| Industry
News Walmart will reformulate thousands of
packaged food items by 2015 by reducing sodium 25% and
added sugars 10%, and by removing all remaining industrially produced trans fats.
The company will also lower prices on produce, develop criteria for a front-of-package
seal and build stores in food deserts. Full
Story 
New!
The Food Institute reports on food price inflation in the Jan. 20 edition
of the Lempert Report, hosted by Phil Lempert. Also, what the government
should do to help supermarkets. Click
here to view. Some 73% of families
are eating daily meals at home, up from 52% in 2003, according to the American
Dietetic Association's The State of Family Nutrition and Physical Activity
Report. Families are also eating less food away-from-home, with 51.4% of Caucasian,
56.5% of African-American and 63.8% of Hispanic children reporting that their
families eat out less than once a week or never. Full
Report 
U.S.
consumers are bracing to pay more for their food in 2011, according to The
NPD Group. Historically consumers do not allow food costs to rise faster than
their incomes and manage their food spending accordingly. Around 72% of meals
are prepared in homes, 18% are obtained from foodservice outlets, 8% are skipped
and 2% are from unknown sources. Over the past two years U.S. consumers pulled
back on their use of restaurants; the industry lost 2.4 billion visits from year
ending November 2008 through November 2010, from 61.5 billion visits to 59.1 billion
visits. Full
Story The restaurant, travel and hotel sectors
are working to renegotiate contracts, find less expensive suppliers and  reconfigure
menus to offset increased costs caused by soaring global food prices, particularly
for meat, sugar and coffee. For instance, Marriott International Inc. re-engineered
its menus to offer alternative cuts of beef such as flat-iron and hanger steak
more often, which cost 53% less than a filet, while Johnny Rockets renegotiated
poultry costs and cut them 5% for 2011, reported The Wall Street Journal.
Full
Story (WSJ Subscription Required) Half
of those hosting a Big Game party at their home plan to spend $50 or less on food,
versus $100 or less in 2010, according to the 2011 SUPERVALU Snack Down Survey
by Harris Interactive. Top picks for this year's game are dips and spreads,
up from last year to 30%, chicken wings at 22% and pizza at 17%. Local supermarkets
are the most common place fans plan to shop for Big Game party food and snacks
(80%), followed by discount stores, mass merchants or warehouse clubs (42%), restaurants,
caterers, gourmet food stores or delicatessens (9%) and convenience stores (5%).
Full
Story International
News  Fairweather
Ltd. filed a C$250 million Federal Court lawsuit against Target over
the use of its name. Fairweather is seeking an injunction to prevent the company
from using the Target name in Canada, reported CBC News. Full
Story
Energy Innovation Corp. will open a biodiesel
plant in Toronto that will produce human food, animal feed and clean fuel
from flax seed. Energy Innovation plans to make up to 10 million-liters of biodiesel
annually at the plant. The company wants to build 10 similar plants in North America
and Europe over the next decade, and open "a minimum" of eight more plants in
the province over the next three years, reported Calgary Herald. Full
Story Washington
News USDA
is establishing a voluntary labeling program for biobased products,
allowing a biobased product to be marketed using the "USDA Certified Biobased
Product" label after being certified by USDA. The label indicates that the
product meets USDA standards for the amount of biobased content and that the manufacturer
or vendor provided relevant information on the product for the USDA BioPreferred
Program website. Full
Notice
| Recording
Now Available for Purchase! The Food Institute presented Understanding
the New Food Safety Legislation, a webinar designed for those who want and
need to understand the impact of the new food safety legislation. John W. Bode,
Principal at Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode Matz PC, and Dr. David William Kennedy
Acheson, Managing Director, Food and Import Safety Practice, at Leavitt Partners
were the speakers. To purchase the recording and learn more, click
here. | | Dairy
farmers filed opposition to the proposed Dean Foods class action antitrust lawsuit
settlement, claiming that if it is approved, dairy farmers stand to incur
financial damages by receiving a lower pay price for their milk. Full
Story Market News Global
demand for U.S. beef should remain strong in 2011, but
given smaller U.S. production, growth in beef exports above 2010 levels is not
expected. Growth in beef imports to the U.S. is forecast in the second half of
2011. Meanwhile, broiler meat production in fourth-quarter 2010 is expected to
total 9.43 billion-lbs., up 125 million-lbs. from the previous estimate, noted
ERS. Full
Story 
Florida
Department of Citrus officials claim that the loss of three million boxes of oranges
tied to the freezes will force juice companies to raise prices, causing a continuing
decline in orange juice sales. Retail OJ sales in December fell 8% and represents
the 11th straight monthly sales decline. The average OJ retail price for the four
weeks ending Dec. 25 was $5.68 per gallon, 5.8% higher than a year earlier, reported
The Lakeland Ledger. Full
Story (Free Registration Required) |
