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Industry News
A slight foodservice rebound is expected
in fourth quarter 2010, but
demand is forecast to be weak during 2010's first three
quarters, according to The NPD Group. Restaurant visit
losses in each of 2009's four quarters contributed to
a 3% decline for the year compared to 2008. Full
Story
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WMS Report: Is Your Warehouse
Ready for the Upswing? Three Steps to Take Now
You've been in maintenance mode for what seems
like years - are you sure your warehouse or DC
is ready for the economic recovery? Follow a three-step
action plan to prepare your business.
Download
your FREE copy
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ConAgra Foods will transition Slim
Jim production to a facility in Troy, OH and will
close its Garner, NC-based Slim Jim production facility
in late 2011. The company plans to add 74,000-sq. ft.
and four production lines to the Troy facility to make
it the primary Slim Jim meat snack manufacturer, reported
The Associated Press. Full
Story
Florida tomato shortages are causing
restaurant chains including Wendy's to stop including
tomatoes in sandwiches unless requested, while Subway
is using different varieties to keep supplies up. Publix
Super Markets Inc. is paying more to import tomatoes
from Mexico, and Supervalu Inc. is holding price increases
to customers on its fresh tomatoes to less than 5%,
reported The Wall Street Journal. Full
Story (WSJ Subscription Required)
About
78% of retailers report seeing an increase in amateur
and opportunistic shoplifting,
some 65% of  retailers
report seeing an increase in organized retail crime
and 74% of retailers report seeing an increase of stolen
items being found in online market places, according
to the Retail Industry Leaders Association's RILA
Current Crime Trends Survey.
Full
Story
New!
This week's The Lempert Report, featuring Food
Institute data, takes a look at Let's
Move, Michelle Obama's
initiative targeting childhood obesity. Related developments
are also discussed. Click
here to view.
New
Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) researchers
developed a chemical derived from sugar with the  potential
to replace bisphenol A in a number of products,
including the lining of food cans. NJIT professor Michael
Jaffe received a U.S. patent for the chemical, an epoxy
resin based on isosorbide diglycidyl ether, reported
Food Production Daily. Full
Story
International News
 European
consumers' associations of ‘traditional' and ‘innovative'
foods could guide companies
looking to adapt well-known products to new markets
or improve efficiencies, according to studies published
in Food Quality and Preference, reported Food
Navigator. Full
Story
Canada-based
The Allan Candy Co. Ltd. will further expand into
non-seasonal candy and change its chocolate recipe,
reported
The Globe and Mail. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Health News
Individuals
who consumed two or more servings of brown  rice
per week were 11% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes
than those who ate less than one serving of brown rice
per month, according to a study presented at the American
Heart Association's Nutrition, Physical Activity and
Metabolism Conference, reported HealthDay. Full
Story
Washington News
FDA notified 17 food manufacturers
that the labeling for 22 of their food products violates
the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The
violations cited include unauthorized health claims,
unauthorized nutrient content claims, and the unauthorized
use of terms such as "healthy." Full
Story, Full
List
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A
Look at Merger & Acquisition Activity, Past,
Present and Future
A
Food Institute Webinar
There
have been over 2,500 divestitures involving
the food industry over the past decade.
Following tepid activity last year due to
economic conditions, many analysts see an
increase in activity this year and beyond.
This webinar, scheduled for Thursday, Mar.
11 at 12 p.m. (EST), will review recent
activity in M & As, which The Food Institute
has been tracking since 1928. You will also
hear from The Food Partners about how companies
are evaluated in this process and what makes
them appealing to sell and to buy. To sign
up for the webinar or learn more, click
here.
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Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter
is proposing a two cents per-oz. tax on retailers
on their annual sales of sugar-sweetened beverages.
The tax would roll out in January 2011, reported Philadelphia
Business Journal. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Market News
Stemilt entered into a partnership
with Dovex Fruit Company.
Through the deal, Dovex Marketing and Packing will be
combined into Stemilt's operations, and will be marketed
under the Stemilt label. Stemilt will gain approximately
175,000 bins of fruit storage and an apple packing facility.
Full
Story
High-quality green onion supplies
should be plentiful, and markets subdued, for the
foreseeable future. Ocean Mist Farms expects good color,
little disease pressure and overall good quality on
March green onion shipments from the Mexicali region,
stated Jeff Post, the company's green onion and asparagus
commodity manager, reported The Packer Online.
Full
Story (Subscription Required)
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