| Industry
News Brazilian meat packer Marfrig Foods reached
an agreement to buy Keystone Foods for $1.26 billion, reported Reuters.
Full
Story 
Customer
satisfaction results show improvement for many of the largest companies in the
restaurant industry, according to a report from the American Customer Satisfaction
Index (ACSI). Papa John's led the fast food category with an index of 80, a 7%
increase, while Pizza Hut rose 5% and Little Caesar's index increased 4% to 78.
KFC and Burger King's index also rose 9% to 75 and 7% to 74, respectively, while
McDonald's posted an industry low customer satisfaction of 67, dropping 4%. Full
Story Convenience
is a key driver for U.S. consumers who are increasingly turning to prepared
foods purchased at the supermarket deli for in-home suppers, finds The NPD
Group. Nearly half of deli-area prepared food purchases are in-store decisions.
While most purchases of deli-prepared foods are driven by habit and convenience,
10 % are items buyers are trying for the first time. Full
Story  Arby's
signed a deal with Nancy Bailey & Associates Inc. to begin fielding offers
to sell packaged Arby's items on supermarket shelves, reported Nation's
Restaurant News. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Nelson
Peltz is not interested in partnering on a buyout of the Wendy's/Arby's chain
or in selling his shares, according to a banker familiar with the situation, reported
The New York Post. Full
Story
International
News Frito Lay Canada introduced zero-emission electric
vehicles into its delivery fleet. Full
Story Round Table Pizza will be evaluating
cities and prospective partners in China during the next two weeks after receiving
multiple inquiries for master licenses to bring its products to China and elsewhere
in Asia. Full
Story Health News  Some
43% of consumers are paying more attention to calorie counts than
they did two years ago, according to the 18th annual Shopping for Health survey
by the Food Marketing Institute and Prevention magazine. Additionally,
only 9% of consumers actively count the calories they consume, 50% "just
watch their calories" and 41% do not monitor their calories at all. Full
Story
Washington
News NOAA
and FDA are taking additional steps to enhance inspection measures designed
to ensure that seafood from the Gulf of Mexico is safe to eat. The strategy includes
precautionary closures, increased seafood testing inspections and a re-opening
protocol. Full
Story Meanwhile, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
issued an executive order to temporarily close a portion of coastal state
waters offshore of Escambia County to the harvest of saltwater fish, crabs and
shrimp. Full
Story 
The
National Milk Producers Federation's Board of Directors voted to move forward
with a variety of changes in federal dairy policies, including transitioning
the existing safety nets of the Dairy Product Price Support and Milk Income Loss
Contract programs into a new Dairy Producer Margin Protection Program to guard
against periods of severe financial pressures; establishing a Dairy Market Stabilization
Program to help address periodic imbalances in milk production and demand; and
reforming the Federal Milk Marketing Order program. Full
Story Meanwhile, the International Dairy Foods Association claims these
policies could hurt the industry by encouraging consumption of lower priced
non-dairy foods, reported Food Navigator USA. Full
Story Market News Farm
commodity prices are unlikely to drop back to their average levels of
the past decade, according to the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2010-19. The report
sees average wheat and coarse grain prices over the next 10 years between 15%
to 40% higher in real terms (adjusted for inflation) than their average levels
during the 1997-2006 period. Real prices for vegetable oils are expected to be
more than 40% higher. Dairy prices are projected to be on average between 16%
to 45% higher. Full
Story 
Southern
Specialties Inc. plans to acquire additional warehouse space at its headquarters
and distribution facility. The expansion is to provide Southern Specialties 36%
more storage capacity as well as additional capabilities through hydrocooling
and forced air cooling for the company's fresh-cut processing, reported The
Packer Online. Full
Story (Subscription Required) | 
