Industry News

Manufacturers are altering recipes on many products due to higher ingredient costs, according to The Wall Street Journal. For example, Hershey Co. is substituting vegetable oil for a portion of the cocoa butter used in some of its chocolates, and McCormick & Co. is supplying companies with cheaper spices and new flavor blends, such as Mexican oregano instead of Mediterranean oregano, and garlic concentrate instead of heavier garlic cloves. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required)

The recent surge in U.S. exports of corn, wheat, and soybeans is revealing inefficiencies in the country's railways, highways, and rivers. Bottlenecks are costing farmers, shippers, and ultimately consumers millions of dollars a year. Some agribusiness groups claim the bottlenecks could hurt the U.S.' standing as a global food provider as other nations, such as Brazil and Argentina, compete for a lucrative share of the market, reported CBSNEWS.com. Full Story

In the latest effort to tailor ads to specific consumers, marketers are starting to personalize in-store promotions based on products the consumer recently picked off a shelf. Dunkin' Donuts is among the first marketers in the U.S. to begin testing the technologies. In a separate test, Procter & Gamble is placing radio-frequency identification tags on products at a Metro Extra retail store in Germany, so that when a customer pulls the product off the shelf, a digital screen at eye level changes its message, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required)

Few omega-3 functional foods and beverages are able to transcend niche-market status despite high market predictions. Although new products are launched frequently, sales remain sluggish for the food and beverage industry while omega-3 supplement sales continue to stay high. Muller attributes poor sales numbers to a general consumer lack of trust in the product, reported Food Navigator Europe. Full Story

Latest sales & earnings for food related companies (Updated Daily)

There appears to be no end in sight to high fertilizer prices, according to Ford West, president of The Fertilizer Institute. "The dynamics in the world for food hasn't changed," stated Mr. West. "...We do see more nitrogen production coming on in the world, but the question is that world demand. Is the production coming on equal to the world demand?" Fertilizer costs almost quadrupled since 2000, reported the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Chicken chain Popeyes is embarking on a comprehensive brand transformation that emphasizes its almost four decades of Louisiana-inspired home cooking. The initiative includes a more contemporary logo, new brand advertising and tagline, and new products, including a Loaded Chicken Wrap. Full Story

An increasing number of colleges and universities are no longer offerings cafeteria trays in order to conserve water, energy, and detergents, and reduce wasted food. Some 50 to 60% percent of Aramark's 500 campus partners and 230 of the 600 colleges and universities served by Sodexo are expected to get rid of their trays, according to company officials. At least 23 of the 625 schools belonging to the National Association of College & University Food Services adopted the idea so far, reported The Associated Press. Full Story

Food stamp sales at New York farmers markets increased from $3,000 in 2002 to $90,000 in 2007, and nearly 25% of the state's markets accept them. This follows a larger trend as more farmers markets nationwide are accepting food stamps for their produce, with some state governments providing complementary handheld wireless terminals for electronic benefit transfers and more planned for farmers markets in the future, reported Newsday. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

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Despite a sinking economy, more than 1,000 new restaurant seats will become available by the end of the year in San Francisco, with hundreds more coming in the first quarter of 2009. Most of the people involved are seasoned in the industry, and nearly all are stressing value, reported San Francisco Business Times. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

A Chicago-based operator of frequent-dining programs, Rewards Network, dropped the fees it charged for discounts at bars and restaurants in an effort to expand its incentive diners program. Diner members now get refunds of 5 to 10% of the bill each time they eat at a participating restaurant, while restaurants still pay a fee, reported The Chicago Sun-Times. Full Story

Comax Flavors and FutureCeuticals Inc will collaborate to bring their ingredients together and focus on beverages and confectionery as delivery vehicles for functional ingredients, reported Food Navigator USA. Full Story

RBP of Florida LLC plans to open 11 RedBrick Pizza locations in the central Florida area over the next several years, reported Orlando Business Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Delivery service Dr. Delivery expanded into California, currently serving 30 clients in the state but expecting 60 by the year's end. The company charges both users and restaurants for its services, with customers paying a flat $4.99 fee plus 10% on top of their orders, reported Washington Business Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Krispy Kreme's football doughnuts are now available in participating stores. Krispy Kreme is also featuring tailgate packs, which include one dozen football doughnuts and one dozen of Krispy Kreme's Original Glazed. Full Story

Camille's Sidewalk Café rolled out the Slim Smoothie, its new low-cal smoothie drink creation, available in two flavors: Mango-Peach and Pineapple, reported QSR Magazine. Full Story

Great American Cookies is now accepting online orders. Full Story

International News

A deadly listeriosis outbreak was traced to a Toronto-based Maple Leaf Foods plant, according to Canadian health officials. Four people died from a strain of listeriosis that was linked to the meat plant, while another 21 people have confirmed cases of the bacterium, according to Canada's Public Health Agency, reported CNN. Full Story

Robert Wiseman Dairies' latest plant in England will be held to a new standard for environmental performance in the milk industry. When planning the $184 million dairy in Somerset, the company considered how to reduce waste, energy consumption, and use of materials, which would also produce cash savings, reported Financial Times. Full Story

North Korean scientists developed a new kind of noodle that delays feelings of hunger. The food, made from corn and soybeans, left people feeling fuller longer, reported BBC News. Full Story

Health News

The use of paprika in foods poses no threat of cancer or toxicity, according to researchers from the Japanese National Institute of Health Sciences, reported Food Navigator Europe. Full Story

Antioxidant compounds in strawberries are absorbed regardless of the amount eaten, according to the Agricultural Research Service. Full Story

Washington News

Health Canada is continuing its campaign against the banned weight-loss herbal Ephedra and the anxiety-reliever Kava, issuing its latest warning to consumers Aug. 21. The group is focusing its effort on two products sold under the Life Choice brand: Life Choice Ephedrine HCL and Life Choice Kava Kava. Full Story

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CPSI) is asking for help in its campaign to convince FDA that synthetic dyes do not belong in foods, especially those consumed by children. The dyes are being removed in European countries because of new evidence connecting hyperactivity and other behavior problems to the dyes. CSPI is urging parents who believe their children are harmed by food dyes to file reports online which will then be forwarded to FDA. Full Story

Market News

This year's Washington apple crop is estimated at 99.6 million boxes, up slightly from 98.4 million boxes in 2007, according to the preseason forecast by the Wenatchee Valley Traffic Association and the Yakima Valley Growers-Shippers Association, reported The Packer Online. Full Story (Subscription Required)

Lemon market prices are expected to drop shortly, even though prices are at an all-time high. The effects of a freeze two years ago and other weather conditions, including drought, reduced overall crop size this growing season, reported California Farm Bureau.

USDA amended the brucellosis regulations concerning the interstate movement of cattle by changing the classification of Texas from Class A to Class Free. Full Notice

NMFS prohibited retention of Greenland turbot in the Bering Sea subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area. Full Notice

NMFS announced the Commerce Secretary's approval of Amendment 79 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska. Full Notice

NMFS will reallocate the projected unused amount of Pacific cod from catcher vessels. Full Notice