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Industry News
Wal-Mart is pursuing 200 to 300 stores
as small as 20,000-sq. ft.,
stated Garrick Brown, research director at Colliers
International, reported Sacramento Business Journal.
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Story (Free Registration Required)
Meanwhile, Wal-Mart rolled out markdowns
on 22 foods and other essentials at an average savings
of 30% ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. The company
is reportedly bearing the cost of some of the deep price
cuts, not its suppliers, according to Bill Pecoriello,
an analyst who heads ConsumerEdge Research LLC. On a
basket of five food items,  the
total price was $11.23 at Wal-Mart, 24% less than it
was a year ago. It is also almost 14% lower than Kroger
and almost 26% lower than Safeway, reported The Associated
Press. Full
Story
A joint venture between Fonterra and
Dairy Farmers of America, DairiConcepts, L.P., acquired
the U.S. hard Italian cheese business of Swiss Valley
Farms (SVF). The business, previously owned by SVF's
wholly owned affiliate Rochester Cheese, produces private
label fresh grated hard Italian cheeses and private
label dry hard grated Italian cheeses for retail, foodservice
and industrial customers. The acquisition includes Rochester's
Dalbo, MN-based plant. Full
Story
The National Restaurant Association's
Restaurant Performance Index stood at 100.4 in April,
down slightly from its March level of 100.5. Some 47%
of restaurant operators expect to have higher sales
in six months  compared
with the same period in the previous year, down slightly
from 50% who reported similarly last month. Full
Story
Beverages formulated with stevia
are preferred by consumers over similar products
sweetened with sugar or other common high intensity
sweeteners, claims findings published in the Journal
of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, reported Food
Navigator. Full
Story
International News
Dean Foods reportedly
hired bankers from NM Rothschild to
examine its strategic options for Rachel's Organic.
The move could lead to the sale of the business with
an asking price of £20 million, reported The
Guardian. Full
Story
Northern
Foods is rolling out a $7.2 million brand relaunch
for its Goodfella's pizza, reported BBC News.
Full
Story
Health News
 Children
who consume numerous foods containing vitamin E may
have a lower risk of eczema, according to a study
published in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.
Meanwhile, foods rich in vitamin A do not seem to protect
against allergies, despite earlier studies suggesting
they do, reported Reuters. Full
Story
Washington News
Washington
state is using definitions created by the Streamlined
Sales Tax Governing Board to determine which foods are
subject to taxes, and products containing flour
are not considered candy, provided that flour is made
from a grain, such as Kit Kat bars containing wafers
made from flour, reported The Seattle Times.
Full
Story (Free Registration Required), List
of Products Subject to Tax Meanwhile, state taxes
on candy, gum, bottled water and beer are expected to
bring in a combined $122 million over the next year,
reported The Seattle Times. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
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A
recording of the Food Institute webinar
Implementing An E.coli Control Policy
is now available! A panel of experts
discussed how to prevent and control E.
coli outbreaks; how to keep your records
in order to avoid shouldering the blame
for mishandling foodstuff; and how to deal
with a positive finding should it occur.
To purchase a recording, click
here.
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Bashas'
Inc. continues to plan to exit from bankruptcy in late
July, but it may not have all the financing it needs
to immediately pay off banks, note holders and unsecured
creditors when it emerges, according to company attorneys,
reported The Arizona Republic. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Market News
Peanut stocks reported in commercial
storage on Apr. 30 totaled 2.80 billion-lbs.
of equivalent farmer stock, compared with 3.09 billion-lbs.
a year ago. Commercial processors utilized 150 million-lbs.
of shelled edible grade peanuts during April. Utilization
by type was 101 million-lbs. for all peanut butter products,
20.7 million-lbs. for peanut candy, and 27.1 million-lbs.
for snack peanuts. Peanut
Stocks and Processing Report
Production of blueberries in Eastern
Washington is estimated at 3,180 acres, up from
2,500 acres two years ago, and the projected yield is
39.8 million-lbs., up from 28 million-lbs. two years
ago. The industry will "triple in size in a short
period of time ... I know of no perennial crop growing
at this rate, and certainly none in the Northwest,"
according to Washington Blueberry Commission director
Alan Schreiber, reported The Seattle Times. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
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