The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "groceries" ...
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Hot Trucks
Amidst widespread reports of food safety recalls and food borne illness outbreak, WTHR's "Hot Trucks" exposed a gaping hole in the safety net of our nation's food supply. The 6-month investigation revealed tons of meat, seafood, dairy products, produce, and other perishable food items are transported to grocery stores and restaurants every day under unsafe and unsanitary conditions that pose a serious health threat to millions of Americans.
Tags: Food Safety
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Tucson Tragedy
Within a few hours of the horrific shooting of 19 people, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, at a Tucson-area grocery, The Republic focused on two paramount questions in the investigative part of its coverage: What motive and circumstance drove the alleged shooter to act, and what enabled him to succeed? In the short amount of time they had, The Republic staff reached the community college where the alleged shooter had studied, contacted friends and found video and Internet postings of his.
Tags: Gabrielle Giffords; Tucson shooting; breaking news; mentally ill
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The Blueberry Children
This investigation reveals that child labor is still a large issue in the United States. They found children “as young as 5 years old” in the fields picking fruits and vegetables. The child labor laws are rarely enforced, which is why nothing was being done to stop this practice. Further, many of these children were picking blueberries, which were some of the largest blueberry fields and were supplying national grocery store chains.
Tags: agriculture; operations; federal; human rights; lawmakers; regulators; kids; supermarkets; farmers
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Charity Paid Leaders $2.5M
Angel Food Ministries Inc. is a charity that distributes discount groceries to people in need. However, the founding Georgian family received $2.5 million in pay to operate the organization. Questions surrounding whether the charity is completely legitimate surfaced when further investigation revealed insider loan activity in the charity as well.
Tags: Angel Food Ministries; groceries; charity; 2.5 million; pay; family; insider loans; leaders; organization; operation; Georgia;
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As Summer Ends, Heat is on in Toledo POint-Shaving Case
The University of Toledo's athletic department was the center of a point-shaving operation led by Ghazi Manni, a professional gambler and grocery store owner. Former Toledo football staf Harvey "Scooter" McDougle Jr. took part in the gambling ring will playing for the university.
Tags: phone tap; Mitchell Karam; Bruce Gradkowski; betting; recruiting;
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The High Cost of Being Poor
This series shows how businesses and merchants in the Buffalo area prey upon people living near poverty level. Examples include corner grocery stories that illegally cash checks and charge super-high fees, predatory loans for housing and cars, and the high cost of using rent-to-own appliances.
Tags: poverty; economics; local business; tax law; interest rates
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Organic Inc: Natural Foods and How They Grew
This book traces organic food back to its anti-industrial origins more than a century ago. It describes the evolution of the organic food movement from then to the $11 billion industry it is today. The book shows how the evolving industry came close to betraying the ideals at the heart of its free-market success; this section includes battles over USDA regulations and the way food is produced.
Tags: agriculture; farming; groceries; grocery stores; USDA; FDA; fruits; vegetables
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Grocery Chains sit out Detroit's Rebirth
Detroit is virtually without chain grocers that promise consistent quality, and stores in the city have food safety violations at about twice the statewide rate for problems such as selling rotten meat and expired infant formula, a Free Press examination found.From 2003 to 2006, just 25 percent of the city's grocery stores were free of critical violations, defined as those that directly contribute to food contamination or illness.
Tags: food safety; health; grocery stores; city quality; food contamination
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Scratch-off Kids
This investigation showed 10- and 12-year-old children buying lottery tickets from vending machines in full view of employees at convenience stores, grocery stores and delis. The reporter confronted store managers and showed video evidence to the Maryland Lottery Commissioner, who stated that the videos could lead to investigations and fines. The state had never previously fined any stores for such violations.
Tags: lottery; Maryland lottery; hidden camera investigations
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Small dairy farmers take on 'Goliath' cooperative
This investigation examines the manipulation of the dairy market by the nation's largest dairy cooperative. The stories explore how Dairy Farmers of America has used tactics such as signing exclusive supply agreements with bottling plants to force independent dairy farmers to join the cooperative or face going out of business. The Tribune also reveals how the cheese exchange on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange is essentially unregulated and heavily influenced by the cooperative's CEO. Such influence determines how much dairy farmers are paid for milk, which affects consumer prices at the grocery store. A related story recounts how the cheese exchange in 1997 was moved from Green Bay to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange because of allegations of price manipulation.
Tags: Dairy Farmers of America; cheese exchange; agriculture; dairy farmers; milk; Chicago Mercantile Exchange