Tyson’s Guile

The 30’s was a hard time for many Americans; it was the time of the stock market crash. Many needed another source of income thus began their search of what they could find. Jon Tyson knew he needed to find a way to make money and fast. So he took chickens and drove them to the border outside Arkansas. The money he earned from this came faster than even he expected. In 1943 he took all his earnings and invested in his first company. Not much later than this he became self sufficient with his business. He provided three mandatory tasks: the sale of baby chicks, the sale of feed, and the transportation of chickens to market (Tyson.com). Today we all know about Tyson Foods, it has become a global empire that brings in more than 27 billion dollars yearly. However there have been many speculations and concerns in regard to Tyson Foods. Tyson Foods Corporation has falsely stated that they put morals and people first but their main drive is their ambition for a food empire.
The reason why Tyson Foods has been so successful is because they tell us, consumers, that their main priority is to put us first. However, looking at their track record will show differently. Tyson Foods has had numerous run-ins with the law. From 1997 to 2001, Don Tyson, the son of founder Jon Tyson, was charged with embezzlement. In October 2001, the SEC claimed that Tyson Foods deceitfully made misleading comments about the personal benefits that Don Tyson was given. Thus they exposed that Don Tyson, the senior chairman, was taking extra amounts of cash before and after his retirement. The SEC also charged the board with giving Don Tyson too much control of the budget for Tyson Foods. The total amount he took was 3 million dollars. The corporation had to pay a 1.7 million dollar charge to the SEC due to this (TYSON FOODS MAY BE SUED). As if Don Tyson doesn't have enough money already, he was having a percentage of the profit going to him after he already stepped down. There is nothing else that can cause an action like this but greed. He wanted more and more and he didn't want to give it up. How is it possible to put others first when your power hungry? When a man like this is running the corporation how can we expect them to put consumers first. How did the Tyson clan become one of the richest families in the world? They knew that they could manipulate the system to their own advantage. Yes, they have had numerous run-ins with the law but I don’t think this number does justice to the number of times they have gotten away with an illegal activity.
You would think that if you want your corporation to be people focused then you would start from the ground up. Evidently this is not the mentality of Tyson Foods. Charges of discrimination were filed against them in their own work place. In the summer of 2003 in the maintenance building for a Tyson plant in Ashland, Alabama thirteen African Americans claimed that they didn’t appreciate walking to the bathroom and seeing a “whites only” sign hanging on one of the doors. These workers claimed that whenever they complained about this to the management they were either suspended from work or “suffered disciplinary actions”. Along with this they complained about numerous racial slurs and comments that were thrown at them during working hours. EEOC's Birmingham office chose to file a law suit against the company. The company retaliated with a law suit from workers at the same plant who testified that this kind of behavior doesn’t go on (Tyson.com). Eventually the case was thrown out the door. The point is with the message that they want to deliver to us they shouldn’t be having issues like this that seep out into the media. As I read through the article I found that the managers never had a problem with these workers until they started speaking up for themselves about the issue. If you’re Tyson, who claims they try to accommodate everyone’s needs, then having an issue like this would be crazy to even think of.
Yet Tyson continues to state that people are their main focus. This is obviously to try and establish credibility with us but looking at their records it becomes apparent that they could care less. They have even affected communities around their farm plants; January 12, 2004 the Pickett vs. Tyson Fresh Meats involved a settlement of 1.28 billion dollars (Tyson Fix OK'd). The OCM filed that Tyson, the defendant, went behind the backs of many independent cattle ranchers and found themselves a long-term supply of cattle. The cost of this action to the independent cattle ranchers is that they no longer have anyone to buy their cattle. The case dealt with 30,000 ranchers, the plaintiffs, from Nebraska who was filing the complaint against the Tyson empire. So what was the ruling? The judge threw out the claim stating, “Tyson was guaranteed a consistent, reliable supply of cattle and that Tyson needed captive supplies to meet the competition where other packers engaged in the practice.” Meet the competition? Am I missing something here because as far as I know Tyson is the competition, right? 30,000 ranchers that ended up losing their farms, homes, and possibly their lives all due to Tyson taking over like a monopoly. Why doesn’t anybody want to regulate this giant empire? Is it possible that if we did regulate them then maybe they wouldn’t be the heavyweights? When the OCM appealed the verdict to the court of appeals the court dismissed the case entirely. The president of OCM stated, “The Courts have now rendered the Packer & Stockyards Act of 1921 (P&S Act) meaningless.” This was the only act that prevented unfair market conduct, and price manipulation (Tyson Fix OK'd). It seems like Tyson got their way this time around.
Not only ranchers but farmers are affected by Tyson. Tyson has been running out the local farmlands. So their creed is to put consumers first but when you think about it consumers include everybody. Their plants continue to grow and grow and many farmers are having complaints about the Tyson farms taking over. As the plants continue to expand chicken farmers from Tyson continue to take over more and more farmland. Not only is the farmland taken away from farmers but these factories are seeping out emissions. Tyson farmlands have been contaminating the area around the plants, leaving the farmers with nothing but polluted irrigation. In January 26, 2005 farmers in Kentucky filed a lawsuit against Tyson with the support of the Sierra Club. Tyson had to spend 500,000 dollars to monitor two chicken farms that have been spreading ammonia around the area (TYSON SETTLES AIR POLLUTION). While their advertisements say one thing the numerous law suits tell us something different. They actually expect us to believe that they care about our well being? That the consumer comes first before the company? Do cattle ranchers and farmers not count as consumers? We are all in this pool together.
Another issue that just happened recently is the false advertising that Tyson Foods has been charged with. They have been dealing with this multiple times in the court. Is it really in the best interest of consumers to eat something that they don’t know what it has? Of course not, but to Tyson, making the extra dollar is more important than telling consumers the truth. Tyson knew that if they put on their chicken labels that it contains antibiotics then the rate of purchase would drop and their return of profit would decrease. In May 2007 the USDA approved Tyson chicken to be labeled "raised without Antibiotics" but quickly withdrew the approval when they discovered that the chicken’s food contained ionophores, and antimicrobials (Tyson must stop advertising chicken). This is another act of dishonesty against Tyson. I have yet to reject the idea that Tyson food doesn't put the consumers first but rather the products. They are willing to do whatever it takes to make their products sell.
The way that Tyson Foods market themselves vs. the reality of how they operate their business is a complete switch. When we go behind the curtain that they don’t show the public then their true colors come out. Not only are they affecting consumers with their products but they affect farmers with the production process. Their mass productions are affecting our lands, air, and water; but the records show that Tyson has no remorse. They only care about making the extra dollar. At the rate they are expanding the conflicts with the law will only increase. Judging from the past, the only way for their expansion to happen is to cut through laws that have been created. They will continue to find more ways to grow and will not stop in expanding as far as they can. As a result numerous farmers and ranchers will lose their lands. When you log onto the Tyson website you’ll find their motto is “Working at the heart of your menu” in black bold letters. It can make you wonder…..what really is at the heart of Tyson Foods, certainly not upholding the law nor putting us first above themselves.

 
Works Cited

"COMPANY NEWS; TYSON FOODS MAY BE SUED BY REGULATORS OVER DISCLOSURE." New York Times (17 Aug. 2004): 4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 15 Aug. 2008 .

"COMPANY NEWS; TYSON FOODS SETTLES AIR POLLUTION SUIT FOR $500,000." New York Times (28 Jan. 2005): 4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 15 Aug. 2008 .

“Era:30’s-80’s.” History. 2006. 15 Aug. 2008. .

"Tyson Fix OK'd. " Multinational Monitor 25.4 (2004): 4. Business Module. ProQuest. David L. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 15 Aug. 2008 .

“Tyson Foods.” Co-op America, 12 June 2008, 05:45 UTC. 15 Aug 2008.
.

“Tyson Foods Resolves Alabama Employment Case; Agreement involves additional training and oversight.” Press Releases. 7 Nov. 2006. 20 Aug. 2008 .

"Tyson must stop advertising chicken as "raised without antibiotics"." Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 232.12 (15 June 2008): 1790-1790. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 15 Aug. 2008 .

Outline for my research paper

I) Intro strategy: Why does Tyson Foods continue in false advertising?
II) They put morals and consumers to the side largely due to the ambition for a food empire.
A) Tyson Foods has had numerous run-ins with the law
B) Event the CEO Don Tyson has had charges of embezzlement

III) They state that people are their main focus but their actions seem to prove otherwise.
A) Starting from the ground up, they were charged with discrimination in their own factories.
B) They have been raiding out cattle ranchers and farmers for their own expansion of factories.
i. They have created a monopoly by taking away the business for these cattle ranchers.
IV) That they don’t really care what they give consumers rather that they make the extra dollar.
A) In May 2007 USDA approved Tyson in saying they “raise chicken without antibiotics”
B) Quickly withdrew the label when they discovered that their chicken contained both ionophores and antimicrobials.
V) Concluding Strategy: Tyson states that they are working at the heart of our meals. However, with the way they are expanding they are a drawback to the betterment of our society.

Tyson’s Guile

The 30’s was a hard time for many Americans; it was the time of the stock market crash. Many needed another source of income thus began their search of what they could find. Jon Tyson knew he needed to find a way to make money and fast. So he took chickens and drove them to the border outside Arkansas, the money he garnered from this came faster than even he expected. In 1943 he made his first company purchase before he knew it he provided three essential services: the sale of baby chicks, the sale of feed, and the transportation of chickens to market (Tyson.com). Today, we all know about Tyson Foods it has become a global empire that brings in more than 27 billion dollars yearly. However there have been many speculations and concerns in regard to Tyson Foods. Tyson Foods Corporation has falsely stated that they put morals and people first but their main drive is their ambition for a food empire.
The reason why Tyson Foods has been so successful is because they tell us (consumers) that their main priority is to put us first. However, looking at their track record will show differently. Tyson Foods has had numerous run-ins with the law. From 1997 to 2001, Don Tyson, the son of founder Jon Tyson, was charged with embezzlement. The SEC claimed that Tyson Foods made misleading disclosures of perquisites and personal benefits provided to Don Tyson both prior to and after his retirement as senior chairman in October 2001. The SEC also charged the company with failing to maintain adequate internal controls over Don Tyson's personal use of company assets. In all the total amount he was took was 3 million dollars. The corporation had to pay a 1.7 million dollar charge to the Security Exchange Committee largely due to this (COMPANY NEWS; TYSON FOODS MAY BE SUED BY REGULATORS OVER DISCLOSURE). As if Don Tyson doesn't have enough money already, he was having a percentage of the profit going to him after he already stepped down (he still sits on the board of directors). There is nothing else that can cause an action like this but greed. He wanted more and more and he didn't want to give it up. How is it possible to put others first when your power hungry? With a mental state like this there is no way that he cares more for others than himself. How did the Tyson clan become one of the richest families in the world—they knew that they could manipulate the system to their own advantage. Yes, they have had numerous run-ins with the law but I don’t think this number does justice to the number of times they have gotten away with an illegal activity.
You would think that if you want your corporation to be people focused then you would start from the ground up right? Not the mentality of Tyson Foods. They had charges of discrimination filed against them. In the summer of 2003 in maintenance building for a Tyson plant in Ashland, Alabama thirteen African Americans claimed that they didn’t appreciate walking to the bathroom and seeing a “whites only” sign hanging on one of the doors. These workers claimed that whenever they complained about this to the management they were either suspended from work or “suffered disciplinary actions”, along with this they complained about numerous racial slurs and comments that were thrown at them during working hours. EEOC's Birmingham office chose to file suit against the company, and the company retaliated with another suit from workers at the same plant who testified that this kind of behavior doesn’t go on (Tyson.com). With the message that they want to deliver to consumers they shouldn’t be having problems like this. As I read through the article I found that the managers never had a problem with these workers until they started speaking up for themselves about the issue. If you’re Tyson, who claims they try to accommodate everyone’s needs, then something like this would be crazy to even think of.
Yet Tyson continues to state that people are their main focus. I think this is to try and establish credibility but looking at their records it becomes apparent that they could care less. For instance, January 12, 2004 the Pickett vs. Tyson Fresh Meats involved a settlement of 1.28 billion dollars (Tyson Fix OK'd). The OCM, the Organization for Competitive Market, filed that Tyson, the plaintiff, went behind the backs of many independent cattle ranchers and found themselves a long-term supply of cattle. The cost of this action to the independent cattle ranchers is that they no longer have anyone to buy their cattle. The case dealt with 30,000 ranchers, the defendants, from Nebraska who were filing the complaint against the Tyson empire. So what was the ruling? The judge threw out the claim stating, “Tyson was guaranteed a consistent, reliable supply of cattle and that Tyson needed captive supplies to meet the competition where other packers engaged in the practice.” Meet the competition? Am I missing something here because as far as I know Tyson is the competition, right? 30,000 ranchers that ended up losing their farms, homes, and possibly their lives all due to Tyson taking over like a monopoly. Why doesn’t anybody want to regulate this giant empire? Could it be possible that if we did regulate them then maybe they wouldn’t be so power hungry? When the OCM appealed the verdict to the court of appeals they dismissed the case entirely. The president of OCM stated, “The Courts have now rendered the Packer & Stockyards Act of 1921 (P&S Act) meaningless.” This was the only act that prevented unfair market conduct, and price manipulation (Tyson Fix OK'd).
Many of the Tyson farms have been running out the local farm lands. If they really put people first then how could they allow themselves to do something like this? Their plants continue to grow and grow and many farmers are having complaints about the Tyson farms taking over. As the plants continue to expand chicken farmers continue to take over more and more farmland. Well not only is the farmland taken away from farmers but the emissions from the chicken growers ends up seeping out ammonia. Ammonia. Their farms have been contaminating the area around, leaving the farmers with nothing but polluted irrigation. In January 26, 2005 farmers in Kentucky filed a lawsuit against Tyson with the support of the Sierra Club. Tyson had to spend 500,000 dollars to monitor two chicken farms that have been spreading ammonia around the area (COMPANY NEWS; TYSON FOODS SETTLES AIR POLLUTION SUIT FOR $500,000). Tyson has faced numerous law suits and yet they try and make consumers believe that they care about our well being. Do cattle ranchers and farmers not count as consumers as well? We are all in this pool together.
Another serious issue that comes to mind recently is the false advertising that Tyson Foods has been charged with. They have been dealing with this multiple times in the court. Would it really be in the best interest of consumers to eat chicken that they think doesn't contain antibiotics when really it does. Tyson knew that if they put on their chicken that it contained antibiotics then the rate of purchase would drop and their return of profit would decrease. In May 2007 the USDA approved Tyson chicken to be labeled "raised without Antibiotics" but quickly withdrew the approval when they discovered that the chicken’s food contained ionophores, and antimicrobials (Tyson must stop advertising chicken as "raised without antibiotics). This is another act of dishonesty against Tyson. I have yet to reject the hypothesis that Tyson food doesn't put the consumers first but rather the products. They are willing to do whatever it takes to make their products sell.
The way that Tyson Foods market themselves vs. the reality of how they operate their business is a complete switch. When we go behind the curtain that they don’t show the public then their true colors come out. Not only are they affecting consumers with their products but they affect farmers with the production process. Their mass productions are affecting our lands, air, and water; but the records show that Tyson has no remorse they only care about making the extra dollar. At the rate they are expanding the conflicts with the law will only increase. It seems like the only way for their expansion to happen is to cut through laws that have been created. They continue to find more ways to grow and will not stop in expanding as far as they can, taking numerous farmers and ranchers away from their lands. When you log onto the Tyson website you’ll find their motto is “Working at the heart of your menu” in black bold letters. It can make you wonder…..what really is at the heart of Tyson Foods, certainly not upholding the law nor putting us first above themselves.

 
Works Cited

"COMPANY NEWS; TYSON FOODS MAY BE SUED BY REGULATORS OVER DISCLOSURE." New York Times (17 Aug. 2004): 4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 15 Aug. 2008 .

"COMPANY NEWS; TYSON FOODS SETTLES AIR POLLUTION SUIT FOR $500,000." New York Times (28 Jan. 2005): 4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 15 Aug. 2008 .

“Era:30’s-80’s.” History. 2006. 15 Aug. 2008. .

"Tyson Fix OK'd. " Multinational Monitor 25.4 (2004): 4. Business Module. ProQuest. David L. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 15 Aug. 2008 .

“Tyson Foods.” Co-op America, 12 June 2008, 05:45 UTC. 15 Aug 2008.
.

“Tyson Foods Resolves Alabama Employment Case; Agreement involves additional training and oversight.” Press Releases. 7 Nov. 2006. 20 Aug. 2008 .

"Tyson must stop advertising chicken as "raised without antibiotics"." Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 232.12 (15 June 2008): 1790-1790. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 15 Aug. 2008 .

Tyson’s Pride can bring the fall

The 30’s was a hard time for many Americans; it was the time of the stock market crash. Many needed another source of income thus began their search of what they could find. Jon Tyson knew he needed to find a way to make money and fast. So he took chickens and drove them to the border outside Arkansas, the money he garnered from this came faster than even he expected. In 1943 he made his first company purchase before he knew it he provided three essential services: the sale of baby chicks, the sale of feed, and the transportation of chickens to market (Tyson.com). Today, we all know about Tyson Foods it has become a global empire that brings in more than 27 billion dollars yearly. However there have been many speculations and concerns in regard to Tyson Foods. Tyson Foods Corporation has had many judicial and consumer conflicts largely due to Tyson’s ambition for keeping a food empire.

Again Tyson Foods has had numerous run-ins with the law. In April, Don Tyson was charged with embezzlement. The corporation had to pay a 1.7 million dollar charge to the Security Exchange Committee largely due to this (Web.ebscohost.com). As if Don Tyson doesn't have enough money already. He was having a percentage of the profit going to him after he already stepped down (he still sits on the board of directors). There is nothing else that can cause an action like this but greed. He wanted more and more and he didn't want to give it up. They even went as far as getting tax breaks from the government. For the longest time Tyson was classed as a family farm, saving themselves around 10 million dollars annually. Since 1950 Tyson has been generating millions of dollars annually. I would hardly classify them as a family farm. Why did Don Tyson become one of the richest men in the world—he knew that he could manipulate the system to his own advantage. Yes, he has had numerous run-ins with the law but I don’t think this number does justice to the number of times he has gotten away with some illegal activity.

In the Pickett vs. Tyson Fresh Meats the settlement involved 1.28 billion dollars (Proquest.com). The OCM, or the Organization for Competitive Market filed that Tyson went behind the backs of many independent cattle ranchers and found themselves a long-term supply of cattle. The cost of this action to the independent cattle ranchers is that they no longer have anyone to buy their cattle. The case dealt with 30,000 ranchers who filling the complaint against the Tyson empire. So what was the ruling? The judge threw out the claim stating, “Tyson was guaranteed a consistent, reliable supply of cattle and that Tyson needed captive supplies to meet the competition where other packers engaged in the practice.” Meet the competition? Am I missing something here because as far as I know Tyson is the competition, right? 30,000 ranchers that ended up losing their farms, homes, and possibly their lives all due to Tyson taking over like a monopoly. Why doesn’t anybody want to regulate this giant empire? Could it be possible that if we did regulate them then maybe they wouldn’t be so power hungry?

Many of the Tyson farms have been running out the local farm lands. Their plants continue to grow and grow and many farmers are having complaints about the ammonia that is coming from Tyson farms. As the plants continue to expand chicken farmers continue to take over more and more farmland. Well not only is the farmland taken away from farmers but the emissions from the chicken growers ends up seeping out ammonia. These farmers filed a lawsuit against Tyson with the support of the Sierra Club. Tyson had to spend 500,000 dollars to monitor two chicken farms that have been spreading ammonia around the area (Web.ebscohost.com). Tyson has faced numerous law suits and they have broken many environmental acts. For instance the Clean Water Act basically states that it is a federal law to dump any toxic substances into the water. Well back in 2003 the company openly admitted to dumping untreated wastewater from its processing plant in Missouri (Wikipedia.org). You would think that after one or two lawsuits they would get the picture but they out-do themselves and come up with more law-breaking activities. In 2004, Tyson had to pay 7.3 million dollars for settlement fees in Tulsa, OK. They were using chicken wastes as fertilizer and had created phosphorous pollution in Tulsa’s main source of water (Wikipedia.org).

Another serious issue that comes to mind is the false advertising that Tyson has been doing. Would it really be in the best interest of consumers to eat chicken that they think doesn't contain anti-biotic when really it does. Tyson knew that if they put on their chicken that it contained antibiotics then the rate of purchase would drop and their return of profit would decrease. In May 2007 the USDA approved Tyson chicken to be labeled "raised without Antibiotics" but quickly withdrew the approval when they discovered that the chicken’s food contained ionophores, and antimicrobials (Web.ebscohost.com). This is another act of dishonesty against Tyson. It is becoming a strong hypothesis that Tyson food doesn't put the consumers first but rather the products. They are willing to do whatever it takes to make their products sell.

There have even been discrimination charges that were filed against Tyson. In Ashland, Alabama thirteen African Americans claimed that they didn’t appreciate walking to the bathroom and seeing a “whites only” sign hanging on one of the doors. These workers claimed that whenever they complained about this to the management they were either suspended from work or “suffered disciplinary actions”, along with this complained about numerous racial slurs and comments that were thrown at them during working hours. This suit cost Tyson $871,000 to repair (Wikipedia.org). When really something like this should never have taken place from the beginning. It seemed these managers weren’t complaining when these people were working but once they opened their mouths then the problems began. Tyson will treat their own workers indifferent without remorse as long as they are making a profit.

Not only are they affecting consumers with their products but they affect farmers with the production process. Their mass productions are affecting our lands, air, and water; but the records show that Tyson has no remorse they only care about making the extra dollar. At the rate they are expanding the conflicts with the law will only increase. It seems like the only way for their expansion to happen is to cut through laws that have been created. They continue to find more ways to grow and will not stop in expanding as far as they can, taking numerous farmers and ranchers away from their lands. “Working at the heart of your menu” is what you would read if you ever were to visit the Tyson website. It can make you wonder…..what really is at the heart, certainly not upholding the law and putting that first above all else.

 
Works Cited

"COMPANY NEWS; TYSON FOODS MAY BE SUED BY REGULATORS OVER DISCLOSURE." New York Times (17 Aug. 2004): 4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 15 Aug. 2008 .

"COMPANY NEWS; TYSON FOODS SETTLES AIR POLLUTION SUIT FOR $500,000." New York Times (28 Jan. 2005): 4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 15 Aug. 2008 .

History. “Era:30’s-80’s”. 2006. 15 August 2008. .

“Tyson Foods.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 6 Aug 2008, 05:45 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 15 Aug 2008
.

"Tyson must stop advertising chicken as "raised without antibiotics"." Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 232.12 (15 June 2008): 1790-1790. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 15 Aug. 2008 .

"Tyson Fix OK'd. " Multinational Monitor 25.4 (2004): 4. Business Module. ProQuest. David L. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 15 Aug. 2008 .

Research Proposal

General Framework:
I have decided to research my topic because I’m interested in learning about these tycoons that have basically established empires and whether they try to cheat the system (so to speak) to gain the extra dollar. One experience is the reading that we have been doing in class from Fast Food Nation through reading this book I have learned about some of these billionaires and how they got their start. From reading their biographies my interest grew in learning more about these business tycoons. On top of this food is something that we need to survive, technically I have ate at fast food chains and have bought readymade meals at the grocery so this is something that effects me. After reading Fast Food Nation I wanted to see what other skeletons are in the closet that we as consumers don’t know about. These questions are what drove me into researching this topic. Through researching this topic I should learn some facts about companies like Conagra or Tyson that the average consumer doesn’t know. I will be aware of conspiracies that these companies had and any other run-ins with the law. My classmates should know as much as I know right now. They will be aware of why fast food has caused a strain on our society and how a company like Conagra works. They will not know any issues that these companies have had with the law and this is what I intend to explain to them. As for my instructor he may be aware of some issues that these companies have had with the law but maybe not how these companies first got started.
Establishing a Specific Focus:
My topic deals with today all the way back to the revolution of fast food chains. Specifically I want to focus on today and how these companies treat our food that we eat now; but I also want to look back to the past at how these companies first started. The area of my topic will deal mainly with the U.S. (it was us that started the fast food chains) however a company like Conagra has a plant in Canada. However, the main area that my topic will be focused on is the U.S. I think this is best because my readers will be more curious about my topic since it is an issue that affects them. The specifics of this topic is limited to food, there is nothing else that will be discussed besides food. It must be about an issue that a Fortune 500 company had with the law. For instance, Tyson didn’t put on their labels that the food was antibiotic therefore they had a huge run-in with law officials. My topic is narrowed to only judicial conflicts. The establishments of fast food chains have been a land mark for us, I intend to use this as part of the context for my topic. I want to relate all of these together-the Fortune 500 companies and the fast food chains that have been developed. A critical fact to my research is that all of the students and the instructor in my class have been customers to these companies. So it’s very critical that I’m precise with my topic, what dirty things have these companies done, since many will want to know what it is exactly that I have to say about them. The effects of these companies on the health of consumers will be another critical aspect that I will incorporate into my paper. I want to answer the questions like what have these companies done that were bad? What are the health risks that come with eating their products? How are these companies run i.e. are they ambitious and so the worker on the floor are trained to just do their jobs and not ask questions? Where the founders worried less about the cause of concern consumers had and only interested in making the next million dollars?
Sources:
My sources are dealing with the fortune 500 companies. I’m going to try and stay away from the history of these companies and focus more on the conflicts they’ve had with the law. I want to present the reader of my paper with as much current information as I can, so most of my sources will be up-to-date. I’m trying to stay away from the Wikipedia because I know that their information doesn’t always come from a credible source. Most of my sources will come from CQ Researcher or proquest since I know that these are legitimate databases.



Potential Sources:
"Tyson must stop advertising chicken as "raised without antibiotics"." Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 232.12 (15 June 2008): 1790-1790. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 12 Aug. 2008 .
Etter, Lauren, and Scott Kilman.. "Tyson Is Ordered to Pull Antibiotic-Free Label by June 18." Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition 251.130 (04 June 2008): B9. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 12 Aug. 2008 .
"COMPANY NEWS; TYSON FOODS SETTLES AIR POLLUTION SUIT FOR $500,000." New York Times (28 Jan. 2005): 4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 12 Aug. 2008 .
McManus, Reed. "PLUCKING BIG CHICKEN." Sierra 89.2 (Mar. 2004): 59-59. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 12 Aug. 2008 .
"Beef-processing unit to pay $625,000 in penalties, fines." Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition 225.90 (09 May 1995): B12. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 12 Aug. 2008 .
"COMPANY NEWS; Restraining Order Against Tyson." New York Times (Feb. 1989): 4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 12 Aug. 2008 .
Johnston, Megan. "Tyson's Trials." Forbes 177.3 (13 Feb. 2006): 48-48. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 12 Aug. 2008 .
"COMPANY NEWS; TYSON FOODS MAY BE SUED BY REGULATORS OVER DISCLOSURE." New York Times (17 Aug. 2004): 4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 12 Aug. 2008 .
"Tyson May Face SEC Action Tied To Ex-CEO's Perks." Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition 244.33 (17 Aug. 2004): A3. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 12 Aug. 2008 .
Elizabeth Weise. "ConAgra suffers new food scare." USA Today (n.d.). Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 12 Aug. 2008 .

12 sources for paper

"Labor Board to Act on ConAgra Complaint." New York Times (22 Aug. 2000): 11. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 11 Aug. 2008 .
The government said today that it would ask a judge to review whether ConAgra Inc., the second-biggest United States food company, threatened employees who tried to organize a union at its beef-packing plant in Omaha. The National Labor Relations Board said it would pursue a complaint filed by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which said in June that Con Agra videotaped organizers and threatened to confiscate union materials. ConAgra denied that it interfered with organizing efforts.

Ivey, Mark. "HOW CONAGRA GREW BIG--AND NOW, BEEFY." Business Week (18 May 1987): 87-88. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 11 Aug. 2008 <https://login.lib-proxy.usi.edu/login url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=18663168&loginpage=login.asp&site=ehost-live&scope=site>.
The article presents Con-Agra Inc. chairman Charles Harper's strategic plan for the Omaha, Nebraska-based diversified food company's profits and growth. The plan includes acquisition of beef producer Monfort of Colorado Inc., maintaining an average 23 percent return on equity, and masterminding the turnaround of troubled businesses.

"Tyson must stop advertising chicken as "raised without antibiotics"." Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 232.12 (15 June 2008): 1790-1790. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library,Evansville, IN. 11 Aug. 2008 <https://login.lib-proxy.usi.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=32632530&loginpage=login.asp&site=ehost-live&scope=site>.
The article reports on a U.S. district court's ruling that Tyson Foods must stop advertising its retail chicken as "raised without antibiotics." The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the label in May 2007 but later withdrew approval after reconsidering the fact that Tyson's chicken feed include ionophores, antimicrobials not in use in human medicine. Tyson's competitors Sanderson Farms and Perdue Farms filed suit to stop Tyson's marketing campaign.

Etter, Lauren. "Tyson Pulls Antibiotic-Free Label." Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition 251.129 (03 June 2008): B2. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville,IN. 11 Aug. 2008 <https://login.lib-proxy.usi.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=32587648&loginpage=login.asp&site=ehost-live&scope=site>.
The article reports that Tyson Foods Inc. voluntarily withdrew the antibiotic-free label for its chickens awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (DA) in December 2007. The announcement was made on June 2, 2008 and reported that this move is due to uncertainty and controversy over product labeling regulations and advertising claims. The Department reportedly demanded that Tyson remove the label or clarify it.

Benli, H., et al. "Biomechanical and microbiological changes in natural hog casings treated with ozone." Meat Science 79.1 (May 2008): 155-162. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville,IN. 11 Aug. 2008 https://login.lib-proxy.usi.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=30020370&loginpage=login.asp&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
The objective of this study was to determine the biomechanical and microbiological effects of exposing natural hog casings to ozonated water ≈7mg/l for 0, 2 or 4h at 16°C.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. "Tennessee: Tyson Lawsuit Is Thrown Out." New York Times (15 Feb. 2008): 20. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. abbreviation]. 11 Aug. 2008 https://login.lib-proxy.usi.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=29441737&loginpage=login.asp&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
A federal judge threw out a lawsuit that accused Tyson Foods Inc. of hiring illegal immigrants to depress wages. The judge, Curtis L. Collier of Federal District Court in Chattanooga, on Wednesday granted the company's motion for a summary judgment in the 2002 suit. The suit by four employees sought compensation, contending the Arkansas company violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act by hiring illegal immigrants who were willing to work for wages below those acceptable to Americans. The judge's order said ''plaintiffs failed to demonstrate Tyson was harboring or concealing illegal aliens'' at its plants.

"ConAgra Foods, Inc.; ConAgra Foods Announces New Licensing and Capabilities Agreement with the Procter & Gamble Company. " Biotech Week 16 Jul 2008: 2848. Health Module. ProQuest. David L. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 11 Aug. 2008 <http://www.proquest.com/>. Under the terms of the agreement, ConAgra Foods will be P&G's exclusive licensee for a variety of P&G food ingredient and processing technologies, including nutrition-enhancing ingredients like Calcium Citrate Malate, trademarked Calsura. In addition, ConAgra Foods will receive access to various packaging capabilities and technologies owned by P&G. These food and packaging technologies will have application within a broad spectrum of current ConAgra Foods branded products. Additionally, ConAgra Foods will have the option to purchase all rights to certain technologies covered by the license.

"Movers: UBS, UPS, Kodak, ComScore, Kroger, ConAgra, Dow Chemical." Business Week Online (25 June 2008): 18-18. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 11 Aug. 2008 .

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. "ConAgra to Sell Trading Group; Quarterly Profit Up 60%." New York Times (28 Mar. 2008): 5. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 11 Aug. 2008 . Conagra is planing on joining in with stocks to increase their earnings per share.

Danny Duncan Collum. "Our Fast-Food Empire. " Sojourners Magazine 1 May 2006: 41. Humanities Module. ProQuest. David L. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 11 Aug. 2008 . Of all the changes that struck American culture in the last quarter of the 20th century, the explosive growth of the fast-food industry would have to count as one of the most destructive. Twenty-first century America has left behind regionally grown, home-prepared food for globalized, pre-packaged, sweetened, and fatty convenience stuff. Here, Collum stresses that the consequences of this bargain are written across strip-mailed landscape, low-wage economy, and increasingly bloated bodies.

Bryant, Rachel, and Lauren Dundes.. "Fast food perceptions: A pilot study of college students in Spain and the United States." Appetite 51.2 (Sep. 2008): 327-330. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 11 Aug. 2008 .
Comparing survey data of college students from Spain and the United States provides insight into how perceptions about fast food are culture and gender-specific. More American college males (61%) considered value (amount of food for the money) to be a priority than did other respondents (35%) and relatively few American college males (29%) cited nutritional status as important (versus 60% of other college respondents). Convenience of fast food is more important to Americans (69%) than Spaniards (48%) while more Spanish college students (49%) than Americans (18%) objected to the proliferation of fast food establishments in their own countries.

BENJAMIN WEISER. "Word for Word/Fast-Food Fracas; Your Honor, We Call Our Next Witness: McFrankenstein." New York Times (26 Jan. 2003): 5. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Rice Library, Evansville, IN. 11 Aug. 2008 .
THE national psychodrama over obesity and fast food took an intriguing turn last week when a federal judge in Manhattan threw out a lawsuit that accused the McDonald's Corporation of deceiving its consumers about the high levels of fat, sugar, salt and cholesterol in its products. The 64-page ruling was notable not just for what McDonald's called its ''common sense'' approach, but for its suggestion that an alternate legal strategy might allow the plaintiffs to try again. The suit, which sought class-action status on behalf of the millions of children and teenagers who regularly eat at McDonald's, sought to hold the chain liable for obesity and other illnesses in young people. In dismissing the suit, the judge, Robert W. Sweet of Federal District Court, said there was no evidence McDonald's had concealed information about the ingredients of its products. He also said it was widely known that fast food, and McDonald's products in particular, contained potentially harmful ingredients.

Blog for Essay #2

I decided to go with writing prompt number 2. After reading about the way food gets its taste and flavoring I wanted to look further into the corporations that does the flavoring for our t.v. dinners, and instance meals. I wanted to know how they got started and in what ways did they become a monopoly in their own fields. This is the most interesting topic for me to choose from, I’m a business major so I find entrepreneurs becoming billionaires very interesting. The topic that I’m researching will be the empires that exist in the food industry, just like J.R. Simblot or Ray Croc I want to find the other corporations that took over and the effects that they have brought on society. Mainly my audience consist of college aged students except for two. I know someone is a financial advisor so just the talk of money and how these tycoons used the money that they got to generate an even bigger profit should be fascinated to him. I think everyone will want to read it because they want to see the effects that these companies have and they get to see the kind of mind set that these founders have, do they really care about us or are they just interested in gaining the extra dollar? So the paper should be of interest to everyone because not only will I talk about the founders but I want to scoop up some dirt on them so to speak. After reading my paper I want my audience to see their true colors. I want to start my paper with narration/illustration from this I want to move to compare and contrast then finally to description. I want the audience to gain knowledge on these tycoons and the empires that they have built. So far I have learned about the Lamb Weston and how the company runs today. I have looked up how Wilbur Hardee’s got started (and found out that he just died recently). I’ve had some trouble looking up info on Tyson food company, I was able to find out about the company as we know it now but I haven’t found too much on the founder. I found out some info on Con-Agra and the founders. I found some minor companies that have been semi-successful that were founded by one man. Monday's research should entail some sources from CQ researcher and Proquest. I'm going to try to stay away from wikipedia and use the database from Rice Library as much a I can.