Food
The Bloody History Behind The $38 Million Chiquita Verdict
In 1997, “David,” a worker on a banana plantation, was brutally and quickly executed by right-wing Colombian paramilitary groups.
He was taken off, beaten to death in front of his fellow passengers, and thrown on the side of the road, where his attackers covered his corpse with a banana plant, just minutes after his bus was halted at a checkpoint in the coastal district of Urabá. Court records stated that cows would later eat his corpse.
The violence persisted after that. A few weeks later, his sister-in-law and daughter vanished, never to be seen again. Another family member received death threats.
The family that remained quickly departed Urabá permanently.
Chiquita | CNN Image
The Bloody History Behind The $38 Million Chiquita Verdict
He was only one of thousands of victims targeted by the notorious right-wing terrorist organization known as the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC, which was able to muster tens of thousands of fighters during the height of Colombia’s civil conflict at the beginning of the new century.
“For the past 17 years, it has been an honor to represent these victims.” Simons stated during a press conference in Washington on Tuesday, “It’s not over yet, but this is a significant step forward, and we hope that this will pave the way for compensation for all the victims.”
Although Simons believes it is doubtful that any of the victims would get compensation anytime soon as a result of Chiquita’s appeal, he believes the case has sent a clear message to businesses about the need of upholding human rights.
In the end, the money won’t be able to make up for the loss. Even though we’re still discussing the horrifying mistreatment these families have endured, money matters because, regrettably, it’s the language that companies speak the best. According to Simons, sometimes a sizable financial fine is necessary to influence business conduct.
“Tragic in so many ways”
Chiquita has argued in its defense that it was a victim of its own actions because it was compelled to pay the AUC protection money, both in the current case and in earlier legal proceedings.
Even while the jury was not persuaded by that argument that it had behaved “as a reasonable businessperson would have acted under the circumstances,” the corporation told CNN that it was still “confident that our legal position will ultimately prevail” in the wake of the most recent verdict.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who were directly impacted by the violence in Colombia, as well as the many others who found themselves in a tragic situation.” That does not, however, alter our conviction that these assertions lack a legitimate foundation,” the statement said.
The business acknowledged that it had made more than “100 payments to the AUC totaling over $1.7 million” in its 2007 lawsuit against the US Justice Department. According to a US Justice Department press release from the time, Chiquita documented the AUC payments as “security services,” despite the fact that the business never got any real services from these payments.
Before becoming US Attorney General under President Barack Obama, Eric Holder represented Chiquita in the 2007 trial. At the time, he informed the court that the company had to pay various terrorist organizations for more than 15 years because those organizations controlled the areas where the company operated. Not the government of Colombia.
However, in that trial, the company ultimately entered into a plea agreement acknowledging that, because of the protection money issue, it had voluntarily continued to pay the AUC even after the group was designated as a terrorist organization by the US government in 2001 and even after a senior director objected to Chiquita’s board reiterating “his strong opinion to sell our operations in Colombia.”
Chiquita | Dem Now Image
The Bloody History Behind The $38 Million Chiquita Verdict
Chiquita’s operations in Colombia yielded profits of $49.4 million between 1997 and 2004, according to the findings of federal attorneys.
A period of “true terror.”
The AUC was established in 1997, in the midst of one of the deadliest periods of the civil war in Colombia, when the government was fighting right-wing paramilitaries, left-wing guerrillas, and criminal groups for supremacy.
At that time, the civilian population was being terrorized by left-wing guerrillas from the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), who were fighting the government. Prior to turning to the AUC in 1997, Chiquita claimed in the 2007 case that it had paid ransoms to the ELN and the FARC.
Due to the threat of an armed communist revolution, right-wing supporters and landowners in Colombia organized vigilante organizations to match the guerrillas blow for blow. Until their ultimate demobilization in 2006, the AUC was one such group that terrorized the people of northern Colombia in an effort to put an end to the uprising.
When the AUC was at its strongest, it could muster tens of thousands of fighters and was mostly funded by drug trafficking; after demobilization, over a dozen AUC officials were deported to the US on drug-related charges.
“I recall that time; it was truly terrifying,” a plaintiff who received compensation on Monday told CNN. “You had victims all around town; not only was my husband killed, but my daughter was also raped.”
Another piece of evidence presented to the jurors in the most recent instance included a young girl who had been made to see her mother and stepfather being executed on the side of the road from a cab. She was then given the equivalent of less than one dollar so that she could go back home and live as an orphan.
Colombia, as of right now
The Colombia of today is very different from the Colombia of the AUC’s founding.
The 52-year struggle between the government and the FARC was resolved by a peace agreement in 2016, a few years after the AUC’s demobilization; however, some dissidents are still fighting.
chiquita | Earth Rights Image
The Bloody History Behind The $38 Million Chiquita Verdict
In an effort to put an end to some of the bloodiest chapters of the conflict, transitional justice procedures have since included both left- and right-wing guerrillas and paramilitaries.
Still, there is terror in Urabá.
A few ex-members of the AUC are still on the loose, having joined the Gulf Clan, a new organized crime gang that opposes government authority in northwest Colombia.
Rights organizations claim that strong corporate interests are still working with local governments and criminal organizations to suppress activism, especially when it comes to environmental protection, which can be a risky endeavor in South America.
Nevertheless, the court decision this week offers hope for at least some of the numerous AUC victims. In a show of defiance, one of the litigants who spoke with CNN sought to have her message shared.
“Mom don’t talk, mom don’t pick up the phone,” is what my son and daughter all say. However, fear is only permanent until a person chooses to express it,” she remarked.
SOURCE – CNN
Leave it to a Wells Fargo food expert to definitively resolve the Chipotle burrito “weight debate.”
On TikTok, some consumers accused Chipotle of underserving food quantities. They created a habit of photographing Chipotle personnel as they customized their burrito orders with chicken, guacamole, and other toppings in order to get larger scoops.
Chiptotle
An Analyst Ordered 75 Chipotle Burrito Bowls To Test Portion Sizes
The “Chipotle phone method” went viral on social media, and several personnel reacted, stating customers filming them was “stressful and dehumanizing.”
Chipotle’s CEO eventually addressed the matter.
“The portions have not gotten smaller,” Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol told Fortune recently. “We always want to give people big portions that get them excited about the food.” He stated that if consumers require extra rice or another topping, they can ask an employee.
So Zachary Fadem, a Wells Fargo analyst, went to Chipotle to investigate.
Fadem and his team ordered and weighed 75 burrito bowls with white rice, black beans, chicken, pico de gallo, cheese, and lettuce from eight Chipotle locations in New York City. (They brought them back to the office for lunch with other Wells Fargo employees.)
chipotle
An Analyst Ordered 75 Chipotle Burrito Bowls To Test Portion Sizes
The analysts discovered that the uniformity of the portions varied significantly.
The bowls weighed nearly the same for in-store and online orders. However, some locations served bowls that were 33% heavier than others. Some burrito bowls went to extremes, with one topping out at 27 ounces in one place and only 14 ounces in another. The median weight was approximately 21.5 ounces.
According to Laurie Schalow, Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs officer, the size of a customer’s bowl may vary depending on the number of components selected or whether an ingredient is extra or light. She stated that the corporation has not adjusted its portion sizes.
Portion size uniformity is vital for restaurants because it allows them to control costs and avoid running out of products or having too much left over.
An Analyst Ordered 75 Chipotle Burrito Bowls To Test Portion Sizes
Customers expect consistency from restaurant chains, and analysts warn that if serving sizes are not consistent, the chain’s reputation may suffer. Many firms have been chastised for reducing product sizes while charging the same or more, a practice known as “shrinkflation.”
However, this does not appear to be affecting Chipotle. Despite the social media concerns, Chipotle’s sales increased 7% last quarter, beating competitors such as McDonald’s.
SOURCE – (CNN)
Pop quiz: How much does a Big Mac, fries, and a fountain drink, often known as a Big Mac combination meal, cost?
Many people assume it’s $18 after a post on X of McDonald’s menu prices at a Connecticut rest station went viral and made national headlines. (Narrator’s voice: It is not.)
A top McDonald’s official wants to clarify the situation nearly a year after the tweet. In a recent letter, Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, stated that $18 for a Big Mac combo was an “exception” rather than the norm across all 13,700 outlets in the country.
Big Mac | Quara image
An $18 Big Mac Sparked A Revolt Against High Prices. Companies Are Finally Listening
It doesn’t matter that almost no one pays anything close to $18 for a Big Mac combo. (According to a fact sheet distributed by McDonald’s along with the letter, the average cost is $9.29.) What counts is that the message struck a chord with many people who are fed up with how much fast food costs nowadays.
For years after COVID-19, fast-food restaurants boasted on earnings calls about how easily they could raise prices without customers noticing.
Yes, fast-food restaurants’ expenses increased as inflation surged, forcing them to spend more money recruiting employees. But they did not suffer as a result.
Profits climbed as prices rose. Of course, this was only true because consumers were willing to pay more as their incomes increased, and they had collected significant savings during the pandemic.
Big Mac | CNN Image
An $18 Big Mac Sparked A Revolt Against High Prices. Companies Are Finally Listening
Now, businesses such as McDonald’s, which did not reply to CNN’s request for comment, are playing defense. They’re justifying previous increases retroactively, telling them, “I understand your frustration,” while telling them, “We aren’t the villains your social media posts portray us to be.”
“The average price of a Big Mac in the US was $4.39 in 2019,” Erlinger stated in his recent letter. “Despite a global pandemic and unprecedented increases in supply chain costs, wages, and other inflationary pressures in the years since the average cost is currently $5.29. “That’s a 21% increase (not 100%),” he explained.
If that’s the case, a 21% price increase from 2019 is lower than the Consumer Price Index’s 23% overall growth in prices across goods and services over the same period.
Furthermore, prices for various goods and services have risen dramatically. According to CPI data, the average US consumer’s vehicle insurance rates have increased by more than 40% between 2019 and the present.
People are unhappy, but I have not seen a viral post about vehicle insurance prices. This may be because vehicle insurance businesses haven’t spent their entire lives marketing themselves as a low-cost good for the general public.
I’m inclined to bet Erlinger was made aware of the viral $18 Big Mac combo post shortly after it became popular. So, why did it take him a year to react to it.
An $18 Big Mac Sparked A Revolt Against High Prices. Companies Are Finally Listening
McDonald’s CEO Christopher Kempczinski told analysts on the company’s April results call that restaurant profit margins have returned to 2019 levels. Consumers are reaching their breaking point due to the price rises they have endured over the last four years. And with paycheck increases flattening out and savings disappearing, it’s biting even more.
“We’re going to be cautious and thoughtful about any further price increases that we’re looking at for the rest of 2024 on that basis,” said Ian Borden, McDonald’s CFO, during the call.
That’s why McDonald’s is introducing a $5 menu.
However, they are not the only ones making a shift. Target, Walgreens, Amazon, Walmart, Wendy’s, and Starbucks are all lowering prices on thousands of items to reclaim customers who have fled due to price hikes.
Customers are fed up. And it is finally affecting companies’ bottom lines.
SOURCE – (CNN)
Krispy Kreme’s newest doughnuts commemorate the 30th anniversary of the sitcom “Friends.” However, despite the show being set in New York, the doughnuts are not available for purchase in New York or anywhere in the United States. The new flavors are exclusively available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The decision has irritated fans of the show (and the doughy sweets), with social media flooded with comments ranging from annoyed to outraged. “Friends” was produced by Warner Bros., CNN’s parent company.
The controversy highlights how these promotional items may attract extra attention and publicity to businesses, particularly because Krispy Kreme stated in a recent earnings call that the doughnut maker is attempting to keep its brand fresh for consumers.
Krispy Kreme | Fox Tv Image
Krispy Kreme Is Rolling Out ‘Friends’-Themed Doughnuts. But You Probably Can’t Get Any
“We’re constantly innovating, constantly bringing excitement to the brand, and we’re fresh, fresh daily,” CEO Josh Charlesworth said during a first-quarter earnings call in May, according to a FactSet transcript. He said that special doughnuts, such as the new “Friends” varieties, helped attract customers to stores, as did Valentine’s Day and eclipse-themed promotions.
However, people had a few words for Krispy Kreme on that score.
“This is where I am just bewildered by the decision-making process,” one user wrote on “Snackolator”‘s” Instagram post on the release. “Friends was a huge US show (I know it is big internationally as well, but come on), yet this is a UK thing.” CNN reached out to the commenter but has yet to receive a response.
Krispy Kreme | Mirror Image
Krispy Kreme Is Rolling Out ‘Friends’-Themed Doughnuts. But You Probably Can’t Get Any
Fans of Krispy Kreme’s Instagram account have even commented on images unrelated to the “Friends” promotion. One admirer, @moniica__garcia, left a comment on a post promoting new doughnut hole varieties in the United States. “Are we going to receive Friends donuts in the US? Plenty of Friends lovers here would want to spend their money.
Another Instagram user, Ashley Smith, remarked on a separate unrelated photo, “Why are friends donuts only available in the UK?! We’d love to have them here, too!”
The doughnut assortment includes “Friends,” a chocolate-glazed doughnut topped with an image of the fountain from the show’s opening titles. “Trifle” is a strawberry and custard-filled doughnut based on a 1999 episode about a botched dessert.
“How You Doin?” evokes Monica Geller’s (Courtney Cox) prominent front door. Then there’s “We were on a Coffee Break,” a caffe latte-flavored doughnut featuring the “Central Perk” cafe logo. It recalls Ross Geller’s (David Schwimmer) defense to Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) of his brief affair with a female at the copy shop.
Krispy Kreme | Cracked Image
Krispy Kreme Is Rolling Out ‘Friends’-Themed Doughnuts. But You Probably Can’t Get Any
Krispy Kreme has introduced its line of US-exclusive doughnuts, including its most recent collaboration with singer Dolly Parton, the Southern Sweets Doughnut Collection, released in May.
A Krispy Kreme spokeswoman declined to comment on whether the “Friends” partnership will be available in the United States, telling CNN there was “nothing additional to share at this time.”
SOURCE – (CNN)
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