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The USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced two separate large-scale food recalls due to the same reason: possible contamination with metal fragments. The first recall was for BBQ pork jerky and the second was for ready-to-eat frozen chicken products. Both notices were posted over the weekend. In total, a combined 7.1 million pounds of the productswhich were distributed nationwide in both casesare included in the recalls. Heres what you need to know. 2.3 million pounds of BBQ pork jerky recalled According to a notice posted by FSIS on Friday, October 24, a company called LSI, Inc. of Alpena, South Dakota, is recalling approximately 2.3 million pounds of a ready-to-eat Korean barbecue pork jerky product. The product had the possibility of being contaminated with pieces of metal, according to the notice. The “wiry metal” fragments, according to the FSIS, were first detected by customers, who contacted the manufacturer. LSI then found that the metal originated from the conveyor belt used in production, according to the FSIS notice. The impacted product was sold under the brand name Golden Island. Of particular concern is that the impacted pork jerky product has a very long shelf life of one year, which means individuals could have the products stored in their pantries now and for a long time to come. Here are the details of the recalled pork jerky product: Product: 14.5-oz. and 16-oz. plastic pouches containing GOLDEN ISLAND fire-grilled PORK JERKY Korean BARBECUE recipe. Best by dates: range from October 23, 2025, through September 23, 2026. Lot numbers: various (see list linked below) Establishment number: M279A The FSIS has published the product labels and the full product list on its website. The items were sold at Costco and Sams Club locations nationwide. Consumers are being urged to check their pantries and to dispose of the recalled products or return them for a refund. 4.9 million pounds of frozen chicken recalled On Saturday, October 25, FSIS posted another recall notice regarding additional products that may have metal contamination. This time, approximately 4.9 million pounds of ready-to-eat frozen chicken items from Hormel Foods Corporation were effected. The products were distributed nationwide to HRI Commercial Food Service locations, which provide food to hotels, restaurants, and other institutions. The FSIS notice says that these distributions occurred on various dates ranging from February 10, 2025, through September 19, 2025. However, though those dates have passed, as the product involves frozen chicken, it could still be in the freezers of hotels, restaurants, and other institutions. As with the previous recall above, this recall was also initiated after multiple complaints from food-service customers who reported finding metal in their frozen chicken products. As with the pork jerky recall, Hormel Foods determined that the metal originated from the conveyor belt used in production, the FSIS notice states. The recall notice says that the following products are among those included in the recall: 13.9-lb. cases containing Hormel FIRE BRAISED MEATS ALL NATURAL BONELESS CHICKEN THIGH MEAT, with item code 65009 printed on the label. 13.8-lb. cases containing 3-oz.Hormel FIRE BRAISED MEATS ALL NATURAL BONELESS CHICKEN BREAST, with item code 77531 printed on the label. 13.8-lb. cases containing 4-oz.Hormel FIRE BRAISED MEATS ALL NATURAL BONELESS CHICKEN BREAST, with item code 46750 printed on the label. 23.8-lb. cases containing 5-oz.Hormel FIRE BRAISED MEATS ALL NATURAL BONELESS CHICKEN BREAST, with item code 86206 printed on the label. 13.95-lb. cases containing BONELESS CHICKEN BREAST WITH RIB MEAT, with item code 134394 printed on the label. The labels of the recalled products and a detailed list of the recalled products with packaging dates can be found on the FSIS website. The recalled products have the establishment number P-223 printed on them. Businesses that have the recalled products in their possession should not serve them; instead, they should throw them away. “This product is only sold to foodservice customers and cannot be purchased directly by consumers,” Hormel said in a statement. “All customers that may have received the affected product have been properly notified.” Conveyor belt to blame in both recalls Of note regarding the two individual recalls, both notices reported that the metal originated from the conveyor belt used in production. However, it is not known whether the products involved in the two recalls were produced in the same manufacturing facility. A spokesperson for Hormel Foods Sales sent Fast Company a statement that repeated details included in the recall notice but did not identify the facility. Fast Company has also reached out to Golden Island and the FSIS for additional details. We’ll update this post if we hear back.
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Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself. Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman faces a rare leadership challenge: He is managing an organization that has announced its intention to spend $200 billion during the next 20 yearsdouble what the organization dispensed in its first 25 yearswhile working to permanently close its doors on December 31, 2045. Suzman, who joined the foundation in 2007 as director of global development policy, advocacy, and special initiatives, and became CEO in 2020, says the finality and scale of his mandate actually provides clarity and focus. It allows us to be very predictable and reliable for the next two decades, he says. Thats a luxury for a CEO. With clarity comes focus The foundation announced it is sunsetting earlier this year, accelerating a shutdown that Suzman says had always been part of the organizations long-term plan. At the time of the announcement, chair and board member Bill Gates said the nonprofit would concentrate its efforts on three areas: ending preventable deaths of mothers and babies, eradicating deadly infectious diseases, and putting millions of people on the path to economic prosperity. That means some programs will graduate, or be reworked. Some existing initiatives that fall outside the focus areas or may not be achievable by 2045 are moving into new partnerships. For example, the foundations work to foster technology and tools to expand economic opportunity for Americans is now part of NextLadder Ventures, a coalition of philanthropies including Ballmer Group (cofounded by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer), Valhalla Foundation, Stand Together, and others. Leadership through change I asked Suzman about leading a team of more than 2,000 mission-driven employeessome of whom are seeing projects deprioritizedthrough this lengthy transition. He contends that the foundation has always had to make hard choices. When youre part of an institution that has a wider set of goals, there will be trade-offstrade-offs about how we allocate our internal resources, how we allocate Bills voice. We work on this by trying to pull people up to our shared set of goals, he says. He also echoed a common refrain I hear from virtually every CEO trying to manage an organization through massive change: You can never over-communicate enough, he says. You have to keep driving that message through in every possible channel, internal and external, to help people see the connections and understand that you know how they all come together toward the greater goal of the foundation. The foundation’s phase out comes in the wake of major changes to its structure. In 2024, Warren Buffett, who has donated $48 billion since 2006, said the foundation would not receive a contribution upon his death. That same year, Melinda French Gates resigned as co-chair after 24 years, receiving $12.5 billion from the foundation for her independent philanthropic work. In January 2025, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was renamed Gates Foundation, with Bill Gates becoming sole chair. Message to the next generation The announcement also coincides with challenges to some of the causes the foundation has championed, including vaccines and international aid. Suzman notes that the Gates Foundation is now the largest funder of the World Health Organization (WHO) after President Donald J. Trumps executive order withdrawing from the WHO. Suzman contends that philanthropy shouldnt solely provide resources for health and humanitarian organizations that governments have historically supported. But he also urges a new generation of business executives and founders to begin their giving journeys. Im the beneficiary of the amazing generosity of Bill, Warren, and Melinda . . . they themselves frequently talk about how personally fulfilling philanthropy is to them, Suzman says. He adds: We only hope therell be more following our example. The world needs it desperately.” Sailing into the sunset Have you ever had to lead the winding down of a company or organization? How did you do it, and how did you keep employees engaged? Send your stories to me at stephaniemehta@mansueto.com for possible use in a future newsletter. Read more: the business of giving How to build charitable giving into your business model Is the era of the benevolent billionaire really over? The top 50 U.S. donors gave $16.2 billion to charity in 2024
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Leaders are praised for seeing around corners and told to skate to where the puck is going. But what if you cant even see your own feet, let alone a puck or a distant corner? Todays volatility and uncertainty obscure any clear path to the future, and the forecast isnt improving any time soon. In a recent World Economic Forum survey, 52% of experts expect an unsettled two-year horizon, 31% anticipate turbulence, and 5% foresee storms. Even if the weather were clear, setting a direction of travel is increasingly difficult as leaders face more complex problems with no obvious or easy solution. Close to 60% of business executives admit that they are missing opportunities because they cant make decisions fast enough. However bleak the landscape, there is a way to lead even when you cant see the future. This requires letting go of standard practices and building a new skill. What No Longer Serves You Leadership has long meant setting a compelling destination, planning the route, and mobilizing people to move. The classic tool kitforecast, plan, executeassumes a knowable future. With todays complexity, forecasts are guesses and plans expire fast. Leaders who arent shifting away from a predictplanact approach will see their impact erodeand their well-being with it. The reason sits in the brain. When complexity is high, trying to predict accurately and act decisively strains a leaders cognitive loadthe mental effort required to process information and choose. Its the difference between running on a clear, lit path and running on dark ice with crosswinds: far more effort, far less progress. Add time pressure and constant digital distractions, and cognitive load spikes further. When cognitive load stays high, brain fog sets in, decision speed drops, details slip, and big-picture comprehension narrows. In short, youre not the leader you intend to be. Its time to work differently. Awareness: The Quality That Changes How You Lead We cant control the pace of the world, but we can change how we meet it. We can move from a predict-plan-act approach to a stop-sense-adapt approach. The key to this approach is awareness, the ability to notice what is happeningin yourself, your team, and the larger systemand choose accordingly. With greater awareness, you enhance your perception of emotions, biases, strengths, and limitations and can read the dynamics of the team, the organization, and the market. Rather than constantly seeking answers, you stop, notice, and let answers arise. Unfortunately, our awareness is often scattered, crowded out by biases, fears, and clouded perceptions. Roughly 45% of our everyday behaviors are habitual (often outside conscious awareness), and our noisy, information-filled world clouds awareness even more. However, the case for building awareness is strong: in recent Potential Project research, teams led by highly aware leaders reported 78% higher trust in the companys leadership, 57% higher psychological safety, and 56% higher commitment to the company. For leaders, mastering three mindsets makes awareness actionable and achievable: presence to anchor us in the moment, clarity to see options and define a path forward, and adaptability to navigate new paths even when uncomfortable. Three Mindsets for the Moment Presence: Stay in the Moment Presence is the ability to be fully attentive in the momentwith ourselves, the people in front of us, the task at hand, or whats happening around us. Our research indicates that we are distracted even when we think we are paying attention, about 37% of the time. But when we can be present in the moment rather than being pulled by a million thoughts, things slow down and its easier to focus our attention on the things that matter, not just the things that squeak the loudest. Clarity: Find a Path Clarity is the ability to rise above uncertainty and chaos rather than trying to solve for them. Its not about having clear answers all of the time, but about having a clear mind that can better find the signal within the noise. Clarity of mind feels spacious and calm. It is the difference between being in the clouds and feeling overwhelmed versus being able to step back into the vastness of the sky and see the clouds more clearly. It is a welcome alternative when nearly 2/3 of leaders say they experience information overload from trying to keep up with texts, chats, emails, and meetings. Clarity helps us to see ways forward, even when it is foggy Adaptability: Navigate the Path Adaptability is the ability to shift approaches as things change. Adaptable leaders accept new circumstances or unfamiliar territory with openness rather than holding too tightly to familiar routines or past experiences. Adaptable leaders often believe that change is inevitable, natural, and a source of growth. With a mindset of adaptability, leaders can navigate more confidently down new paths, even when the unfamiliar feels hard. The marriage of Awareness and AI As we regularly witness, AI can scan oceans of data, summarize patterns, and surface signals faster than any team. This is a huge advantage for leaders. For example, AI can give us consistent, data-informed feedback on our leadership and correct for blind spots we have about our strengths and weaknesses. AI can synthesize data about how our organization and employees are doing and surface trends, opportunities, and challenges that may have escaped our notice. However, AI is a leaders advantage only if paired with awareness. Awareness adds the human context machines dont hold: history, social dynamics, values, and the lived experience of people affected by decisions. It also keeps us alert to borrowed biasassumptions in the data or model that would steer us wrong if left unquestioned. Used together, AI expands what we can see; awareness ensures we interpret wisely. Here are a few ways to start strengthening your skills of awareness, with and without the help of technology: Dont outsource connection to yourself and others. Take advantage of devices that help monitor your levels of distraction and track heart rate variability, pulse, and stress levels. These can help us be more present with ourselves and take corrective action to be more present with others. But over-relying on devices to tell us how we feel diminishes our capacity for self-awareness. Similarly, using tools for feedback on a team shouldnt prevent you from reading a room, understanding others feelings, and making a connection. Clear the mental clutter. There is so much already competing with our attention, and the abundance of AI resources can get overwhelming. It is harder to practice awareness when our brains are full. The best approach is a both/and: use AI as a filter and summarizer, for example, but watch that it doesnt tip over into a source of distraction. Try new things: When we implement new routines or learn new skills, we become more adaptable, capable of seeing habitual patterns and breaking free of them. Experiment with AI-enabled apps that can suppot you in this pursuit in fun and rewarding ways. But dont hesitate to try something very simple like brushing your teeth with your nondominant hand or taking a new route to the grocery store. You dont need a perfect forecast to leadjust a better beam When visibility is low, speedor constant actionis not a leadership virtue. Better to change the way you see and respond. Awareness widens your field of view and keeps you oriented to what needs to be doneone confident step at a time. When we stop to be present, sense the signals with clarity, and adapt in short, honest moves, we demonstrate to our teams that we are steering with care.
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