Latest news with #SlimJim
Los Angeles Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Stocks close higher, nudging the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to more highs
Wall Street added to its recent milestones Thursday as the market closed at an all-time high after Delta Air Lines kicked off earnings season with a solid outlook for the rest of 2025, spurring an airline stock rally. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%, inching past the record it set last week after a better-than-expected June jobs report. The Nasdaq composite edged up 0.1%, enough of a gain to notch a new high for the second day in a row. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished 0.4% higher. Delta surged 12%, bringing other airlines along with it, after beating Wall Street's revenue and profit targets. The Atlanta airline also gave a more optimistic view for the remaining summer travel season than it had just a couple months ago. The airline and other major U.S. carriers had pulled or slashed their forecasts in the spring, citing macroeconomic uncertainty amid President Donald Trump's tariff rollouts, which have consumers feeling uneasy about spending on travel. 'Companies are becoming more confident in the range of outcomes for tariffs,' said Michael Antonelli, market strategist at Baird. 'Companies are starting to understand what the playing field looks like a little bit better, even though we continue to have these kind of tariff announcements that get bounced back and forth.' Delta's encouraging report boosted the entire airline sector. United jumped 14.3%, American climbed 12.7%, JetBlue gained 7.8% and Southwest finished 8.1% higher. The market has been steadying following a downbeat start to the week as the Trump administration renewed its push to use threats of higher tariffs on goods imported into the U.S. in hopes of securing new trade agreements with countries around the globe. Wednesday had been initially set as a deadline by Trump for countries to make deals with the U.S. or face heavy increases in tariffs. But with just two trade deals announced since April, one with the United Kingdom and one with Vietnam, the window for negotiations has now been extended to Aug. 1. That's given Wall Street a breather just in time for the start of corporate earnings season. Wall Street analysts predict that companies in the S&P 500 will deliver 5% growth in second-quarter earnings, according to FactSet. That would mark the lowest rate since the fourth quarter of 2023. Conagra Brands fell 4.4% Thursday after the maker of Slim Jim, Swiss Miss and other food products reported earnings and revenue that fell short of Wall Street's estimates. The company also lowered its earnings outlook, saying it expects continued cost increases due to tariffs. Helen of Troy, the company behind Hydro Flask water bottles and OXO kitchen tools, sank 22.7% after its latest quarterly results came in below Wall Street's forecasts. The company said it would not be providing a fiscal year 2026 outlook, citing uncertainty over tariff policy and the economy. Shares in AZZ rose 5.5% after the electrical equipment maker's latest quarterly earnings topped analysts' forecasts. Earnings season shifts into high gear next week with JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Citigroup among the big banks due to report their results on Tuesday. Beyond airlines, most of the sectors in the S&P 500 notched gains Thursday, led by banks and consumer-focused companies. JPMorgan and McDonald's each rose 1.8%. Technology and communication services stocks were the only laggards. Autodesk fell 6.9% and Netflix ended 2.9% lower. Shares of WK Kellogg vaulted 30.6% after Italian candy maker Ferrero agreed to acquire the cereal company in a deal valued at roughly $3.1 billion. The transaction includes the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of WK Kellogg Co.'s portfolio of breakfast cereals across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. Shares in mining company Freeport-McMoRan rose 3.6% after Trump said a 50% tariff on copper imports would take effect on Aug. 1. The price of copper rose 1.9% to $5.59 per pound. All told, the S&P 500 rose 17.20 points to 6,280.46. The Dow added 192.34 points to 44,650.64. The Nasdaq gained 19.33 points to 20,630.66. In economic news, the Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for unemployment benefits, a proxy for layoffs, fell last week, remaining in the historically healthy range they've been in the past couple of years. Bond yields mostly rose, although the yield on the 10-year Treasury held steady at 4.34%. European stock indexes closed mixed Thursday following an uneven finish in Asian markets. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 fell 0.4%, weighed down by selling of exporters' shares amid the yen's appreciation, which cuts profits from exports, and dampened sentiment because of the lack of progress in the Japan-U.S. trade talks. Veiga writes for the Associated Press.
Time of India
28-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Duncan Hines parent Conagra Brands says it will phase out artificial colors
HighlightsConagra Brands, the parent company of Duncan Hines and Slim Jim, announced it will discontinue the use of artificial colors in its frozen foods by the end of this year and across its entire portfolio by the end of 2027. The company will not offer products containing artificial colors to K-12 schools starting from the 2026-2027 school year, aligning with similar commitments made by Kraft Heinz and General Mills. The federal government has increased scrutiny on artificial colors, with a recent ban on the dye Red 3 and plans to eliminate synthetic dyes by the end of 2026, relying on voluntary efforts from the food industry. Conagra Brands , the parent company of Duncan Hines , Slim Jim and other brands, is the latest big food company to say it's discontinuing the use of artificial dyes. In a statement released Wednesday - the same day as a similar statement from Nestle - Chicago-based Conagra said it will remove artificial colors from its frozen foods by the end of this year. Conagra's frozen brands include Marie Callender's, Healthy Choice and Birds Eye. Conagra said it won't offer products containing artificial colors to K-12 schools by the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year, and it will work to discontinue artificial dyes across its entire portfolio by the end of 2027. Kraft Heinz and General Mills made similar pledges earlier this month. The federal government has stepped up its scrutiny of artificial colors in recent months. In January, days before President Donald Trump took office, the U.S. regulators banned the dye called Red 3 from the nation's food supply, nearly 35 years after it was barred from cosmetics because of potential cancer risk. In April, Trump's Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency would take steps to eliminate synthetic dyes by the end of 2026, largely by relying on voluntary efforts from the food industry . Many of Conagra's products already make a point of using natural dyes . On a jar of Vlasic kosher pickle spears, Conagra notes that they're colored with turmeric, not the synthetic Yellow 5. For the cheesy color in its frozen vegetable sides or its Orville Redenbacher popcorn, Conagra uses annatto, a plant extract. But some of Conagra's products still rely on synthetic colors. Duncan Hines' Comstock County Cherry pie filling uses Red 40, for example, while its Creamy Strawberries n' Cream Frosting uses both Red 40 and Yellow 5. Conagra's Swiss Miss Butterscotch pudding contains Yellow 6, Red 40 and Blue 1.
Miami Herald
25-06-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Starving dog ate rubber bands in desperation, shelter says. Now he's ‘full of life'
A dog who was suffering from starvation is now happily waiting for a brand new home, a Philadelphia shelter said. Meet Slim Jim, a 3-year-old pit bull mix who lived a very hard life so far — but you wouldn't be able to tell by his cheerful demeanor. 'When Slim Jim arrived at an animal hospital in Northumberland County as a stray, he was barely clinging to life,' the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said in a June 20 Facebook post. 'His bones jutted out under his skin and his eyes were dull from exhaustion and pain.' Because he was so hungry, Slim Jim had been seeking out unsuitable things to consume. 'He was completely emaciated, scoring a 5/5 on the Tufts Animal Care and Condition scale. He was starving. So starving, in fact, that he had been eating rubber bands and other household garbage,' the shelter said. 'We discovered that Slim Jim was battling more than just hunger. He had ear infections, intestinal parasites, Lyme disease, and painful arthritis. This suffering wasn't new. It had been going on for some time.' It was discovered that while the dog was fending for himself, he actually had an owner, the shelter said. 'After taking him in, we were able to locate his owner, who admitted they had not provided Slim Jim with veterinary care,' staff said. 'So we did.' The SPCA put Slim Jim on a refeeding plan that ended up turning his life around. 'Today, Slim Jim is full of life. He is a happy pup who is grateful for his second chance and is finally on the search for a forever home,' the shelter said. The SPCA posted a video of the happy pup on June 20, showing that even though he's still young, his body is 'more reminiscent of a senior dog.' His ability to love completely hasn't been shattered, however. For more information, visit the shelter's website.
Stuff.tv
25-06-2025
- Health
- Stuff.tv
The Whoop MG is the best fitness tracker I've reviewed
Stuff Verdict The Whoop MG packs medical-grade ECG and daily blood-pressure tracking into a sleek, screenless band. But the hefty subscription and auto-tracking blind spots let it down Pros Medical-grade measurements for a wide range of metrics Insights that actually teach you about your body Slick, intuitive app with seamless integrations Cons Requires a pricey annual subscription to use Only one specific band allows ECG and Heart Screener features Auto workout, step and VO2 Max readings aren't always reliable Introduction After a month spent wearing the Whoop MG day and night, I'm convinced this is the best fitness tracker I've used – with one major asterisk. You see, this thing is more like a pocket-sized clinic you strap to your wrist. With the MG, Whoop has taken its signature screenless design and sprinkled in medical-grade ECG and daily blood pressure estimates. These features transform what was once a simple exercise recovery tool into what feels like the most advanced tracker you can buy. Yet all its smarts come at a price – every month. There's a certain thrill in waking up to a fresh batch of numbers that genuinely matter, rather than just another simple sleep-stage chart. Still, between certain strap restrictions, occasional tracking blind spots, and the hefty subscription, it's far from perfect. How we test wearables Every smartwatch and fitness tracker reviewed on Stuff is worn 24/7 throughout the testing process. We use our own years of experience to judge general performance, battery life, display, and health monitoring. Manufacturers have no visibility on reviews before they appear online, and we never accept payment to feature products. Find out more about how we test and rate products. Design & build: Slim Jim At first glance, the Whoop MG is virtually indistinguishable from its sibling, the Whoop 5.0. The only differences are the slightly chunkier conductive clasp and an LED status light. The most standout design choice here is the lack of a screen. Unlike almost every other fitness tracker available, you can only see your readings in the companion app. Ordinarily, I'd want to see metrics on my wrist. But in Whoop's case, I think the lack of a screen is a worthwhile feature. Weighing a mere 27g, it's light enough that I mostly forgot it was there, even under shirtsleeves. That said, it did take me about a week to get used the wearable on my non-watch wearing wrist. But that's down to my own preferences rather than the Whoop. Its IP68 rating (up to 10m) means it shrugged off showers, hand-washing, and swims in hotel pools. Like with a traditional smartwatch, you can swap out the straps to find something more stylish. Whoop even offers ankle straps, bicep bands, and underwear (that idea makes me squirm) that holds the Whoop sensor in body locations where it can get a reading. That's ideal if you want to conceal the device when you need to dress up smart – something I cannot say about the Apple Watch. Personally I stuck with the wrist, but it's good to know that I have options should I need it. But there's a problem. Only the included SuperKnit Luxe band lets you use ECG and Heart Screener functions. If you swap to a cheaper fabric or bicep band and you're back to basic PPG tracking. This is down to how you take the readings, so it's not exactly Whoop's fault. But it doesn't seem right that if you wear it elsewhere you only get half the functionality. Fit and finish are spot-on. The smooth aluminium shell feels premium against skin, and the adjustable clasp snaps shut with a reassuring click. However, this shell is quite flimsy – I managed to accidentally bend it while taking the strap off. Speaking of, I found myself adjusting the strap tightness a lot in the first few days. Too loose and ECG readings failed, too tight and my wrist ached by afternoon. Once dialled in, comfort was exceptional throughout daily life and any activity. Health & fitness: A lean, mean tracking machine The Whoop MG really can track just about everything under the sun. That includes metrics like exercise strain and recovery to ECG readings, blood-pressure estimates, sleep stages, skin temperature and more. It combines optical PPG sensors, electrical ECG electrodes, and software algorithms to deliver daily health snapshots, on-demand heart screening, and predictive pressure models. You can view all of these readings in the app at any time. Strain tracking remains the bread and butter of the Whoop ecosystem. It's Whoop's proprietary metric for quantifying your total exertion each day, on a scale from 0 to 21. It combines cardiovascular load (time spent in different heart-rate zones) with all your other movement movement. So walking around the shops counts, even though it's not a workout. Recovery is Whoop's measure of how ready your body and mind are to tackle that strain again, calculated each morning as a percentage. It blends four pillars: heart-rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate (RHR), sleep performance, and respiratory rate – then benchmarks them against your personal baseline. I've seen my Recovery scores adjust wildly, being affected by sleep, travel, and alcohol. You can see which specific reading is causing a dip, and use the Whoop Coach to explain more thoroughly. Where Whoop really shines is the dialogue between strain and recovery. Based on yesterday's strain and today's recovery, the app recommends an Optimal Strain target. So if you've done a heavy workout the day before, Whoop might tell you to take it easy the next day, or to do some light activity to boost recovery. I've found these personalised insights remarkably hard to argue with. Working hard on a red day always felt like a mistake, and on green days the extra oomph usually translated into better workouts. Then we come to my biggest complaint about the Whoop MG: auto-detection. Let's start with the easy stuff. It managed to detect long runs or walks I went on pretty reliably, but shorter bursts under fifteen minutes often slipped through the net. But that's about it. Most of my other activity involves strength training, which Whoop really struggled to detect. To avoid manual logging (so my workouts counted), I continued to wear my Apple Watch. The Whoop app syncs with Apple Health, so automatically grabs your workouts. It doesn't grab any of the data, mind, so that's all down to Whoop. For strength training, there's an extra step you can take in the Whoop app to add your sets so it can calculate your muscle strain. It sounds great, in theory, but I seldom found myself using it thanks to the manual inputting required. But just how reliable was the Whoop MG? For the most part, I found that its heart rate readings were almost identical to that of my Apple Watch, confirmed with a chest strap. This means your calorie and strain calculations are going to use some pretty accurate data. But, I got some mixed results in two key areas. My step reading was an area that seemed slightly fishy. Counting to 1000 steps (yes, I really counted), my Apple Watch Ultra almost nailed it with a reading of 1006, but the Whoop struggled to count them all at around 950. I guess that underestimating is better than overestimating, but it's a not insignificant amount. And since I'm hot on step tracking, it was particularly annoying for me. The other area was the VO2 Max estimation. Whoop's reading was wildly higher than my Apple Watch Ultra's – almost a difference of 15ml/kg/min. To try and work out which was more reliable, I used the Cooper Run test. This showed that the Whoop was overestimating my VO2 Max (slightly high) while the Apple Watch was underestimating it – with the true reading somewhere in between. Other fitness features: What can't it do? Whoop's Healthspan feature took about three weeks to settle on a reliable 'Whoop Age.' Mine was a surprisingly encouraging 3 years younger than my actual age, once my routine normalised. If you've used a Garmin watch, this feature is similar to the Fitness Age – though I'd argue Whoop's visualisation of longevity metrics feels more intuitive. It tells you exactly which factors are affecting your Healthspan, and shows you what you can do about it. I found it to be a very motivating way of presenting data and insights. ECG readings are delightfully straightforward. You just touch both electrodes on the SuperKnit clasp, count down 30 seconds, and the app confirms whether your ticker is behaving or if it spotted any irregularities. It's an almost identical process to holding down the crown on my Apple Watch Ultra. It's FDA-cleared and impressively robust, but utterly manual. This is no different to any other fitness tracker, but I found myself rarely using the feature. Regular prompts might be a helpful addition here. The blood-pressure estimates impressed me most of all, as someone that suffers from high blood pressure. Thanks, genetics. After three cuff-based calibrations (I used my Withings BPM Connect), the Whoop MG began tracking (it's more like estimating, really) my blood pressure. It only does this overnight, so you'll have to wait until each morning to check your readings. Consistently, I found that the algorithm tracked my blood pressure within 3 mmHg of my manual readings. It's not a replacement for a proper machine, but as far as wellness features go, having a ballpark figure without an inflatable cuff is ideal. I'm led to believe that every time you upload additional manual readings it improves what the algorithm spits out. Just bear in mind that errant calibration or wildly fluctuating pressure could send your metrics haywire. Interface: Home-page hero The Whoop companion app is one of the best designed and most intuitive apps out of all the fitness trackers I've used. The home screen gives you readings for Sleep, Strain, and Recovery – with access to their dashboards just a tap away. Integration with Apple HealthKit and Google Health Connect means runs logged in on your smartwatch or Strava appear in Whoop's strain tally – no manual imports required. Daily Outlook, powered by GPT-4, was a much more useful feature than I first thought. It delivers a morning briefing of yesterday's key takeaways, the weather forecast, and personalised activity suggestions. I found it works particularly well when you combine it with the Journal feature that asks you questions about your day (like your caffeine intake, etc). I've loaded my Journal up with plenty of questions to get some thorough insights. There are over 160 lifestyle inputs to pick from! It's a truly clever feature – spotting that my HRV (and therefore Recovery score) was low after drinking a pint the night before, for example. Advice can feel generic at times ('consider a light session') rather than pinpointed suggestions based on my activity history. But for the most part, I really like this feature. I just wish it automatically sent these outlooks rather than firing up a painfully slow chatbot page. My biggest complaint about Whoop's companion app is the lack of a simple search bar. Finding specific data points can feel like sifting through a haystack at times. For example, all your regular heart metrics are on the home page if you scroll down, but you need to head to the Health page to see the blood pressure readings. It was definitely somewhat confusing at first. Battery life & charging: It just keeps going Credit to Whoop: the MG delivers a rock-solid two weeks of battery life, even with occasional ECG readings and round-the-clock PPG monitoring. In just over a month of testing, I only had to charge the Whoop twice from the 82% it was delivered on. I'm truly impressed by this thing's reluctance to die. Charging remains delightfully painless. The wireless charger clips on without you even noticing, and a full charge takes just under two hours. A single hour on the pad nets you about seven days of use, which is plenty if your routine includes nightly top-ups on your bedside table. You juice up the charger via a USB-C port, and the switch to a braided USB-C cable was appreciated. Whoop MG verdict The Whoop MG is a polished evolution of Whoop's screenless fitness tracker. It's been elevated into quasi-medical territory with ECG and algorithmic blood-pressure tracking, and I love all the metrics it spits out. The hardware is understated yet feels robust; the app remains a triumph of clarity over clutter. But the cost of admission is hard to swallow: $359/£349 per year for Whoop Life. Before the Whoop 5.0 and MG were released earlier in 2025, the previous 4.0 model came out in 2021. So you might end up using this thing for around four years – which is most $1500/£1400 in total. Other manual quirks, like strap restrictions and questionable auto-tracking, also temper the experience. If you live and breathe fitness metrics, crave distraction-free data, and your bank balance can handle a luxury subscription, the MG is as good as it gets. For everyone else, the Whoop 5.0 on the Peak plan likely delivers 90 per cent of the value at a fraction of the cost. The one condition attached to awarding this thing the crown of best fitness tracker I've used? The fact I've still got to wear my Apple Watch for activity tracking. Stuff Says… Score: 4/5 The Whoop MG packs medical-grade ECG and daily blood-pressure tracking into a sleek, screenless band. But the hefty subscription and occasional auto-tracking blind spots mean it's a luxury rather than a no-brainer. Pros Medical-grade measurements for a wide range of metrics Insights that actually teach you about your body Slick, intuitive app with seamless integrations Cons Requires a pricey annual subscription to use Only one specific band allows ECG and Heart Screener features Auto workout, step and VO2 Max readings aren't always reliable Whoop MG technical specifications Sensors PPG heart rate, ECG electrodes, accelerometer, skin-temperature sensor Compatibility iOS and Android (via Bluetooth LE) Durability IP68 (up to 10m) Battery life Approx. 14 days Subscription Whoop Life membership required ($359/£349 per annum) Dimensions 35x24x10mm, 27.3g
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
15,000 Pounds of Beef Jerky and Snack Sticks Recalled due to Labeling Issue—Here's What to Know
15,000 Pounds of Beef Jerky and Snack Sticks Recalled due to Labeling Issue—Here's What to Know originally appeared on Parade. This might not be a unique take, but I love a dried snack stick the same way Cookie Monster loves cookies. My favorite happens to be Duke's Hot and Spicy Smoked Shorty Sausages, you know, in case anyone ever wants to get me a gift, but that's not what we're here to talk about today. Jerky, biltong, pastirma, or simply a Slim Jim is the ultimate grab-and-go snack full of protein and punchy flavor when you can't be bothered to put together an entire snack plate. Sure, they may not be for everyone, but that just means there's more for those of us whose palate is refined and sophisticated enough to appreciate the artistry behind such a premium meat product. 😋😋SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Pop Kitchen newsletter🍳🍔 As someone who considers themselves well-versed in the world of beef jerky, I can say with confidence that there aren't too many I haven't tried. Some are spicy enough to make your insides burn, and others are milder with a subtle smokiness almost akin to that of good barbecue. Whatever your preference for jerky is, there are a few ingredients that happen to make their way into a majority of the smoked meat products we purchased, and Worcestershire sauce is one of famously difficult-to-pronounce sauce is known to typically consist of anchovies as a main ingredient, but in more commercial settings, anchovies are usually left out due to being a potential allergen. Unfortunately, for over 15,000 pounds of beef jerky and snack sticks from Springville Meat & Cold Storage Co., Inc., they were just recalled due to omitting anchovies as a trace ingredient on the label. The recall was initiated after FSIS discovered that the Worcestershire sauce used by the Utah-based company does, in fact, contain anchovies. Delicious? Yes, but not worth risking a potential allergic reaction. The full list of products affected can be found on the FSIS recall announcement, although some notable brands include Dry Lakes Ranch Beef, Idaho City Grocery, Jeff's Famous Beef Jerky, Last Stop Gourmet, Spear F. Cattle Co., Smokehouse Jerky Co., Twisselman Outfitters, Uncommon Ground, and Wild Green Water Ranch. The impacted products were produced from May 30, 2023, to May 30, 2025, and there are currently 'no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption' of the company's products, per FSIS. Additionally, the FSIS added that any product with establishment number 'EST. 20528' in the USDA mark of inspection is subject to the recall. It goes without saying that if you've purchased the affected product, it's best not to consume it (however tempting it may be) and discard or return the product to the point of purchase for a full refund.15,000 Pounds of Beef Jerky and Snack Sticks Recalled due to Labeling Issue—Here's What to Know first appeared on Parade on Jun 6, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
