Retail News
Sales of organic foods and beverages are expected to
average about 18% growth through 2010, although growth
recently slowed because of the economy. In addition, new
customers are tougher to attract, given that organics can cost
10% to 50% more than non-organic rivals, reported USA
Today. Full Story
SYSCO
and Dezina Marketing, Inc. entered into a joint venture to
sell groceries online. The venture marks SYSCO's first
foray into online grocery marketing to individual consumers.
Full
Story
Manufacturer News
ConAgra Foods began using between 30% and 40%
post-consumer recycled plastic in nearly all of its frozen
meal trays for Healthy Choice, Banquet, Kid Cuisine and
Marie Callender's products. By incorporating post-consumer
recycled plastic in its frozen meal trays, ConAgra estimates
it will eliminate about eight million pounds of plastic from
going to landfills, save 236 million BTUs of energy, and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15,200 tons of CO2 per
year. Full Story
Frutarom will seek out new acquisitions in the
second half of 2008, after another strong quarter in which it
experienced the benefits of the seven businesses it acquired
in 2007, according to president and CEO Ori Yehudai, reported
Beverage Daily. Full
Story
Procter
and Gamble launched Tide to Go Mini, a smaller version of
the Tide to Go stain remover that is about the size of a
lipstick. Full Story
Johnson
& Johnson Healthcare will launch its Reach UltraClean
toothbrush and floss in September. The toothbrush will
retail for $2.99 to $3.99 and the floss will cost $3.49 to
$3.99, reported Drug Store News. Full Story (Free Registration Required)
Unilever's
Vaseline brand is expanding its Intensive Rescue line with
a prescription-strength lotion for extremely dry skin,
Vaseline Clinical Therapy. The product is available in a 6-oz.
bottle in both fragranced and fragrance-free variants. The
suggested retail price is $5.49, reported Drug Store
News. Full Story (Free Registration Required)
Salsa
maker Garden Fresh Gourmet Inc., which expects $60 million
in sales this year, is profiled by Reuters. The
company is negotiating the purchase of 22 acres to build a
facility with more than 100,000-sq. ft. of production space.
Full Story
Microalgae supplier Cyanotech plans to increase prices
of its full range of ingredients as it cannot absorb
rising fuel and energy costs. The increase will be enacted
within about three months, reported Food Navigator USA.
Full
Story
Hat Trick Beverages Inc. introduced three soups:
Beef, Chicken, and Vegetable. Full Story
Applegate Farms added fortified Yogurt Cheese to its
range of antibiotic and hormone-free meats and cheeses,
reported Just-Food. Full
Story
Garden
of Life, Inc. launched The Vitamin Code, a dietary
supplement line that utilizes raw food-created nutrients. Full
Story
Foodservice News
Many restaurant chains plan to keep absorbing some
or all of rising food costs, risking further impact to
their margins in order to keep attracting cost-conscious
customers. Restaurant food costs were up more than 8% in the
first half of the year; however, menu prices increased only
about 4% in the first seven months of 2008. For example,
Starbucks Corp is planning no increases for its upcoming
fiscal year ending September 2009 and Chipotle limited its
menu price rise to 4% so far this year, even though its food
costs are among the highest in the industry, reported
Reuters. Full
Story
Dunkin' Donuts will expand to 14 locations
across the U.S.: Harrisonburg and Bluefield, WV; Florida
Keys; Erie, PA; Bowling Green, KY; Lima and Zanesville, OH;
Columbus-Jefferson City and Ottumwa, MO; Jonesboro, AR;
Jackson, TN; and Paducah, KY. Full Story
In honor of its 19th anniversary, Noah's
Bagels will sell a 12-oz. cup of its Anniversary Blend coffee
for 19 cents on Aug. 19. Full Story
Health News
Flavanol-rich chocolate may
increase blood flow in the brain and reduce the risk of
dementia and stroke, according to Boston-based
researchers. The study, funded by Mars, supports previous
studies linking consumption of flavanol-rich cocoa products to
improved cardiovascular health, reported Food Navigator
Europe. Full Story
A
strongly gelled alginate drink can restore cholesterol and
glucose uptake to healthy levels in overweight men,
according to a study published in Nutritional Research.
If the results can be repeated in larger human trials,
alginate could be used as a health ingredient against
metabolic syndrome, a condition which affects an estimated 32%
of American adults, reported Food Navigator Europe. Full Story
Washington News
Federal inspectors at U.S. border crossings
repeatedly turned back disease-ridden shipments of peppers
from Mexico in the months before the salmonella outbreak,
according to an Associated Press analysis of FDA
records. Since January, 88 shipments of fresh and dried
chilies were turned away. FDA officials insisted they were
surprised by the outbreak because Mexican peppers were not
previously a problem. However, peppers and chilies were
consistently the top Mexican crop rejected by border
inspectors over the last year, reported The Associated
Press. Full Story
The National Advertising Division of the
Council of Better Business Bureaus (NAD) ruled against Burger
King's contention that Wendy's could not provide
sufficient evidence of its use of fresh beef patties in U.S.
chains. NAD also deemed Wendy's use of the word "always,"
which suggests consumers get a fresh beef patty every time,
was appropriate in the context of its advertising, reported
Brandweek.com. Full
Story
Congress cut California dried fruits and nuts from a
school snack program in the latest Farm Bill, reported
The Modesto Bee. Full Story (Free Registration Required)
About 100 college presidents are calling on lawmakers to
consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, claiming
current laws encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus,
reported CNN. Full Story
Toufayan Bakery initiated a voluntary recall of its
Publix Vanilla Wafers as they may contain undeclared soy. Full Story
Global News
Last year, the Coca-Cola brand
claimed 22% of China's carbonated soft drink market, up
half a percentage point from 2006. In China, Pepsi-Cola is No.
1, with 22.9% of the market, but early results show Coke's
Olympics push, which began in early 2007, is cutting into
Pepsi's lead, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription
Required)
Brazil's farms are turning the country
into an agricultural superpower.
Some 70 to 80 million
hectares are utilized of the 350 million hectares of land
available, and the potential for growth is enormous, analysts
claim, reported BBC News. Full Story
Japan's
convenience stores are thriving as consumers prefer
"conbinis" over supermarkets. Newscom Seven-Eleven Japan Co.
claims that convenience stores might be ahead in adapting to a
more budget-conscious period, reported The Wall Street
Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription
Required)
With
global wheat prices rising, an increasing number of
Japanese retailers are producing sweets and breads made from
rice flour. Companies like Starbucks and convenience store
chain Lawsons added rice flour items to their menus. The items
are popular with customers, especially those allergic to
wheat, reported The Japan Times. Full Story
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Consumer Food Spending and
the Changing Economy
Although the slumping economy is
impacting the restaurant industry and restaurant
growth is forecast at the lowest level since
1991, concepts that offer unique and
resonating value equation can find success, noted
Kevin Higar, Senior Manager of Technomic Inc.
during the Consumer Spending and the Changing
Economy webinar presented by Technomic Inc.
and The Food Institute. Additionally,
opportunities to increase menu prices do exist, as
not all menu price elasticities are created equal.
Meanwhile, supermarkets can benefit from trading
down, noted Ron Paul, President of Technomic. If
you missed the webiner, but would like to purchase
a recording of the event, click
here.
| |
Japan is considering
amending a policy that limits rice planting to about 60%
of its paddy fields due to global rice shortage fears,
reported Reuters. Full Story
Sandella's Flatbread Cafe reached a master
franchise deal with Abela & Co. to open 12 restaurants
throughout the United Arab Emirates over the next five years,
reported QSR Magazine. Full
Story
Scottish manufacturer Double D Food
Engineering developed a customized Browning Unit to brown meat
and vegetable products without the need for coatings and
additives, reported Food Production Daily. Full Story
Market News
Demand
for California-grown mangoes is increasing, and consumers
will find the keitt variety in some stores later this week.
Growers expect to harvest about two and a half million pounds
of the green-skinned variety, which is raised in Southern
California, reported California Farm
Bureau.
Nature's
Premium Brand claims it is the first North American pork
company to track DNA for reliable and accurate traceability
back to the farm where the animals were raised. The
company will use IdentiGEN's DNA TraceBack system. Full
Story
A
new quick-freeze trailer, using IQF technology, is designed to
process and freeze vegetables on a farm. It can
quick-freeze produce and berries at a rate of 600-lbs. per
minute,
reported ION News. Full Story
|
Supercenter Sales Hit $208.3 Billion In
2006
Supercenter
sales reached $208.3 billion in 2006, up 15.5%
from 2005 and up 34.3% from 2004, according to the
latest edition of the Supercenter Industry
Overview, part of the Supermerchants
series published by alternative format expert
James M. Degen & Co. The number of
supercenters in the U.S. Increased 12.5% to 2,837
in 2006. This report covers company specific
market size and growth, top companies, physical
characteristics, consumer demographics,
competitive response and an outlook for future
developments. Click here to
order. | |
California walnut
growers are reporting a heavier crop this year, and while
there are concerns that some tree branches may break from the
weight of the crop, this is not an uncommon occurrence,
reported California Farm Bureau.
There will be water for release in California's Russian
River for the fall salmon run, due to Sonoma County
farmers helping the local water agency meet its goal of
reducing water use by 15% through a voluntary conservation
program. Grape growers reduced their use by closely monitoring
their vineyards and irrigating only when the plants needed it,
reported California Farm Bureau.
North
Carolina will transfer its commercial bluefish quota to
New York from its 2008 quota. Full
Notice | 
IGA Coca-Cola Institute Perspective
