• Lehigh Valley Business reports that Ahold Delhaize-owned Giant Company has "unveiled a seven-acre, pollinator-friendly solar field at its corporate headquarters in Carlisle (Pennsylvania). The move, said to be the first of its kind for a grocery retailer, will support clean energy and pollinator populations needed to sustain the agriculture industry."
• Consumer Reports is out with a story saying that "bottled water manufactured by Whole Foods and sold in most of its U.S. stores and on Amazon contains potentially harmful levels of arsenic."
According to the story, "CR recently tested dozens of bottled water brands and found that Starkey Spring Water, introduced by Whole Foods in 2015, had concerning levels of arsenic, ranging from 9.49 to 9.56 parts per billion (ppb), at least three times the level of every other brand tested. Federal regulations require manufacturers to limit the amount of arsenic, a potentially dangerous heavy metal, in bottled water to 10 ppb.
"Consumer Reports’ experts believe that level does not adequately protect public health."
The story goes on: "Drinking a single bottle of Starkey probably will not harm you, says James Dickerson, Ph.D., CR’s chief scientific officer. 'But regular consumption of even small amounts of the heavy metal over extended periods increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and lower IQ scores in children, and poses other health issues as well,' he says."
• The Wall Street Journal reports that Bayer AG "said Wednesday it would pay up to $10.9 billion to settle tens of thousands of lawsuits with U.S. plaintiffs alleging the company’s Roundup herbicide causes cancer, a milestone in the German company’s legal battle that has been weighing down its share price for nearly two years."
Roundup was a Monsanto product, and when Bayer bought Monsanto for $63 billion in 2018, the acquisition brought with it thousands of lawsuits.
According to the story, "Wednesday’s deal, which follows months of heated talks between Bayer and plaintiffs’ attorneys, doesn’t change anything in Bayer’s view that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is safe and doesn’t cause cancer.
"Bayer didn’t admit to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement and continued to defend its decision to purchase Monsanto. The company will continue to sell Roundup. The agreement, however, leaves open the potential of more lawsuits being filed against the company in the future, an issue investors have been particularly concerned about."
