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Retail News
Wegmans will cut prices on hundreds of dairy, meat, produce,
frozen and bakery items in anticipation of lower food and
shipping costs in 2009. Full
Story
Retailers should "make friends with proactive shoppers,"
to better understand and spot emerging trends, stated Bill
Bishop, chairman of Willard Bishop in a Supermarket News
webinar, Adaptive Behavior for Reading and Responding to
Customer Expectations. Mr. Bishop cited Dorothy Lane Market
as an example of a retailer that has shoppers who "bring
them examples of items they'd like [the retailer] to sell."
Full
Story
Manufacturer News
Higher feed costs for chickens, hogs and cattle, will
lift U.S. food prices 7% in 2009, according to economists
from the National Chicken Council and the consultancy Farm
Econ. "The sizable increase in the cost of producing food
has not been fully passed on to the consumer," said private
consultant Bill Lapp, reported Reuters. Full
Story The Oct. 27 Food Institute Report noted that
wholesale food prices continue to increase more rapidly than
retail. Full
Story (FI Membership Required)
Pepsi South will build a $49 million 235,804-sq. ft. bottling
facility in Hattiesburg, MS. The facility will bottle
and distribute Pepsi products throughout the southern U.S.
Pepsi South anticipates production beginning in late 2009,
according to Hattiesburg American. Full
Story
Kraft Foods Inc. will expand efforts to reach hungry families
in America, delivering mobile pantries to New York,
Chicago, San Antonio, Madison, WI, Central Valley, CA,Cincinnati
and Newberry, SC. Full
Story
Butterball LLC sold its "Longmont brand" to Sigma Alimentos,
a Mexico-based producer and distributor of refrigerated and
frozen foods, reported Boulder County Business Report.
Full
Story
Celsius Holdings, Inc is partnering with Polar Beverages
to expand distribution throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut,
Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, parts of New York, and other
areas. Full
Story
Artisanal
Premium Cheese is entering a new program to co-promote
Artisanal Premium Cheeses at all 16 Viking Cooking Schools
across the country. Seven Viking Cooking Schools already
began scheduling classes featuring Artisanal Premium Cheeses.
Full
Story
 Foodservice
News
Salad Creations, VITAZEST Water and the Diabetes Research
Institute Foundation partnered to create a diabetes-friendly,
create-your-own-salad meal available in Salad Creations restaurants
nationwide, reported EMaxHealth.com. Full
Story
Desert Moon Fresh Mexican Grille is re-launching its franchise
program. The first unit to open with an updated operating
system will be in Franklin Township, NJ by the end of 2008,
reported QSR Magazine. Full
Story
Straw Hat Restaurants will open 42 locations in Arkansas,
Arizona, Florida and Texas by the end of 2009, marking the
chain's expansion to 100 locations nationwide. Full
Story
Cupcake chain Sprinkles is keeping out
of debt by using three strategies: do not borrow to open
new stores, choose locations in affluent areas and draw crowds
with word of mouth, reported The Dallas Morning News.
Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Health News
A vitamin found in meat, fish and potatoes, B3, may help
protect the brain from Alzheimer's disease and possibly
boost memory in healthy people, according to a study published
in The Journal of Neuroscience, reported BBC News.
Full
Story
A flavonol derived from French maritime pine bark, Pycnogenol,
can reduce jet lag in passengers taking long haul flights.
Pycnogenol is currently used in over 400 dietary supplements,
multi-vitamins and health products, and research performed
at G. D'Annunzio University in Pescara, Italy indicated that
Pycnogenol lowered symptoms of jetlag, such as fatigue, headaches,
and brain edema, reported NutraIngredients.com. Full
Story
Washington News
New York City could become one of the first places in
the U.S. to assess a plastic bag tax, following the lead
of many European countries. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is calling
for a six cent fee for each plastic bag needed at checkout
counters. The move could generate some $16 million for the
city, reported The New York Times On The Web. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
The Philadelphia City Council passed a menu labeling law
that requires local units of restaurant chains with at least
15 stores nationwide to post calorie counts on menus and menu
boards starting Jan. 1, 2010, reported The Philadelphia
Inquirer. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Global News
The European Parliament's vote supporting tighter
pesticide usage by UK manufacturers will have serious implications
for raw material supplies and prices, according to Callton
Young, director of sustainability and competitiveness at the
Food and Drink Federation, reported Food Production Daily.
Full
Story
Barry Callebaut is looking at smaller acquisitions,
according to Chief Executive Patrick De Maeseneire. The company
is interested in buying new technologies that it does not
have and would not buy another brand, reported Reuters.
Full
Story
Leading UK supermarkets are seeking new sites
in West Yorkshire, according to a survey by property agent
King Sturge. Asda and other large retailers are looking to
grow in the area, largely unrestrained by an economic recession
as supermarket chains do not rely on bank funding and can
finance expansion from their own coffers, reported The
Huddersfield Daily Examiner. Full
Story
Market News
The price of iceberg lettuce will likely stay in double
digits due to lower acreage in California and Arizona
growing regions according to grower-shippers. By Oct. 29,
markets had begun to come down from their $20-plus highs,
shippers claimed, but most expected them to stabilize again
relatively quickly, or even climb back up, reported The
Packer Online. Full
Story (Subscription Required)
California farmers produced 11.8 million tons of processing
tomatoes in 2008. The season ranks as the third best production
year on record and produced a record average calculated yield
of 43 tons per acre, according to the University of California.
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.
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Starbucks plans to double its purchasing of Fairtrade coffee
in 2009. The company will buy 40 million-lbs. next year,
making it the largest buyer of Fairtrade certified coffee
in the world, reported Business Daily Africa. Full
Story
U.S. exports of beef and pork will face a difficult year
due to limited credit availability, volatile currency
exchange rates and global economic uncertainty, reported AgWeb.com.
Full
Story
Washington state expects to have an apple crop for fresh
sale of nearly 109 million boxes. Should the state's warehouses
pack and sell that many apples, the crop will outstrip the
existing record of 105 million boxes from the 2004 crop. The
projected crop, based on a review of fruit in storage on Nov.
1, is about 8 million boxes larger than the August estimate,
according to Yakima-Herald-Republic. Full
Story
Argentine Citrus production
for 2009 is estimated to increase to 3.04 million metric tons,
as larger production of all four types of citrus is expected
due to better weather conditions than for the 2008 crop. Lemon
exports are forecast to decrease as production in major competing
countries is expected to increase, and exports as well. FAS
Report
J.P. Veggies Inc., doing business as VeggieLand, acquired
the Franklin Farms brand of vegetarian products, reported
The Produce News. Full
Story
International Trade Administration issued the preliminary
results and a partial rescission of the Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review of the Sixth Administrative Review of
honey from China. Full
Notice
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IGA
USA Retailer of the Year Perspective
