| Industry
News The
Daily Brief, which was brought to you by BNP Media and The Food Institute, will
cease publication on Feb. 28, 2011. The Food Institute
knows that the Daily Brief is a valuable daily resource that you depend on and
we do offer alternative electronic newsletters. A subscription to Today
In Food, a robust alternative to the Daily Brief, is available
for only $49.95 per year. Daily Brief readers who subscribe to Today In Food
by Mar. 18 will receive a Second Year for Free - two years for the price
of one! So Why Wait? Click
here to take advantage of this special offer. USDA
updated its consumer price index (CPI) for 2011, revising its food price forecast
to rise 3% to 4% this year. Both food-at-home and food-away-from-home prices are
also forecast to increase 3% to 4%. Beef prices are projected to increase 3.5%
to 4.5% and pork prices 5.5% to 6.5% in 2011. Full
Story 
Procter
& Gamble (P&G) committed to pursue LEED certification for all new sites.
P&G's Taicang plant in China is the first P&G manufacturing site to pursue LEED
certification, with several additional new P&G sites currently working toward
the same distinction globally. Full
Story Meanwhile, P&G will raise prices to cope with a run-up in
commodity costs. Procter & Gamble already raised some prices, and is facing at
least $1 billion in increased commodity costs this year, reported The Associated
Press. Full
Story  Saratoga
Specialties Co. finalized an agreement with Williams-Sonoma to sell its Moon
Brand Original Potato Chips in the company's 270 outlets in the U.S. and Canada,
and another to supply the chips to Cracker Barrel's 610 gift outlets. The Williams-Sonoma
deal alone will double Saratoga Specialties' market, reported The Business
Review (Albany). Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Restaurant
Roundup: Tim Hortons Inc. plans to open 70 to 90 locations in the U.S.
in its fiscal 2011, split nearly evenly between standard and non-standard full-serve
locations. Full
Story ... Jack in the Box Inc. plans to open 30 to 35 Jack in the Box
restaurants and 50 to 60 Qdoba restaurants in its fiscal 2011. Full
Story ... Au Bon Pain expects to have 26 new cafes by August and at
least two dozen more are planned in 2012. The company is looking to expand in
Sacramento, Nashville and Cincinnati, reported The Boston Globe. Full
Story (Free Registration Required) ... Dunkin' Donuts plans to develop
about 25 stores in the San Antonio-area over the next five to six years, reported
San Antonio Business  Journal.
Full
Story (Free Registration Required) Packaging
Corporation of America is finishing an expansion to its main Winter Haven,
FL facility. New equipment includes corrugated paper sheet producers as well as
a folding and gluing machine for producing boxes and a new shipping department,
reported The Lakeland Ledger. Full
Story (Free Registration Required) New Product
News: Classic Foods launched a Baked Classics snack line in three varieties.
Full
Story ... Kohana Coffee introduced organic Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate.
The product will be available in all Whole Foods Markets in the Southwest U.S.
Full
Story International
News India could become a milk importer by 2022
if local production does not keep pace with growing demand, according to the government's
annual economic survey. India, the world's largest producer of milk, reported
an estimated 112.5 million metric tons of milk in the last fiscal year ended Mar.
31. The economic survey for fiscal 2011 found that India's milk production is
rising by about 3.5 million tons a year while demand is growing by an estimated
six million tons, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full
Story (WSJ Subscription Required) 
H.J.
Heinz Co. is in advanced stages of talks for an acquisition or merger for
Brazilian food company Quero Alimentos, according to sources. The deal would potentially
be worth up to $600 million, reported Reuters. Full
Story Washington
News U.S.
Marshals seized about $200,000 worth of food products from Bedford Cheese Store
Inc. after
FDA found evidence of rodents throughout the company's facility. Products seized
at Bedford Cheese included cheese, frozen foods, pastas, salad dressings, prepared
salads, soups and various bulk ingredients. Full
Story
Petit
Jean Farm issued a voluntary recall of various meat
and poultry products that were produced without the benefit of federal inspection.
Full
Story Market News Sanderson
Farms Inc. expects to spend $330.7 million more for poultry feed in 2011
than it did in 2010, adding 10.5 cents per-lb. to its production costs. Rising
feed costs and uncertainty about the direction of the grain markets this year
caused the company to delay a planned expansion at a new plant in North Carolina,
reported The Wall Street Journal. Full
Story (WSJ Subscription Required)
| Recording Now Available! The Food
Institute, NPD Group and the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) presented
a one-hour webinar entitled Private Label: Consumer Perceptions & Intentions.
Whether private label offers you an opportunity or a threat, this presentation
is not to be missed! Know and understand today's private label shopper! To learn
more and purchase the recording, click
here. | | U.S.
agricultural exports are expected to reach a record $135.5 billion in fiscal
year 2011, according to USDA. Compared to fiscal year 2010, export value is expected
to grow 25% and volume by 10%. Full
Story | 
