Amazon sees stock soar on rapid sales growth.

Anheuser-Busch InBev sees global CMO depart.

Apple ads for Siri are questioned for using celebrities.

Betsey Johnson files for Chapter 11.

Cheesecake Factory explores overseas growth.

Ford sees earnings drop on strains from Europe and Asia.

Jamba Juice splits with Nestle and takes control of joint line of energy drinks.Continue reading...

Amazon plans to republish James Bond novel series.

Apple and Samsung are ordered into a patent-settlement conference, while Apple pressures Beijing with iPad snub.

Eatzi's expands into new locations.

Berkshire Hathaway will remain firmly under Warren Buffett's control as he undergoes prostate-cancer treatment.

Best Buy sees CEO search influenced by founder.

Bristol-Myers Squibb tops Corporate Responsibility Magazine's Best Corporate Citizens 2012 ranking.

Chevrolet touts Volt with Klout.

Citicorp sees executive pay plan ovewhelmingly rejected by shareholders.Continue reading...

Frank Zappa once told his fans not to eat the yellow snow. Now a whole lot of folks are deciding not to eat another colorful item: pink slime.

It's a substance that many Americans (well, the few who watched) Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution last April would have seen in the series' premiere episode on ABC. That's when the British chef, accompanied by a bovine companion, demonstrated what goes into the 70% of America's ground beef that contains leftover cow parts (a.k.a. "pink slime"), meaning meat that has been treated with ammonia to banish bacteria such as e.coli and salmonella. It's also used to convert the fatty beef offcuts into a beef filler for burgers.

Ammonia-treated meat can be found in virtually all U.S. grocery stores, fast food restaurants, many national restaurant chains, and school cafeterias, but a backlash has been forming over fears that it is unsafe — and now the company that produces 'pink slime beef' has suspended operations at three of its four plants.Continue reading...

Costco really wants to sell you a bottle of whiskey … or vodka … or, well, your call, but the nation’s largest membership warehouse chain has its sights set on selling liquor to consumers in the state of Washington, and it's willing to put its money where its mouth is.

Last year, Costco spent $4.8 million on a failed initiative to privatize liquor sales and let retailers like, oh, Costco sell the stuff, according to the Seattle Times. The company doesn’t want to lose again so, this year, it has laid down more than $22 million on lobbying, the most money spent by a single donor on a voter initiative in state history, to try and get the initiative pushed through on Election Day in November, the Times reports.Continue reading...

Amazon wins British top brand survey; and expands deal with FOX to stream TV shows and movies as the News Corp.-owned network gambles $50 million on Terra Nova series.

Apple dips on the back of JPMorgan's back-and-forth reports on iPad output.

Barnes & Noble will receive Borders customer list by end of October.

Berkshire Hathaway moves toward massive repurchase of its own shares, underscoring dilemma for companies – and investors like its chief, Warren Buffett —about what to do with their cash.

China's ‘Facebook’ (RenRen) buys Chinese YouTube (56.com).

Coca-Cola CEO sees U.S. becoming less business-friendly than China.Continue reading...

Whole Foods has gone clubbing…and wants to take us all along.

The largest retailer of natural and organic foods in the country is opening membership-only Wellness Clubs in a handful of stores over the next few months.

For a one-time sign-up fee of $199 and monthly dues of $45, shoppers will be able to access 32 courses and lectures developed by medical doctors, lifestyle evaluations, classes in nutrition, cooking and health, and 10% discounts on 1,000 "better-for-you" foods sold in Whole Foods.Continue reading...

It’s a long-running conundrum for better-for-you food and beverage marketers: How do you leverage a “natural” positioning for new, healthful products compared with marketing new “organic” items?

USDA standards have defined and regulated organic labeling for several years now, but the meaning of “natural” is something that still remains unaddressed by regulators and, consequently, by marketers.

American consumers remain vastly confused by the two terms, with studies showing that they tend to credit many more important nutrition and health attributes to products labeled “natural” than they do to those labeled “organic” – even though the latter are the only ones consumers really can count on.Continue reading...

AARP sues over reverse mortgages. 

Adidas opens women's concept store in Seoul.

Asahi hits roadblock in Australia push.

BMW to expand lineups of EVs and hybrids.

Daimler and Rolls-Royce launch bid for Tognum.

Dynegy faces Chapter 11.Continue reading...