What the papers say - July 17, 2007

Breakfast is the most profitable part of the day for McDonald's in the United States, the restaurant chain said. More than 25 per cent of all sales in America come from core breakfast items such as the Egg McMuffin, Hotcakes, and the Sausage Biscuit - a muffin sandwich with sausage and cheese - The Times​

Pub companies were in demand yesterday. Punch Taverns gained 1.5 per cent to £13.23, and bid speculation lifted Marston's, formerly Wolverhampton & Dudley, 1.7 per cent to 422p. Greene King added 2.5 per cent to £11.13 on rumours that Mitchells & Butlers, up 1.1 per cent to 880p, was edging closer to a property deal with Robert Tchenguiz, the financier - Financial Times​

Brussels on Monday paved the way for approval of the first commercial cultivation of a genetically modified crop in the European Union since 2001. BASF, the German chemicals group, wants permission to sell Amflora, a GM potato, for industrial use in items such as packaging and paper coatings. It will not be used in food - Financial Times​

Cadbury-Schweppes, the confectionery group, was yesterday fined a record £1m for food safety breaches that led to a salmonella scare and the recall of more than 1m chocolate bars last year. Lawyers said they believed it was the highest penalty ever imposed for food safety offences, and set a new benchmark. Cadbury's share price fell 1½p to 654p - Financial Times​

New research offers a reason to indulge in spicy food. Scientists from California have discovered that a substance found in tumeric root could hold the key to tackling Alzheimer's disease - The Scotsman​