Briefcase

Dillons recalls meat

The Kroger Co. is recalling Private Selection roast beef from stores it operates in 20 states, including all Dillons stores in Kansas, after a sample taken from a Kroger delicatessen counter in Atlanta tested positive for a bacteria that can cause sickness and, in some cases, death.

The Atlanta sample, taken by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, tested positive for listeria monocytogenes, Kroger officials said Tuesday.

Eating food contaminated with listeria monocytogenes can cause high fever, severe headaches, neck stiffness, abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea.

The roast beef was distributed through the grocer’s deli service counters.

Customers who bought the product this month and who have it in their refrigerators should return it to the store for a refund, Kroger officials said.

Real Estate

Fed report pushes mortgage rates up

Mortgage rates around the country rose this week amid speculation on Wall Street about when the Federal Reserve may begin to push up short-term interest rates.

The average rate on 30-year mortgages increased to 5.68 percent, up from 5.64 percent last week, Freddie Mac, the mortgage giant, said Thursday in its weekly nationwide survey of mortgage rates.

For 15-year mortgages, a popular option for refinancing, rates rose to 4.97 percent this week, up from 4.95 percent last week.

Economy

Wage increases slow

Workers’ wages and benefits grew by 0.7 percent in the final quarter of 2003 — the smallest quarterly increase in a year — as companies, still uncertain about the durability of the economic recovery, kept a close eye on their bottom lines.

The increase in the employment cost index for the October-to-December quarter marked a moderation from the 1 percent advance registered in the previous quarter, the Labor Department reported Thursday.