Leading brand name food and beverage companies, including those who make Healthy Choice and Chef Boyardee, have begun phasing out the controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA) amid growing consumer and regulatory concern about the health risk it poses, a new report says.

The report, by environmental investor firm Green Century Capital Management and shareholder advocacy group As You Sow, surveyed 26 companies in the food, beverage and retail sectors on how they were responding to mounting public pressure to restrict the use of BPA. The chemical is commonly found in the lining of food and beverage cans and is linked to serious chronic diseases.

Got three or more friends on Facebook who like ice cream? When you and three of your friends create or join a Baskin Robbins group you'll all get free ice cream. Click the "like" button on the Baskin Robbins fan page to get started. It's unclear how long this offer will last. Caveats: you must have a Facebook profile to take advantage of this deal. For U.S. residents only. Each person can only join or become a part of one group during this offer, i.e. one free ice cream per person.

Get a free 8" x 10" photo collage at Walgreens with coupon code 8X10TREAT. Unclear if the coupon code is case sensitive. Expires Sat. Oct. 23, 2010at 11:59 p.m. CST. One per customer. You may have to pay shipping and handling if you want the freebie mailed to you, but in-store pick up is usually free. Make sure to have the collage in your cart and enter the coupon code to get the discount. I made one of these for a friend with pictures I had taken of her sick cat and she was really touched. Caveats: one coupon code per order. Cannot be combined with any other discounts, not valid on previous purchases. Not valid on 8" x 10" single image prints, scrapbook pages or magazine covers.

Four deaths have been linked to celery prepared at a plant in San Antonio, prompting Texas officials to shut down the operation.

All of Sangar Fresh Cut Produce's was products made since January were recalled after the Texas Department of State Health Services linked the plant to 10 cases of listeria infection.

The Murphy House is recalling about 4,920 pounds of ready-to-eat pork barbecue because it may be tainted with salmonella, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The possible contamination was discovered through the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service's microbiological sampling program.No one has reported getting sick from eating the barbecue. Salmonella infections can be serious and sometimes fatal in young children, the frail or those with weakened immune systems. Infections can cause a fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain.

A vote on San Francisco's controversial proposed ban on toy giveaways in McDonald's Happy Meals and other fast food marketed to children will be pushed back to Nov. 2.

The controversial proposal had been up for a vote at today's meeting (Oct. 19), but the bill's prime sponsor, City Supervisor Eric Mar, said he will ask for a continuance and work on a plan to implement the law once it gains approval.

The proposal would block McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and other restaurants from using toys or games to market their children's meals unless they met rules limiting salt, fat, sugar and calorie content. The meals also would have to include fruits and vegetables.

New York City's Pat's Exotic Beverages Inc. recalled all packages of four of its juices because they were not pasteurized and could contain food-borne pathogens such as listeria and salmonella, according to a state agriculture department official.

Phil Giltner, special assistant to the state agriculture commissioner, told Consumer Ally the Bronx, N.Y.-based company had no pasteurization process -- heating the beverages to kill bacteria -- in place for the juices, meaning they could be contaminated with pathogens and viruses that could cause vomiting, abdominal cramps, nausea, diarrhea, fever and other illnesses.

There's a new buzz at Starbucks and it has nothing to do with caffeine. The Starbucks, Olive Way store in the hip, Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle is the first to offer beer, wine and savory foods in a move that may signal a new direction for the decade ahead. And where Starbucks goes, could Dean and Deluca, Caribou Coffee and Peet's be far behind?

Behold the grande, skinny chard no whip? Cabernecinnos? Bold roasted brewskis?

Turning 40 does something to people, and it looks like the same goes for behemoth, billionaire coffee makers. Nipping and tucking at what has become a venerable, global brand, Starbucks is experimenting with the 2,400 square foot Seattle location in an effort to determine if bar tending baristas will bolster the after-hours crowd.

San Francisco officials could decide Tuesday on banning toys in McDonald's Happy Meals and other kids food unless the meals meet certain nutritional guidelines.

The proposal, now listed on the city's Board of Supervisors agenda, has drawn sharp comments from opposition, including fast food giant McDonald's. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has vowed to veto the measure if it passes.

The Pictsweet Company is recalling frozen vegetables sold at Walmart and Kroger stores after learning shards of glass could be found inside, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today.

Green peas products subject to the recall are sold by Walmart stores nationwide and by Kroger stores in the Southeast United States.

Fries and ketchup. Peanut butter and jelly. Chips and dip. Some foods simply taste better when paired with the perfect partner.

And that's definitely the case for waffles. Back in July, Store Brand Scorecard sampled Eggo buttermilk waffles and three frozen store brand varieties, to determine which waffle had the winning combination of good taste and nice price. In the end, Aldi won the battle.

But we recognize Money College readers that as tight as your budget may be, you still want good food. Plain waffles, even Aldi's, are, well, plain. But pair waffles with its perfect partner -- syrup -- and you've got a breakfast worth savoring. Store Brand Scorecard sampled Mrs. Butterworth's and three store brand versions of original syrup (including Aldi's), to give a complete recommendation for a completely valuable breakfast. All items were purchased Oct. 9 in the Chicago area. Prices are subject to change.

McDonald's Hong Kong stores are super-sizing love starting Jan. 1, when couples can officially tie the knot and become McMan and McWife under the Golden Arches.

Any objections? Speak now or forever hold your Quarter Pounder.

Value priced at $400, wedding packages will accommodate 50 to 100 guests and include venue rental, bridal decor, audio system, gifts for the couple, party favors (hopefully a step up from a Happy Meal), a master of ceremonies -- and of course, happily catered meals all around. Instead of cake, think nuptial stacks of apple pies.

But before you hit send on those Evites, note this: Two round trip tickets from Los Angeles to Hong Kong cost about $6,700 on Cathay Pacific -- before taxes, fees and not including refills of Coke. Something to chew on, you might say.

You know the "go local" movement has hit the mainstream when the world's largest retailer and biggest seller of grocery items in this country, announces a "global commitment to sustainable agriculture." One the company says will help small and medium-sized farmers expand and grow, reduce the environmental impact of farming, and strengthen local economies.

Those are some lofty goals, but when a company is the size of Walmart -- with annual sales of more than $400 billion -- even the smallest environmental effort can have a significant effect.

What do college entrepreneurs do after they close up shop on their first business? They start another one of course! Jennifer Connor started a cowbell company called MerryBelles while still a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her cowbells not only became a regular for Badgers football games, but after landing a booth selling at the Republican National Convention, one of her bells earned a spot in the Smithsonian.

Leaving her noisemakers behind, Connor has moved on to a different sense: tastebuds. She started selling mustards in 2007 under the name, Mustard Girl.

After making a go of her first entrepreneurial effort while still in college, Connor was ready for another business adventure which took root during her collegiate days in Madison. She heard that her favorite local mustard farmer had put his recipes on the market.

When she approached him about purchasing his mustard business, he was wary of selling to her because of her art history degree. Connor said she was discouraged and looking for a sign when she heard a Sunday sermon about the seed.

By Minyanville.com

Which retail goods are most alluring to professional shoplifters? The list may surprise you.

Shoplifting crimes usually only make the headlines when a Hollywood actress is caught like a deer in headlights sneaking designer clothes past a knowing security guard, or when the wealthy daughter of the former mayor of New York decides she'd rather not pay for her makeup. But for every celebrity with a mug shot, there's an army of professional thieves walking off unnoticed, stashing millions of dollars in retail goods. Meat is stuffed under skirts. Razor blades are loaded into "boost" bags. Baby formula is taken and resold to unwitting parents or to eager drug dealers who use the powder to cut cocaine.

Not surprisingly, American stores saw a spike in shoplifting in 2008, when the economy hit a downturn. According to the Global Retail Theft Barometer, produced by the UK-based Center for Retail Research, retail crimes such as shoplifting, employee theft, and supply chain fraud rose 8.8% in the United States, to $42.2 billion, that year. In 2007, retail crimes rose 1.5%.