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Retail News
More consumers now plan to spend their rebate checks
on necessities rather than on discretionary items,
according to the latest findings of a National Retail
Federation survey, conducted by BIGresearch. Some 21.2 million
consumers plan to spend the checks on groceries, up from 20.4
million people who planned to do so in February. While 17.2
million people plan to use some of their tax rebate check to
pay for gas, up from 12.1 million people in February. Full Story
Consumers are concerned whether higher grocery bills and
restaurant tabs are justified, according to The
Associated Press. However, food retailers claim consumers'
suspicions of gouging are unjustified and that, if anything,
they have refrained from passing along their extra costs. Full Story
Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market is expanding its
line of fresh&easy own-brand food with 250 additional
products. Some of the new products include fresh prepared
ready meals, new juices and brewed teas, soy and goat yogurt,
and a range of ready-to-grill meats. Full Story
By the end of its current fiscal year, Stater Bros.
Holdings Inc. will complete its new refrigerated distribution
center, which is the final phase of the supermarket
operator's distribution consolidation. Full Story
Sprouts Farmer's Market will open three stores
in Colorado by early 2009 as part of its plans to add 100
stores over the next five years. The company currently
operates 25 stores in Arizona, Texas and California, reported
The Denver Post. Full
Story
Manufacturer News
Coca-Cola Co. is seeking more acquisition
opportunities in the soft drinks market to expand its
revenue sources, said the company's Chief Operating Officer
Muhtar Kent, who is due to become chief executive officer on
July 1, reported Reuters. Such acquisitions would not
be large, and the company is looking from country to country
for opportunities, said Kent. Full Story
Old World Provisions Inc. acquired Fritz Helmbold
Inc., a hot dog and sausage maker. The deal will allow Old
World to produce a wider array of meat products and allow
Helmbold to go from a regional to a national name, reported
The Times Union. Full
Story
Ruiz Foods introduced heat-and-serve El Monterey Family
Meals in five flavors to select test markets. Full Story
Big
Train introduced its new Dragonfly line of exotic blended
beverage mixes, available in six flavors, including
Coconut, Mango, Honeydew, Taro, Thai Tea and Green Tea,
reported QSR Magazine. Full Story
Foodservice News
Advertising
Age examines why sampling is becoming the new
medium for companies with large marketing budgets -
from McDonald's to Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Dunkin' Donuts. Full Story (Free Registration Required)
 Dunkin' Donuts will host its second
nationwide Free Iced Coffee Day on May 15. The operator
plans to serve nearly four million cups of iced coffee to its
customers nationwide. Full Story
Häagen-Dazs is offering free samples of its new Vanilla
Honey Bee ice cream flavor on May 13. Full Story
Pizza Inn, Inc. signed a multiunit development
agreement with Four Star Foods to open six new operations
in the Houston, TX market beginning late summer 2008. Full Story
Baskin-Robbins is seeking Texas
franchisees to operate a minimum of three stores in
greater Houston area. More than 100 new stores are projected
over the next several years throughout Houston and its
surrounding counties. Full Story
Mexican quick-service
brand The Taco Maker signed a Landlord/Tenant agreement
with Wal-Mart to begin franchising in Wal-Mart stores
across the U.S. The agreement includes all concepts in its
corporate portfolio, including Mayan Juice, Taco Maker and
Jake's Over the Top, reported QSR Magazine. Full Story
Health News
Paying attention to what you eat and stopping just
before you are full can be more satisfying than eating
mindlessly, reported The Wall Street Journal. The
approach is being studied at several academic medical centers
and the National Institutes of Health as a way to combat
eating disorders. Full Story (WSJ Subscription
Required)
Washington News
Amazon.com believes it is in compliance with Texas
state laws and claims it should not have to charge sales
tax to customers in the state. A company spokeswoman stated
that its distribution center in Irving is operated by a
subsidiary called Amazon.com.kydc Inc. and not by Amazon.com
Inc., reported The Dallas Morning News. Full Story (Free Registration Required)
Legislation is being considered in states that would
outlaw the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies. San
Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom proposed banning sales in drug
stores, while bills in Illinois, New Hampshire, and Tennessee
would not allow the sale of tobacco in stores with walk-in
clinics. A bill in New York would make it illegal to sell
tobacco in any store with a pharmacy, reported USA
Today. Full Story
Fairbank Reconstruction Corp. is recalling approximately
22,481-lbs. of ground beef products that may contain
pieces of plastic. Full Story
Global News
Northern Foods PLC will shut a factory
that supplies prepared meals to Marks & Spencer after
failing to re-negotiate a contract with the British retailer.
The factory accounts for about 15% of Northern Foods' total
sales to Marks & Spencer, reported Bloomberg.com.
Full Story, Press Release
New Zealand-based Fonterra is
seeking regulatory clearance of its bid for the Australian
dairy cooperative Dairy Farmers, reported NZPA. Full Story
Russian food retailer X5 Retail Group NV received
approval from the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service to acquire the
Karusel hypermarket chain, reported Forbes. Full Story
Agronomists claim untilled spaces north and east of the
Black Sea could generate an extra 115 million-metric tons of
wheat per year, 20% of the world's current production.
Landkom International PLC already planted wheat, barley and
rapeseed on a combined 25,000 acres in the area, and expects
to reap its first big harvest this fall, reported The Wall
Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription
Required)
About
one-third of EU turkey flocks designated for human consumption
were found to contain some presence of salmonella between 2006
and 2007, according to the European Food Safety Authority.
The findings are expected to influence future policy
initiatives aimed at reducing salmonella at the farm level to
protect against contamination in the food chain, reported
Food Production Daily. Full
Story
Market News
Demand for U.S. agriculture products overseas
remains strong as a result of the weak U.S. dollar in the
first quarter, according to The Food Institute's
analysis of government data. The U.S. agricultural trade
surplus in March was down slightly from February to $3.58
billion, but more than ten times greater than March 2008 and
the second largest surplus on record after February. Trade Surplus Table
U.S. red meat exports continued to grow in the first
quarter of 2008 with an increase of 41% in pork exports
and 29% in beef (including variety meat), according to the
U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). "The weak U.S. dollar is
certainly a factor, and gains are being made despite the
growing shortage of shipping containers to take our exports to
overseas markets. That issue may become more significant in
the second quarter, particularly as the South Korean beef
market begins to heat up," according to Erin Daley, USMEF
manager of research and analysis. Full Story
The U.S. 2008/09 season-average farm price for rice is
projected at a record $18.50-$19.50 per cwt, up sharply
from $12.85-$13.15 a year earlier. The strong U.S. price
forecast is based on tight exportable supplies of rice
worldwide, continued record or near-record global rice prices,
high prices for other commodities, and smaller U.S. supplies.
Global rice production for 2008/09 is projected at a record
432-million tons, more than 1% above the revised 2007/08 crop.
Full Report
Chiquita Brands International, Inc. signed a definitive
agreement to sell Atlanta AG, its wholly-owned German
distribution business, for net proceeds of at least $85
million at current exchange rates to UNIVEG Fruit and
Vegetables BV. The two companies also entered a long-term
strategic agreement in which Atlanta will continue to serve as
Chiquita's preferred supplier of banana ripening and
distribution services in Germany and Austria. Full Story
MOM's - My Organic Market, is carrying exclusively
eco-friendly seafood at their five stores in Maryland and
Virginia. This move by MOM's is made possible by partnering
with FishWise. Full Story
Lu Mil Vineyard is branching out with the addition of a
food processing facility that will take North Carolina
fruits and vegetables and pasteurize and package them under
FDA guidelines. D'Vine Foods will provide its services to
local blueberry and strawberry farmers, along with "virtually
any farmer in the area growing any fruits or vegetables,"
according to Bladen Journal. Full Story
Early variety peaches should reach retail stores in
California and across the nation this week. Predicted warm
weather in coming days will increase the sugar content of the
fruit and could cause production to increase, reported
California Farm Bureau.
Favorable growing conditions resulted in large volumes
of sweet onions from California's Imperial Valley. Harvest
has slowed somewhat now, as farmers cope with a period of low
prices. On the other hand, farmers have been earning higher
prices for white onions and claim the quality for both white
onions and the Imperial sweets has been excellent, reported
California Farm Bureau.
California farmers are preparing to shield their crops
from the season's first hot spell. Nectarine, peach and
plum growers claim the warm temperatures will encourage their
crops to ripen, and the early heat may help walnut crops
withstand hot weather later in the season, reported
California Farm Bureau.
NMFS prohibited
directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch for vessels
participating in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands trawl
limited access fishery. Full
Notice
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IGA Coca-Cola Institute Perspective 
