Industry News

SUPERVALU is launching a new line of "restaurant quality" foods nationwide at all of its stores. The Culinary Circle brand will initially feature more than 150 items in the deli, bakery, frozen, and center store aisles. Offerings range from on-the-go meals, hors d'oeuvres, and gourmet spreads to high-end desserts and artisan breads. Full Story

ECONOMIC DOWNTURN PRESENTS OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES FOR RETAILERS The future of food retailing for the next three to five years will be dramatically affected by two major trends: food inflation and the emergence of small format stores, according to the annual Future of Food Retailing webinar presented by The Food Institute and Willard Bishop, which examined the state of the food and consumables retail industry in 2007 and beyond. Food price inflation will exceed current "conventional wisdom," and be a factor for three or more years, predicted Willard Bishop during the webinar. In fact, predictions about the rate of inflation have generally been underestimated. However, this food price inflation can benefit food retailers with winning shopper value equations and solid plans to take advantage. If you missed The Future of Food Retailing webinar and would like to purchase a recording, click here.

Kellogg Company acquired the assets of IndyBake Products LLC and Brownie Products Co., a privately held contract manufacturing business that produces cracker, cookie and frozen dough products. IndyBake Products and Brownie Products' two manufacturing facilities will be integrated into Kellogg's U.S. Snacks manufacturing network. Full Story

Wal-Mart unveiled its Walmart Smart Network, which will deploy response measurement and message optimization technologies to shoppers by store, by screen, by day, and by time-of-day. Full Story

Doherty Enterprises Inc. signed a deal with El Pollo Loco to open 30 restaurants in Northern and Central New Jersey and Long Island, NY, reported The Record. Full Story

Dominick's is planning to lease space to non-competing retailers such as exercise gyms or fashion clothing companies in 15 of its larger Chicago-area stores to try to boost sales, according to real estate sources, reported The Chicago Sun-Times. Full Story

International News

A growing number of foreign-based restaurant companies are looking towards the U.S. as domestic chains secure their future strength through aggressive overseas expansion. The pace of foreign chains' expansion into the U.S. is increasing, as Japan, Belgium, Great Britain, Mexico and more are exploring business opportunities in the U.S., reported Restaurants & Institutions. Full Story

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will open its Asian headquarters in Hong Kong. The office will oversee the company's operations in mainland China, India, and Japan, according to Wal-Mart Asia president Vicente Trius, reported CNNMoney. Full Story

Haddock, anchovies, and five types of tuna are not eco-conscious, a charity claims. Along with monkfish, plaice and certain varieties of Dover sole, the species are included on the Marine Conservation Society's updated Fish to Avoid list. The charity publishes lists of fish to eat and avoid based on monitoring of stocks and fishing practices, and claims that poor labeling is causing confusion for the public, reported BBC News. Full Story

Health News

Exposure to bisphenol A may harm fetuses and children, and needs further study before it is deemed safe, according to a National Toxicology Program report. The study, the final version of a report issued in draft form in April, underscores differences within the government about the chemical's safety, reported Bloomberg.com. Full Story, Full Report

Washington News

Albertsons, PCC Natural Markets, SUPERVALU, and Harris Teeter reportedly pledged to keep cloned meat and dairy products off of their shelves in response to a request from environmental group Friends of the Earth. In addition to voluntary action from grocers and producers, the groups are calling on FDA to take regulatory action to prevent cloned animals from entering the food supply. Full Story

Meanwhile, 20 food companies, including Smithfield Foods Inc. and Kraft Foods Inc., will not use milk or meat from cloned livestock. The companies responded to a survey conducted by the Center for Food Safety, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required)

NEW FROM THE FOOD INSTITUTE Foodservice Price Trend Handbook 2007 Featuring Five Years of Monthly Pricing for 59 Items in 12 Major Food Categories Exclusive to The Food Institute, this publication is valuable for anyone selling or buying foodservice products. Updated through 2006, the handbook provides historic five year price trends in categories such as Fresh Vegetables, Tomato Products, Frozen Vegetables, Canned Fruits, Boxed Beef, and Chicken, enabling you to better budget for foodservice product sales and purchases. Click here for details.

U.S. poultry producers challenged Russia's importation ban on chicken, with a Tyson Foods' spokesperson claiming that the company has not used feed additives containing arsenic since 2004. American officials have argued poultry produced in the U.S. is safe, and that the ban was placed in retaliation for U.S. criticism of Russia's use of military force against Georgia, reported the Birmingham Business Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Shells Seafood Restaurants, Inc. filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Shells owns 18 restaurants with a partial interest in two additional restaurants, but closed operations at eight locations. Four other "Shells" locations managed and operated by the company, as well as the partially owned and managed "Rock Beach Grill" restaurant, are not included in this petition. Full Story

Market News

The forecast for the U.S. apple crop is 218.2 million bushels, according to the U.S. Apple Association. Canned apple products are expected to use 28 million bushels of raw product in 2008, 11% more than 2007. The volume of raw product to be utilized for juice processing from the 2008 crop is forecast at 30.2 million bushels, which represents 40% of the total processing volume. Meanwhile, frozen apple utilization is forecast at five million bushels, 18% more than last year, while dried apple utilization is forecast at 4.8 million bushels.

Chile introduced measures to improve the sanitary conditions of its salmon industry and reduce the levels of antibiotics used to treat the fish in the wake of a deadly fish virus that killed millions of the nation's farmed salmon, reported The New York Times on the Web. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

NMFS prohibited directed fishing for species that comprise the shallow-water species fishery by vessels using trawl gear in the Gulf of Alaska. Full Notice

NMFS reopened directed fishing for pollock in Statistical Area 630 of the Gulf of Alaska. Full Notice