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Industry News
Some 86% of Big Game viewers plan
to spend the same amount or less on food and beverages
for the Big Game this year,
while only 5% plan to spend more, according to a survey
by The Nielsen Company. Big Game viewers across the
country stock their at-home parties with nearly 166
million-lbs. of snacks, especially salty snacks. Potato
chips reign, with more than 44 million-lbs. of snacks
sold while tortilla chips and pretzels also rank high
for Big Game sales. Full
Story
About two-thirds of Americans changed
their food consumption patterns because of the economy,
and 80% of Americans claim their families make a point
of eating leftovers to save money, according to a survey
conducted on behalf of Plastics Make it Possible, an
initiative sponsored by the plastics industries of the
American Chemistry Council. Meanwhile, 72% of Americans
pack lunch for themselves or their children and 56%
are looking for products that help them practice portion
control. Full
Story
Approximately 30% of shoppers specifically
purchased locally produced food over the last month,
double the number in 2006, according to IGD research.
About 27% bought Fairtrade products (up from 9%) and
18% bought  products
with high animal welfare standards (up from 11%). Full
Story
A
joint venture between CHS Inc. and Cargill, Horizon
Milling, LLC, will close its Topeka, KS-based flour
facility on or around Dec. 1. Full
Story
Mergers
and acquisitions in U.S. food and agriculture are likely
to increase in 2010 as financial markets recover,
according to a Rabobank report. However, antitrust issues
are likely to drive companies to look for opportunities
in adjacent sectors. Full
Story
International News
Approximately 80% of Dutch food retail
outlets are full service supermarkets,
operating on floor space between 500 and 1,500-sq. meters.
The remaining 20% includes superstores, convenience
stores and department stores. The  top
three biggest retailers in the Netherlands, Albert Heijn,
C1000 and Jumbo, have a 56% market share, noted FAS.
FAS
Report
McDonald's
plans to open between 40 to 45 new stores in Russia
in 2010, according to Khamzat Khasbulatov, president
of McDonald's Russia. Full
Story
Health News
Many
energy bars, juices and other products contain excessive
levels of vitamins that could
have negative effects on consumers, according to The
Los Angeles Times. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Washington News
FDA will set standards for safety,
expand laboratory capacity, pilot track and trace technology,
strengthen its import safety program, improve data collection
and risk analysis and begin to establish an integrated
national food safety system with strengthened inspection
and response capacity as part of its Transforming Food
Safety Initiative, detailed in FDA's FY 2011 budget.
Full
Story
Some
37 million Americans receive emergency food each
year through the nation's network of food banks and
the agencies they serve, according to Feeding America's
Hunger in America 2010 report. This marks a 46%
increase since the group's 2006 study.
Full
Story
Market News
The level of U.S. farm output in
2008 was 158% above its level in 1948,
growing at an average annual rate of 1.58%, according
to ERS. All but four states exhibited positive rates
of growth in agricultural output over the 1960-2004
period. Output expanded most rapidly in Arkansas, growing
an average 2.8% per year. California and Florida had
the highest relative levels of productivity in 2004.
Complete
Data Sets
Aldi launched a set of private-label
seafood products certified according to the Global
Aquaculture Alliance's Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)
standards, reported SeafoodSource. Full
Story
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