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Industry
News
Many segments of food retail registered
healthy gains from June 2008 to the present,
including a 14.3% increase in sales from limited assortment
stores (Aldi and Trader Joe's, for example) and a 12.4%
increase for super warehouses, according to The Future
of Food Retailing, a webinar presented by The Food Institute
and Willard Bishop, reported CSP Daily News.
Full
Story To purchase a recording of the webinar, click
here.
Darden Restaurants will move forward
aggressively with Red Lobster makeovers, remodeling
50 of them this year and stepping up the pace moving
ahead. Darden also is remodeling LongHorn Steakhouse
restaurants, another chain it
aims to revamp. At least 30 LongHorn Steakhouses will
 get
a new look. That remodeling program will focus on the
Atlanta area, where LongHorn got its start. As remodeling
ramps
up, the pace of new construction is slowing. Ten new
Red Lobsters opened in fiscal 2009, which ended in May.
This year, only three to five will open. LongHorn's
new-restaurant growth will slow as well, with the chain
opening about a dozen restaurants this year as opposed
to 16 in fiscal 2009, according to Orlando Sentinel.
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Story (Free Registration Required)
The
parent company of the Sunny Delight Beverages Co., Veryfine
Co. and The Elations Company LLC, Beverages Holdings,
LLC, acquired substantially all the assets of Bossa
Nova Beverage Group, Inc., an acai juice producer.
Full
Story
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. plans
to serve only cage-free eggs in its more than 300
company-owned restaurants by the end of 2010. One-third
of all eggs purchased by the company will be cage-free
beginning in July. Full
Story
U.S. Foodservice plans to close its
Bloomington, IN facility on or around Oct. 3, reported
The Indianapolis Star. Full
Story
International News
 The
Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. (PBG) formed a multiyear
agreement to distribute Rockstar Energy Drink
in Mexico. PBG already distributes the brand in the
U.S. and Canada, and will begin distributing it in Mexico
in July. Full
Story
Parmalat received regulatory approval
for its proposed $70 million purchase of a number
of the dairy assets held by National Foods. The Australian
Competition and Consumer Commission advised that they
would not oppose the deal, which was brought about due
to the takeover of  Dairy
Farmers last year by Kirin subsidiary National Foods,
reported Australian Food. Full
Story
Health News
Most
consumers are not aware of how many calories are in
food items such as an apple
or a cheese sandwich, according to a survey from restaurant
group The Real Greek. The results of the 1000-participant
survey showed that 68% of people incorrectly thought
that a fillet steak had more calories than a cheese
sandwich while 45% of people believed an apple contained
more calories than a portion of rice. Full
Story
Washington News
A U.S. appeals court left in place
an injunction barring Monsanto Co. from selling its
Roundup Ready alfalfa seed
until the government completes an environmental impact
study on how the genetically modified product could
affect neighboring crops. The Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals rejected the company's request for a rehearing
of its appeal and stated it would accept no more petitions
for rehearing, reported Reuters. Full
Story
An attempt to amend shareholder litigation
against Jones Soda, its founder and other executives
and directors was denied by the U.S. District Court
for Western Washington. The lawsuit, which was dismissed
by the court in February, alleged that they misled investors
by misstating the company's market penetration, which
led to the stock's overvaluation, and sold personal
stock at the higher price, reported The Seattle Times.
Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Market News
Already several weeks late, Midwest
corn growers are planting their crop after after intense
spring rains put them weeks behind schedule. Many
in Illinois and other portions of the Midwest are hoping
to plant already late soybeans. While it is too early
to see how the slowed planting from eastern Missouri
across Illinois and Indiana and into Ohio could affect
yields at harvest this fall, a shorter growing season
could mean a smaller crop and higher prices, reported
The Associated Press. Full
Story
Though fresh produce is holding up in
the global recession, companies need to position
themselves through specialty products and low debt levels
if they are to emerge market leaders, stated Rabobank
economists Kenneth Shwedel and Marieke de Rijke, reported
The Packer Online. Full
Story (Subscription Required)
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