More frozen waffles, pancakes recalled over possible listeria contamination

A recall of hundreds of frozen waffle products and other toaster foods sold in many U.S. grocery stores has expanded because they may be contaminated with dangerous listeria bacteria , manufacturer TreeHouse Foods said Tuesday.

TreeHouse Foods, of Oak Brook, Illinois, said the updated recall includes all products made at a factory in Ontario, Canada, and sold at stores including Albertson’s, Aldi, Dollar General, Kroger, Publix, Target, Walmart and others. The recall includes frozen toaster waffles, Belgian waffles and pancakes, the company said.

No illnesses linked to the recall have been confirmed.

The company is working with the U.S. and Canadian food safety regulations to resolve the problem. The recalled waffles are sold under a variety of names including Walmart’s Great Value and Target’s Good & Gather. A complete list of the affected products can be found on the TreeHouse website. Consumers should throw away the products or return them to stores for a refund.

Taxpayers getting bigger standard deductions in 2025; inflation adjustments

U.S. taxpayers will again see higher standard deductions for 2025, allowing them to shield more of their money from taxation on future returns.

The Internal Revenue Service detailed the increases in its annual inflation adjustments announced Tuesday. For single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately in tax year 2025, the standard deduction is rising to $15,000 — up $400 from 2024.

For couples who file jointly, that standard deduction will be $30,000 for 2025, an $800 jump from the previous year. And heads of households will get a $22,500 standard deduction, up $600 from 2024.

Income thresholds for all seven federal tax bracket levels were also revised upward. The top tax rate, which remains 37%, will cover incomes greater than $626,350 for single taxpayers in tax year 2025, for example — compared to $609,350 in 2024.

The IRS makes such adjustments for each tax year to account for inflation, which has recently been on a downward trend. Last month, inflation in the U.S. dropped to its lowest point in more than three years, marking some encouraging economic news, but Americans are still feeling some key price pressures.

Judge saves Tupperware from liquidation

Tupperware Brands Corp. hammered out a deal for its creditors to acquire the business, ending a dispute that’s risked a liquidation of the iconic company after a push from the federal judge overseeing the bankruptcy.

An ad-hoc group of lenders and the bankrupt firm reached an agreement-in-principle, in which the lenders will purchase the business in cash and credit, according to Spencer Winters, a lawyer representing the debtor at a Tuesday hearing in Delaware.

Both sides acknowledged the influence that Judge Brendan L. Shannon had in pushing them to settle a dispute that threatened to shut down the company, which sells its plastic containers through 465,000 door-to-door salespeople around the world. It fell into bankruptcy after its food-storage products faced weakening demand as competition heated up and Tupperware failed to keep up with the changing pace of retail.

Last week, Judge Brendan Shannon interrupted a court fight between Tupperware and lenders, asking lawyers from both sides to meet him for a closed-door conference.

Compiled from The Associated Press and Bloomberg reports.