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Industry
News
SYSCO Corporation corrected information
released by Dezina Marketing, Inc. Contrary to the Dezina
press release, which SYSCO Corporation did not review
or approve, SYSCO has not negotiated with or entered
into a joint venture with Dezina to provide its products
online to residential customers. SYSCO does currently
deliver foodservice products to commissaries operated
by Dezina. Furthermore, quotes attributed to Keith Shapiro,
president of SYSCO's operating company in Baltimore,
MD, were not reviewed or approved by Mr. Shapiro and
information describing SYSCO and its financial performance
was outdated or inaccurate. Full
Story
Food
prices in the U.S. are not likely to fall any time soon,
according to economists, as retail prices are quick
to rise but slow to decrease. In the U.S., where retail
food inflation is increasing at triple the normal rate,
customers could see continued price increases before
average levels subside to their normal rates, reported
The Associated Press. Full
Story
Although
some fast-food burger chains have leveled off in recent
years in the U.S., a higher class of burger chains is
emerging. These chains appeal to consumers seeking
a product and experience a notch above fast food but
without the price of a full-service restaurant. A host
of chains has entered this niche, including Five Guys,
Smashburger, The Counter, and Cheeseburger Bobby's,
which hopes to have 50 stores by the end of 2010, according
to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
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The
number of people who shopped at club stores such as
Costco, B.J.'s and Sam's Club increased 3.6% from September
2006 to April 2008,
with upscale consumers driving the increase, according
to Mediamark Research & Intelligence's Survey of
the American Consumer. Moreover, club store shoppers
with household incomes of $75,000 annually grew almost
12% in the same time period. Full
Story
Stop
& Shop is redesigning its logo and rolling out advanced
technologies and in-store features. In addition,
customers at select stores are able to sample a new
range of more than 100 fresh prepared foods and shop
in a family-friendly lane: a tabloid-free, candy-free
checkout aisle that offers healthy snack alternatives.
Full
Story
The
Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. and Dr Pepper Snapple Group,
Inc. signed an agreement to make the Crush beverage
portfolio available in the majority of PBG's territories
throughout the U.S. Full
Story
Reserve
Brands will reintroduce Eagle snacks in stores and
vending machines. "Six out of 10 adults remember
the brand," according to research cited by chief
executive Scott Lazar,
reported The New York Times on the Web. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
 ConAgra
Foods joined EPA's Climate Leaders and ENERGY STAR programs
and, for the first time, participated in the Carbon
Disclosure Project, with results to be published in
September of this year. Full
Story
Einstein
Noah Restaurant Group signed a multi-unit development
agreement with restaurateur Charles Loflin for seven
Texas locations to open within the next five years.
The first restaurant is scheduled to open in early 2009.
Full
Story
Attitude
Drinks Incorporated partnered with Nutraceutical Discoveries,
Inc to develop and introduce a functional dairy beverage
with enhanced metabolic effects. Full
Story
World's
Healthiest Pizza is introducing the first delivery
pizza in the U.S. fortified with the high-survivability
probiotic, GanedenBC30. The probiotics will be incorporated
into the prebiotic multi-grain crust, enhancing the
positioning of the pizza as an easy way to promote digestive
health, reported QSR Magazine. Full
Story
International News
Kentucky Fried Chicken
raised its prices in China for the second time this
year due to mounting commodity
costs. The price increase ranges from 0.5 yuan to 2.5
yuan for different items on the company's menu, according
to China Daily. Full
Story
 Monsanto
Company and China National Seed Group Corporation entered
into an agreement to expand their investments in
the companies' existing Chinese joint venture company,
CNSGC-DEKALB Seed Company Ltd (CNDK). The investments
will enable CNDK to expand its existing corn seed business
by combining CNDK's business operations with the corn
seed business of China Seed and providing CNDK access
to corn seed hybrids developed by Monsanto and China
Seed. Full
Story
French dairy brand Candia
teamed up with Disney to introduce the Candia Disney
brand, a line of semi-skimmed milk, with packaging
featuring Disney characters, reported Just-Food.
Full
Story
Health News
Consuming
tree nuts five or more times per week reduces the risk
of developing diabetes and heart disease,
according to epidemiologic studies. Individuals who
ate the most nuts had about a 35% reduced risk of coronary
heart disease, according to research published in Journal
of Nutrition. Full
Story, Study
Abstract
Drinking
fruit juices may reduce the effectiveness of some medicines,
according to research presented at the American Chemical
Society conference. A chemical in grapefruit juice may
prevent anti-allergy drugs from being absorbed properly.
Oranges,
and possibly apples, may have similar ingredients, according
to University of Western Ontario researchers, reported
BBC News. Full
Story
Washington News
Federal agents continue to investigate
House of Raeford Farms as
seven former supervisors pleaded guilty to using fake
IDs to work at one of its South Carolina poultry plants,
reported The Charlotte Observer. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
FDA is issuing a final rule amending
the food additive regulations to provide for the
safe use of ionizing radiation for control of food-borne
pathogens, and extension of shelf-life, in fresh iceberg
lettuce and fresh spinach. The amendments are in partial
response to a petition filed by The National Food Processors
Association on behalf of The Food Irradiation Coalition
dating back to the year 2000. The notice is expected
to be published in the Aug. 22 Federal Register.
Full Notice
The Federal Trade Commission will
host a "Transatlantic RFID Workshop on Consumer
Privacy and Data Security" on Sept. 23 to explore
emerging applications of radio frequency identification
technology and their implications for consumer protection
policy. Full
Release
Market News
Monsanto
Company entered into an agreement to sell its POSILAC
bovine somatotropin brand
and related business to Eli Lilly and Company's animal
health division, Elanco. Under the terms of the agreement,
Lilly will purchase assets and liabilities of Monsanto
associated with the POSILAC brand and related business
for an upfront payment of $300 million, plus additional
contingent consideration. Full
Story
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ECONOMIC
DOWNTURN PRESENTS OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES
FOR RETAILERS
The
future of food retailing for the next three
to five years will be dramatically affected
by two major trends: food inflation and
the emergence of small format stores, according
to the annual Future of Food Retailing
webinar presented by The Food Institute
and Willard Bishop, which examined the state
of the food and consumables retail industry
in 2007 and beyond. Food price inflation
will exceed current "conventional wisdom,"
and be a factor for three or more years,
predicted Willard Bishop during the webinar.
In fact, predictions about the rate of inflation
have generally been underestimated. However,
this food price inflation can benefit food
retailers with winning shopper value equations
and solid plans to take advantage. If
you missed The Future of Food
Retailing webinar and would like to
purchase a recording, click
here.
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A
solution for the bumble bee colony collapse syndrome
may be forthcoming, as researchers from the University
of Toronto suggest that a disease is being spread by
commercially reared bees used in greenhouses to wild
bumble bees. The widespread decrease of bee populations,
which caused a honey shortage and industry concern over
other bee-pollinated crops, could end as beekeepers
work to segregate the wild and domestic bees, reported
Food Navigator USA. Full
Story
The corn leafhopper is damaging California's
cornfields. The bug damages the plants and also
carries a disease that destroys them. Farm advisors
say there is no material to control the leafhopper,
but they hope to obtain funding to import a parasite
that attacks the pest, reported The California Farm
Bureau.
Water storage in California reservoirs
is at 51% of capacity, 73% of average water storage
for this date, according to the Department of Water
Resources. This may pose a problem for Southern California
farmers, who could lose as much as 90% of their water
allocations, reported California Farm Bureau Federation.
Rising temperatures and erratic weather
patterns are changing historic trends in the coffee
season in Peru. Growers are picking crops earlier,
and claim high-altitude plants are maturing at times
more typical of their low-land counterparts, reported
Reuters. Full
Story
USDA amended the general regulations
for federal fruit, vegetable, and nut marketing agreements
and marketing orders by establishing supplemental rules
of practice for amendatory formal rulemaking proceedings.
Full
Notice
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