Food Roundup: Iran Coke Boycott, Death Over Melamine, New Agriprocessors Charges, and More

(MoneyWatch)  Iranian government boycotts "Zionist" products like Coke -- The Iranian company Khoshgovar, which is licensed to make and sell Coke, Sprite and Fanta in Iran, has been asked to clarify its ties with the Coca-Cola company. Since Israel's recent attack on Gaza, the Iranian government has been boycotting not only Israeli products, but also those of many U.S. companies perceived to be supportive of Israel. Khoshgovar's directors insist they buy all of their syrups from Ireland, not from the U.S. [Source: AFP]

Death penalty over melamine -- Two men in China have been sentenced to death for their role in the melamine scandal, in which six babies died and 300,000 became ill from milk contaminated by melamine. Others received lighter sentences, including life in prison. Producers added melamine to their milk because it fooled tests into registering a higher protein content. [Source: BBC]

New charge for former Agriprocessors CEO -- Money laundering has been added to to the list of charges against former Agriprocessors CEO Sholom Rubashkin, along with the charge of violating an order from the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Federal immigration raids last May at an Agriprocessors plant in Postville, Iowa turned up nearly 400 undocumented workers, and in November Rubashkin was charged with fraud, identity theft and harboring illegal immigrants. [Source: Meat&Poultry]

Mom & Pop grocer accuses Supervalu and C&S of collusion -- A small grocer in Iowa is leading a lawsuit accusing the chains of antitrust violations resulting in higher prices for consumers. The suit claims Supervalu and C & S Wholesale Grocers made a deal to divvy up regions so they wouldn't have to compete with each other. [Source: Star Tribune]