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Retail News
The National Cooperative Grocers Association posted
more than $945 million in combined sales during 2007 as a
result of strong demand for natural and organic foods. That
figure places cooperative grocers among the top three sellers
of natural, organic and local foods, reported Supermarket
News. Full Story
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co.
is expanding its "Low Prices Every Day" program to include
salad dressings and condiments. The program, which started in
2006, initially covered produce and has since expanded to
cover other categories, including dairy products, frozen
foods, and baby care products, reported The Boston
Globe. Full Story (Free Registration
Required)
Despite having a reputation for a very
strict corporate culture, Wal-Mart encourages its
merchandise managers to speak frankly about the products the
chain carries on a new blog called Checkoutblog.com,
reported The New York Times on the Web. In the food
category, one manager discusses nutraceuticals including
probiotic yogurt and Michael Pollan's book In Defense of
Food, while another comments about sustainability. Full Story (Free Registration
Required)
Village Pantry, Inc. acquired nine convenience stores in
central Ohio from Petro Acquisitions, Inc. The stores,
formerly company-owned and -operated stores of AmeriStop
Market will be re-branded under the Village Pantry banner. Full Story
Raley's and Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc. are partnering
to feature a full-service Peet's Coffee & Tea program
in Raley's stores. Owned and operated by Raley's, the
Peet's kiosk and Peet's We Proudly Brew programs are scheduled
to roll out in more than 100 Raley's stores over the next
three years. Full Story
Safeway and Wegman's are now carrying a selection of
Chuao Chocolatier's premium artisan chocolate bars. Tree
of Life, DPI West and Tzetzo Brothers will distribute the
chocolate bars to the grocers. Full Story
Total Wine & More
opened a 20,000-sq. ft. superstore in Glendale, AZ last
month and plans to open at least two more in the state this
year and two to three more next year, according to the
company's vice president of advertising, reported The
Business Journal of Phoenix. Full Story (Free Registration Required)
CSP Daily News offers another installment
of "Open & Shut," a geographic roundup of many of the
convenience store, gas station and travel center openings,
closings, sales, remodels, new-builds and groundbreakings
across America. Full Story
Manufacturer News
Tyson Foods, Inc. will
discontinue production of its refrigerated, oven roasted
chicken line and close of one of the three plants it
operates in Wilkesboro, NC, citing the increasing number of
shoppers that are opting for takeout food from the retail
grocery deli. Tyson is meeting the needs of this category with
new products such as rotisserie pork loin, as well as Tyson
Gourmet Wraps and also supports the production of hot,
rotisserie chicken in retail delis. Full Story
Hormel Foods Corporation is aiming to achieve $2 billion
in total sales of products created since 2000 by the year
2012, through its "Go for $2B by 2012" initiative. The new
goal builds on Hormel Foods' success with its Billion Dollar
Challenge, which it met two years early. The challenge was for
Hormel Foods to generate $1 billion in sales from new products
launched in this decade, beginning fiscal year 2000 and ending
fiscal year 2009. By the end of fiscal year 2007, Hormel Foods
reported total sales of $6.19 billion with more than $1
billion generated from new product sales. Full Story
The premium chocolate market in the U.S. has grown
rapidly over recent years, and manufacturers are
increasingly adjusting their product portfolios to benefit
from this trend, according to Research and Markets. Within the
sector, dark chocolate experienced the strongest growth, owing
to the health benefits attributed to its consumption. Full Story
Foodservice News
The 500 largest U.S. restaurant chains registered
slower growth rates, posting 5.1% annual sales growth in
2007, according to Technomic Inc.'s annual reporting on the
top U.S. restaurant chains. U.S. systemwide sales for the Top
500 rose to an estimated $223.6 billion in 2007, up $10.7
billion over 2006. "As the U.S. economy continued to struggle
against rising fuel prices, increasing cost of labor and
commodities and menu price increases, the Top 500 restaurant
chains' sales growth declined to 5.1%, versus 6.1% in 2006,"
said Ron Paul, President of Technomic. Full Story
 Meanwhile, USA Today examines the
challenges that the restaurant industry is facing, noting
that the worst may be yet to come. For example, same-store
sales are declining, commodity prices are increasing, units
are closing and customers are dwindling. Full Story
Restaurant industry performance edged up slightly in
January, as the National Restaurant Association's
comprehensive index of restaurant activity registered a modest
gain - standing at 98.9 in January, up from December's level
of 98.7. Full Story
McDonald's
competitors are catching up on offering fish sandwiches,
sales of which pick up during Lent. Arby's is bringing back
two fish sandwiches, KFC debuted a new snack-size fish
sandwich, and Wendy's added a cod fish sandwich, reported
The Chicago Sun-Times. Full Story
Star
Buffet, Inc.'s wholly-owned Starlite Holdings, Inc.
subsidiary completed the acquisition of four
Barnhill's buffet restaurants - one each in Gulfport and
Moss Point, MS and Apopka and Orange City, FL. Full Story
A Bojangles' franchisee and
development partner Azalea Management and Leasing plan to
develop three new Florida restaurants on different sites,
including one franchised coffee house, a motel and possibly a
convenience store, reported Jacksonville Business
Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required)
Health News
Compounds in black tea may be able to
mimic insulin and help prevent diabetes, suggests new
research from Aging Cell. The study looks set to add to
an ever-growing body of science linking consumption of the
beverage to a wide range of health benefits, including lower
risk of certain cancers, weight loss, and protection against
Alzheimer's, reported Food Production Daily. Full Story
High doses of vitamin E can
increase the risk of lung cancer, research suggests. The
study found that taking 400-mg per day long-term increased
cancer risk by 28%, and experts say that people should get
their vitamins mostly from fruits and vegetables, reported
BBC News. Full Story
Washington News
Problems with food safety in USDA's
school lunch program were cited in reports
from 2003 and 2005, according to The Wall Street
Journal. The reports appear to contradict USDA and
meat-industry assertions that violations at the
Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. plant were an "isolated
incident." A sentiment reiterated by the department's
Agricultural Marketing Service, which says its program is as
stringent as any available. Full Story (WSJ Subscription
Required)
USDA suspended at least two employees, an inspector and
a veterinarian, following the largest beef recall in
history, according to a union that represents federal meat
inspectors, reported The Associated Press. Full Story
Beer distributors would be able to sell six-packs,
12-packs, 18-packs and any other configuration up to a case
under a Pennsylvania measure pushed by Senators John C.
Rafferty Jr. (R-Montgomery) and Sean Logan (D-Allegheny).
However, craft brewers claim the measure will give big
manufacturers an unfair advantage as they do not have the
packaging equipment to produce those sizes, reported The
Philadelphia Inquirer. Full Story (Free Registration Required)
NJ Gov. Jon Corzine proposed closing the NJ Department
of Agriculture, as he is looking to cut $500 million from
the state budget. The Department of Agriculture's budget is
currently about $26 million, but its core functions, such as
inspections, would still need to be done, reported The
Produce News. Full Story
FDA is seeking comments on reporting and recordkeeping
requirements for firms that process acidified foods and
thermally processed low-acid foods in hermetically sealed
containers. Full Notice
Two California companies are recalling alfalfa
sprouts sold across the West Coast, as some tests detected
salmonella, reported AZCentral.com. Full Story (Free Registration Required)
Gorton's Inc. initiated a recall of its frozen Battered
Fish Fillets, as they may contain foreign material. Full Story
Meijer Distribution Center initiated a voluntary recall
of its frozen chicken entrées, as they may be contaminated
with Listeria monocytogenes. Full Story
Global News
China exported 289,000 tons of tea in 2007, a
slight rise of 1%. However, the export value rose 11% year on
year to $610 million. Green tea exports hit 224,000 tons last
year, up 2.3% year on year, while black tea exports decreased
by 4.0% to 30,000 tons, according to China Daily. Full Story
Yum! Brands Inc. opened its first Pizza Hut Express in
Shanghai at the end of February. The pizza brand will be
available in more than 100 cities by the end of this year,
with 500 Pizza Hut canteens, 78 Pizza Hut Delivery stores and
a number of Pizza Hut Express stores, reported China
Daily. Full Story
Market News
The Raisin Bargaining Association announced a minium
price of $1,310 for a ton of the 2008 raisin crop, up at
least $100 per ton from last year. The pricing, coupled with
an earlier announcement of a three-year contract with raisin
packers through 2010, is raising hopes among growers, reported
The Fresno Bee. Full Story (Free Registration Required)
The rhizoma perennial peanut is now considered to be the
best perennial warm-weather legume for Southeastern
states, as its nutritional quality and broad use are making it
a staple pasturage at a fraction of alfalfa's cost. According
to the Agricultural Research Service, the perennial peanut is
the premium forage for the Gulf Coast. Full Story
Patterson Vegetable Co. is switching to outside
harvesting services in an attempt to save money. The
company freezes a wide variety of
vegetables that are grown on independently owned farms, most
within a 50-mile radius of Patterson, CA, reported The
Modesto Bee. Full Story (Free Registration Required)
Researchers in South Texas are praising the flying
cockroach from Asia that has shown an appetite for
agricultural pests. The cockroach became the most common
predator of bollworm eggs, and also eats the eggs of the beet
armyworm, reported The Associated Press. Full Story
Watermelons contain more nutrients than previously
reported, as they not only contain large amounts of
lycopene, but also an amino acid that plays a role in wound
healing, cell division and other positive results. Study
volunteers drank differing amounts of watermelon juice and had
improved levels of a substance researchers think might treat
high blood pressure, reported California Farm
Bureau.
A gene from the orange cauliflower may
make food crops more nutritious, as the newly discovered
gene induces high levels of beta-carotene. Using this
discovery could make a huge impact on vitamin A deficiency,
which has been reported to affect 250 million children
worldwide. The gene originated in an orange cauliflower plant
found in a Canadian field 30 years ago, and recently has been
studied by researchers, reported California Farm
Bureau.
USDA established procedures for conducting a referendum
to determine whether the issuance of the proposed Honey
Packers and Importers Research, Promotion, Consumer Education
and Industry Information Order is favored by first handlers
and importers of honey or honey products. Full Notice
USDA proposed a new industry-funded research,
promotion, consumer education, and information order for honey
and honey products. Full Notice
USDA established final free and restricted percentages
for 2007-2008 crop year tart cherries covered under the
Federal marketing order regulating tart cherries grown in
seven states. Full Notice
USDA amended the marketing order for walnuts grown in
California. Full Notice
USDA proposed amendments to Marketing Order No. 981,
which regulates the handling of almonds grown in California.
Full Notice
International Trade Administration extended the time
limit for the preliminary results of the Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review and Partial Rescission of Administrative
Review for Frozen Fish Fillets from Vietnam. Full Notice
NMFS proposed to modify the eligibility criteria for
membership in both the Hook Sector and the Georges Bank
Cod Fixed Gear Sector. Full
Notice
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