As the holiday season ramps up, so does the frequency of parties and large meals. While the holidays are a great time to get together with family and friends, carrying food from one location to another and sharing dishes with a crowd means more opportunity for bacteria to grow and cause food poisoning.

With a focus on innovation, a new $100 million Cargill cocoa processing facility has opened in Indonesia to meet the growing demand among Asian consumers for chocolate and cocoa products.

The Urban School Food Alliance, a coalition of the largest school districts in the US—including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami-Dade, Dallas and Orlando—announced an antibiotic-free standard for companies to follow when supplying chicken products to its schools.

The incidence of occupational injuries and illnesses within the poultry industry’s slaughter and processing workforce has fallen by 80 percent during the last 20 years and has continued to decline, according to the 2013 Injury and Illness Report released by the US Department of Labor.

A recent study from the University of Agricultural Issues Center is suggesting the almond industry supports the economic well-being of California by generating more than 100,000 jobs and more than $21 billion in gross revenue across all industries in the state.

The E. & J. Gallo Winery recently commissioned the inaugural Gallo Consumer Wine Trends Survey to capture the current state of Americans’ wine drinking attitudes and behaviors and answer where, when and how Americans are enjoying wine.

Supreme Foodservice GmbH, a privately held Swiss company, and Supreme Foodservice FZE, a privately-held UAE company, pleaded guilty to fraud against the US in Eastern District of Pennsylvania court this week, according to the US Justice Department.

The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says violations of its confined spaces safety regulations led to the death of a 23-year-old worker at the Michael Foods Inc. Wakefield, Nebraska facility in June.

A coalition of 18 food organizations have joined together to form the Back to Balance Coalition which will promote balanced, practical and achievable dietary guidelines.

For the second time this year, USDA’s Citrus Disease Subcommittee will meet in Florida today to discuss and make recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2015 research agenda, budget and annual priorities for the Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program.