the New York Declaration on Forests, an important step to unite governments, NGOs and business to slow and then end forest loss,” said Rosenfeld. “We can’t act alone to halt deforestation or climate change, so we call on everyone to play a role. While it won’t be easy, I believe this agenda is achievable if we link it directly to business goals.”

New York Declaration on Forests
By signing the New York Declaration on Forests, for the first time, governments, businesses and organizations have found common ground on the need for large-scale economic incentives to countries to stop cutting down forests. When implemented, the Declaration would cut emissions of global warming pollution between 4.5 and 8.8 billion tons every year – the rough equivalent of removing from the road all the cars in the world, or not burning a trillion pounds of coal, or turning off every smokestack and tailpipe in the United States.

New Support for UNDP Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil Platform
In Indonesia, expanding sustainable palm oil production is vital to its economy and environment, as well as to secure a sustainable supply chain for Mondelez International and other consumer goods companies. Mondelez International, along with UN-REDD and others, will provide funding to support the design, launch and expansion of the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil National Platform, extending its reach to the provincial level. In addition, Mondelez International is inviting suppliers to add their support to the platform as a means to help ensure deforestation-free supply chains across the Indonesian palm oil sector.

The new support follows Mondelez International’s palm oil action plan, published earlier this year, to extend its commitment to sustainable production. The plan gives priority to supplies that meet the company’s sustainability principles, and eliminates supplies that do not.

The company’s work in palm oil is part of a wider commitment to sustainably source key agricultural commodities. Its 10-year, $600 million investments in signature programs Cocoa Life and Coffee Made Happy are helping farmers create thriving communities, while Harmony, its successful European wheat sourcing program, is promoting biodiversity and good environmental practices.

Earlier this month, Mondelez International issued its first report highlighting the company’s progress toward achieving its global well-being goals. It details important steps the company has made to meet key metrics in the areas of mindful snacking, sustainability, communities and safety. To read an at-a-glance summary or the full “Call For Well-being Progress Report,” please visit: www.mondelezinternational.com/well-being.

About Mondelez International
Mondelez International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDLZ) is a global snacking powerhouse, with 2013 revenue of $35 billion. Creating delicious moments of joy in 165 countries, Mondelez International is a world leader in biscuits, chocolate, gum, candy, coffee and powdered beverages, with billion-dollar brands such as Oreo, LU and Nabisco biscuits; Cadbury, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Milka chocolate; Trident gum; Jacobs coffee and Tang powdered beverages. Mondelez International is a proud member of the Standard and Poor’s 500, NASDAQ 100 and Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Visit www.mondelezinternational.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDLZ.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2014 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that up to $2.5 million is available to establish the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Child Poverty Nutrition Center. This competitive grant is part of USDA’s efforts to reduce childhood food insecurity in rural communities in America.

Trends show that both the overall rural poverty rate and the rural child poverty rate have exceeded rates in urban areas for over thirty years. In 2012, one out of every four children in rural areas lived in poverty, and 21.2 percent of rural households with children were food insecure. Deep poverty, defined by income that is below 50 percent of the poverty level ($1,000 per month for a family of four in 2012) was a reality for one in eight rural children.

“The goal of the center is to reduce child food insecurity by improving access and coordination among child nutrition programs in up to 30 rural communities with persistently high poverty rates,” Vilsack said. “Children living in persistently-poor, rural areas tend to experience worse outcomes in terms of nutrition, activity, and obesity. The Rural Child Poverty Nutrition Center would facilitate innovative strategies to support a healthier next generation in rural America”

The center will develop, administer, and evaluate a series of sub-grants to improve services in these communities. The center will also organize several conferences to exchange lessons learned and develop a report on best practices. The rural communities will use their funds to target child food insecurity through greater coordination of the nutrition programs. For example, communities could use their funds to identify strategies to increase community involvement or to apply more effective uses of technology and digital media to improve program coordination.

This initiative is part of USDA’s commitment to growing economies, increasing investments, and creating opportunities in poverty-stricken rural communities. Nearly 85 percent of America’s persistent poverty counties are in rural areas. Through the USDA StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity, USDA has supported partnerships and projects in over 700 persistent poverty counties, parishes, boroughs, Colonias and tribal reservations. The USDA Rural Child Poverty Nutrition Center will work cooperatively with USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service to issue sub-grants targeting persistently poor rural counties in the 15 states with the largest number of persistently-poor counties. This initiative will target all StrikeForce states, as well as Minnesota and Missouri.

Accredited colleges and universities, as well as private and public research institutions are eligible to apply. USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service will select one institution or organization for the award. A copy of the request and more information has been recently posted on www.fns.usda.gov/ops/research-and-analysis and www.grants.gov.

FNS administers 15 nutrition assistance programs. In addition to the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs, the largest of these programs include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Summer Food Service Program. For more information, visit www.fns.usda.gov.

BURLINGTON, Vt., – Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden today announced that USDA is investing in rural businesses and development organizations to spur economic growth in rural areas and in Tribal communities.

“These investments are part of the Obama Administration’s ongoing efforts to help rural and Tribal communities that have the greatest need for assistance,” Harden said. “USDA is targeting capital and technical assistance to small businesses and development organizations to help stimulate more business activity in areas that are struggling economically. This will help revitalize these small, remote rural communities and create much-needed jobs for local residents.”

Harden announced details of the investments following a tour of Intervale Community Farm in Burlington, Vt. Intervale Community Farm is a 135-acre farm incubator on Burlington’s Intervale. The Intervale Community Farm contributes 60 full-time, part-time and seasonal jobs to the Burlington economy and is part of the Intervale Food Hub, a thriving local food aggregator and distributor contributing to Burlington’s regional economy. Local food hubs provide organizations, businesses and institutions orders for local food products that are sourced from a variety of local farms.

The funding is being provided through USDA’s Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) and Rural Business Opportunity Grant (RBOG) programs. Rural Business Enterprise Grants help small and emerging rural businesses. Rural Business Opportunity Grants promote sustainable economic development in rural communities with exceptional needs.

The grants are being awarded in areas designated as Rural Economic Area Partnership (REAP) zones. REAP zones are areas that are considered economically distressed due to factors such as poverty, geographic isolation, declining populations or economic upheaval (such as the closing of a major job provider). The 2014 Farm Bill extends all current REAP zones through 2018.

Grants are also being targeted, predominantly through the Rural Business Opportunity Grant program, to Federally recognized Native American Tribes.

Since the start of the Obama Administration, USDA Rural Development has invested nearly $6 million in REAP zones through the RBEG program. These grants have supported businesses and community projects across the country, creating or retaining 2,200 jobs (nearly 1,000 created and 1,200 retained). Since 2009, the agency has also invested $7.8 million in RBOG assistance for REAP zones and Native American Tribes. These Rural Business Opportunity Grants have helped approximately 400 businesses, and have created or retained about 2,100 jobs.

Harden emphasized that the USDA funding includes more than $2.2 million for organizations in Vermont, New York and North Dakota. Nine organizations in Vermont are receiving RBEG and RBOG grants totaling nearly $1.2 million. They will use the money to develop businesses, help revitalize a downtown district, and create jobs across the state. Seven organizations in North Dakota are receiving more than $566,000 in RBEG and RBOG grants to provide technical assistance to rural businesses and explore ways to increase commerce in Tribal areas. In New York, two organizations are receiving more than $445,000 to support rural businesses and determine the feasibility of establishing an open-access fiber optic network.

Through today’s announcement, USDA is providing nearly $3 million in grants to 28 organizations in 12 states to strengthen rural business and promote economic development. Funding is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the grant agreement.

Today’s announcement was made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. The legislation builds on historic economic gains in rural America during the past five years while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. Since its enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve the quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

President Obama’s historic investments in rural America have made our rural communities stronger. Under his leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way – strengthening America’s economy, small towns and rural communities.

CHICAGO, – Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) today announced an agreement to sell its global chocolate business to Cargill for $440 million, subject to a customary working-capital adjustment. The proposed sale is expected to close during the first half of 2015 and is subject to regulatory approval and other customary conditions.

“As part of our ongoing portfolio management, we considered several options to strengthen the returns of this part of our business,” said ADM Chairman and CEO Patricia A. Woertz. “The sale of the chocolate business helps improve ADM’s returns and will allow us to redeploy capital for higher-return investments.”

Included in the sale are chocolate manufacturing operations located in Hazleton, Pennsylvania; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Georgetown, Ontario; Liverpool, U.K.; Manage, Belgium; and Mannheim, Germany. Approximately 700 employees will transfer to Cargill with the sale.

At the time of closing, ADM will be ending cocoa processing operations at Hazleton, Pennsylvania. This will result in the elimination of about 90 positions at that location. ADM will offer affected employees severance packages and outplacement assistance.

Following the transaction, the 1,560 employees of ADM cocoa will continue to supply customers around the world with ADM’s renowned deZaan® cocoa ingredients from the company’s cocoa operations in Mississauga, Ontario; Koog aan de Zaan and Wormer, Netherlands; Mannheim, Germany; Ilhéus, Brazil; Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Kumasi, Ghana; and Singapore.

About ADM
For more than a century, the people of Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) have transformed crops into products that serve vital needs. Today, 31,000 ADM employees around the globe convert oilseeds, corn, wheat and cocoa into products for food, animal feed, industrial and energy uses. With more than 270 processing plants, 470 crop procurement facilities, and the world’s premier crop transportation network, ADM helps connect the harvest to the home in more than 140 countries. For more information about ADM and its products, visit www.adm.com.

HERSHEY, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aug. 29, 2014– One hundred twenty years ago, people across America fell in love with the name “Hershey’s” stamped on a chocolate bar. Today, The Hershey Company – known for its iconic Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars and more than 80 other confectionery brands around the world – is unveiling a refreshed corporate brand that builds on the company’s powerful legacy and creates a new, modern look and feel that positions the company for the next 100 years.

A key element of the broad corporate brand makeover is a fresh, new company logo. The logo redesign underscores the company’s evolution from a predominately U.S. chocolate maker to a global confection and snack company. The new branding will impact all visual aspects of how The Hershey Company presents itself, from consumer communications to websites to the interior design of its office spaces and the look of its retail stores. While rooted in a rich heritage, the new corporate brand reflects a modern, approachable look that reflects the company’s openness and transparency as it has grown into a global company.

“Today we are much more than the ‘Great American Chocolate Bar,’” said Mike Wege, Senior Vice President and Chief Growth and Marketing Officer at Hershey. “We have an amazing portfolio of iconic brands in confectionery and snacking, a great workplace filled with remarkable people and a longstanding commitment to giving back to our communities. Our updated company brand and refreshed visual identity is an expression of our progression to a modern, innovative company that positively impacts our local communities as we continue to grow globally.”

The new corporate brand supports and reaffirms the purpose, values and culture that have been the foundation of Hershey since 1894. The Hershey Company’s brand promise – Bringing Goodness to the World – is a commitment that is deeply rooted in the company’s heritage and fundamental to the company’s current and future success. This promise is delivered by Hershey’s iconic brand portfolio, its remarkable people and the longstanding programs to help support children in need, a commitment that spans more than a century tracing back to when company founder Milton Hershey founded the Milton Hershey School for disadvantaged children in 1909. The company’s work helping kids in need continues, including support of cocoa-growing communities worldwide and innovative projects in Ghana that provide nutrition and education to malnourished children.

The new corporate logo – built upon the globally recognized HERSHEY logotype used on its famous Hershey’s chocolate bar – is a modern update that features a new interpretation of the iconic shape of its Kisses brand chocolate. Along with the new logo, Hershey is implementing a new, disciplined visual identity system that is inspired by the famous colors of its most iconic brands, including Hershey’s, Reese’s and Ice Breakers, to bring a more colorful and consistent look to all of the company’s visual materials.

From the beginning, Milton Hershey was focused on bringing goodness to the world through making chocolate affordable and accessible to everyone. He did this by building a progressive company committed to innovation, constant improvement and philanthropy. Now, more than a century later, the same values drive Hershey’s more than 13,000 employees around the globe who are operating in a complex and challenging market. The new corporate branding system and visual identity are emblematic of their shared purpose of bringing goodness to the world, and bridge time zones and cultures, honoring the company’s heritage while staying fresh and current in the marketplace.

About The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY), headquartered in Hershey, Pa., is a global confectionery leader known for bringing goodness to the world through its chocolate, sweets, mints and other great-tasting snacks. Hershey has approximately 13,000 employees around the world who work every day to deliver delicious, quality products. The company, which has more than 80 brands around the world that drive over $7.1 billion in annual revenues, includes such iconic brand names as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses, Jolly Rancher and Ice Breakers. Hershey is focused on growing its presence in key international markets while continuing to build its competitive advantage in North America. Additionally, Hershey is poised to expand its portfolio into categories beyond confectionery, finding new ways to bring goodness to people everywhere.

At Hershey, goodness has always been about more than delicious products. For 120 years, Hershey has been committed to good business by operating fairly, ethically and sustainably to make a positive impact on society. This means contributing to a better life for its employees, consumers, communities, and, ultimately, creating a bright future for children in need. This commitment is exemplified by Milton Hershey School, established in 1909 by the company’s founder and administered by Hershey Trust Company. The children who attend the school receive education, housing, and medical care – thriving as direct beneficiaries of The Hershey Company’s success.

Although no illnesses or allergic reactions have been reported, Dole Fresh Vegetables is initiating a limited voluntary recall of the following products:

PRODUCT NAME
DOLE Baby Spinach 6 oz bag
BAG CODE
B2311020
BEST-BY DATE
9/4/2014
UPC 071430009642
B2311021
9/4/2014
B2311022
9/4/2014
B2311023
9/4/2014

DOLE Spinach 8 oz bag
B2311020
9/4/2014
UPC 071430009765
B2311021
9/4/2014
B2311022
9/4/2014
B2311023
9/4/2014
B2311024
9/4/2014
B2311025
9/4/2014

This recall is due to possible contamination of these products by walnuts. The walnuts fell from a tree into spinach bins being delivered from a field and were discovered at the plant. No illnesses or allergic reactions have been reported. However, people who have an allergy to tree nuts may have a serious or life- threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products or products containing walnuts.
This recall is for Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico, for only DOLE Baby Spinach 6 oz bags and DOLE Spinach 8 oz bags with the specific Bag Codes and Best-by dates listed above. The bag code and best-by date are on the top right-hand corner of the front of the bag. Consumers who have purchased the designated products are instructed not to consume the product and to call the DOLE Consumer Center toll- free at 1-800-356-3111 from 8am to 3 pm Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, for a refund.

Food safety is the first priority of Dole Fresh Vegetables, so although the contamination is not confirmed, this recall is being initiated in an abundance of caution for the benefit of our customers.

DECATUR, Ill., – The first loaded vessel has departed Archer Daniels Midland Company’s (NYSE: ADM) new export terminal in Barcarena, in the northern Brazilian state of Pará. The terminal is a significant addition to ADM’s expanding logistical network in Brazil, and offers an efficient pathway for the export of grain from the increasingly productive western and northern regions of the country. ADM received approval to begin operations at the terminal at the end of July.

“We are pleased to see operations underway at our new terminal in Barcarena,” said Valmor Schaffer, president, ADM South America. “This terminal positions ADM to continue to grow hand in hand with Brazil’s expanding agricultural production, particularly in the country’s highly productive northern and western regions.”

ADM acquired the terminal in 2012. It currently has the capacity to handle approximately 1.5 million metric tons of grain on an annual basis; ADM intends to expand the terminal’s capacity to 6 million tons by 2016.

“The Barcarena terminal builds on our existing network, which uses inland waterways, rail, and truck transportation to move crops and products throughout Brazil,” Schaffer added. “We are excited by the opportunities presented by Brazil’s expanding agricultural production, and look forward to continuing to be a part of the country’s success.”

About ADM in Brazil
ADM is one of the largest agribusiness companies in Brazil. With more than 4,700 employees, the company processes soy at four facilities, and markets the soy oil brands Concórdia and Corcovado. The company operates the largest biodiesel plant in Brazil, four fertilizer blending facilities, a cocoa processing plant, a sugar cane processing facility that produces ethanol, and more than 40 elevators across the country. In March, ADM announced plans to construct a soy protein production complex next to the company’s existing soybean processing facility in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul.

About ADM
For more than a century, the people of Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) have transformed crops into products that serve vital needs. Today, 31,000 ADM employees around the globe convert oilseeds, corn, wheat and cocoa into products for food, animal feed, industrial and energy uses. With more than 270 processing plants, 470 crop procurement facilities, and the world’s premier crop transportation network, ADM helps connect the harvest to the home in more than 140 countries. For more information about ADM and its products, visit www.adm.com.