Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

WASHINGTON - Some of the nation's largest employers including Wal-Mart joined a group of governors on Monday in urging Congress to close loopholes used by big drug companies to delay generics from reaching pharmacy shelves, Newark, New Jersey's Star-Ledger newspaper reports.

DALLAS - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) launched its boycott against Safeway Inc.'s supermarket chains Monday, the Dallas Morning News reports.

WASHINGTON - A new report conducted for the Institute of Food Technologists suggests America's food supply will be threatened by dangerous bacteria for a long time as new germs arrive in imported products and microbes already here develop in new forms, The Associated Press reports.

NEW YORK - Fleming Companies reported improved fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday, but the distributor said in a conference call that the impact of Kmart's restructuring won't be fully known until the company announces plans for store closings on March 20.

SAN FRANCISCO - PETA and San Francisco-based Food and Social Justice Project recently launched a boycott against Safeway and its subsidiary stores, saying the company has refused to match minimum animal welfare standards adhered to by McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's.

TROY, Mich. - Kmart Corp. is seeking an emergency order from a bankruptcy judge so it can pay companies that supply its stores with alcohol, The Associated Press reports.

CAMDEN, N.J. - Campbell Soup Company on Saturday voluntarily recalled one day's production of its 18.7-ounce cans of soup labeled Campbell's Ready To Serve Classic Tomato, because it may contain undeclared milk and soy protein.

CHICAGO - Kraft Foods Inc. is once again a target of Genetically Engineered Food Alert, the Washington-based group whose research led to Kraft's recall of taco shells containing StarLink last year, Reuters reports.