| Industry
News Smithfield Foods Inc. wants
to either sell its share or purchase the entirety of the Butterball brand,
stating it was "under-invested in" dating to the 2006 sale of the business by
ConAgra Foods Inc. Smithfield owns 49% of the Butterball brand after acquiring
the business in 2006 with Maxwell Farms Inc. for $325 million, and offered around
$200 million for the controlling stake held by Maxwell Farms, which has no intention
to walk away from the "strongest brand in the turkey industry," stated president
Walter Pelletier, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full
Story (WSJ Subscription Required) 
Yakult
U.S.A. Inc. will open a factory in Fountain Valley, CA in 2012. The facility
will produce 250,000 bottles per day of the company's probiotic drink Yakult.
Full
Story Several stevia companies formed agreements
with sugar companies to develop and market blends of sugar and stevia, which
offers more sucrose-like taste and lower calories. It is likely that soft drinks
would be the first area for development, stated VP of marketing at GLG Life Tech
James Kempland, reported Food Navigator USA. Full
Story America's moms are exercising financial
restraint and seeking discounts, with 58% planning to eat out less this year
than last, according to a survey from BOHAN Advertising/Marketing. The survey
also found that 57% intend to use coupons more this year, 63% expect to order
more often from value menus and 62% plan to buy discount, value or less expensive
items. When eating out, 70% of moms believe it is important that restaurants offer
healthy kids food but 87% simply want food that kids will eat. Full
Story PepsiCo's
PepsiCo Beverages Americas signed an agreement with The FRS Company to distribute
its FRS Healthy Energy brand of products. Full
Story In
response to a recent Daily Brief survey, "Future new retailing concepts will
focus primarily on the following," 24% voted Hispanics, 39% voted Prepared
Foods, 26% voted Private Label and 11% voted Small Format.
International
News Kellogg Co. plans to pursue international snack firms
and increase its presence in Russia, Turkey and China
and surrounding regions. "We're not looking to go buy another big company,"
stated COO John Bryant at the Deutsche Bank Global Consumer and Retail Food Conference.
"We're likely to buy businesses in our categories. There is not a lot of
 cereal
businesses out there to buy. That tends to take you to snacks," reported
Food Navigator. Full
Story Asia Food & Properties Ltd. entered into
an agreement to sell its wholly owned subsidiary Florentina International
Holdings to Golden Agri-Resources Ltd. for a cash consideration of $142.8 million,
reported The Wall Street Journal. Full
Story (WSJ Subscription Required) Health
News An
extract from apples rich in polyphenols may reduce or
prevent an allergic response to food allergens, claims a study by Nestle published
in Clinical & Experimental Allergy, reported Food Navigator. Full
Story Washington
News USDA
filed an administrative action against K & R Farms Produce Inc.
The action alleges that the company committed willful, repeated, and flagrant
violations of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. Full
Story
| Register
Now - The Future of Food Retailing 2010, a webinar presented by the Food
Institute and Willard Bishop. Join Jim Hertel, Managing
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and unparalleled insights into the Future of Food Retailing in a one-hour webinar
to be held 12 p.m. (EST), Tuesday, June 29. They will delve into retailer strategies,
identify specific actions Walmart and others are taking, and point out intended
and unintended consequences of retailers' actions. They will also point out winners
and losers in the post-recession food retailing landscape. To sign up and learn
more, click
here. | | USDA
filed an administrative action against JC Produce LLC. The action alleges
that the company committed willful, repeated, and flagrant violations of the Perishable
Agricultural Commodities Act. Full
Story Market News Beef
exports through the first four months of 2010 were 26% above year-earlier levels,
with exports forecast to increase 10% this year, noted ERS. U.S. beef imports
through April, however, were down 20% from 2009. Broiler meat production is expected
to total 9.13 billion-lbs. in second quarter 2010, up 2% from a year earlier.
Stocks are down from the previous year and exports have proven to be stronger
than expected. Livestock,
Dairy and Poultry Outlook Report 
Crimson,
a new cranberry dry bean cultivar, is now available for production in the
form of foundation seed. ARS
Release |
