| Industry
News The Top 400 restaurant franchisors generated
roughly $31.8 billion in sales in 2009, up 1.6% from
the prior year, according to the 2010 Technomic/Restaurant Finance Monitor
Top 400 Restaurant Franchise Company Report. Chains with the greatest franchise
sales were McDonald's ($26 billion), Subway ($10 billion) and Burger King ($7.7
billion), while NPC International was again the top franchise company with sales
of $845 million, up 22.5% nominally over 2008. Full
Story 
New!
The Sept. 1 edition of New Products Hits and Misses with
Phil Lempert profiles items including Gimbal's Honeylovers Candies,
Mariel's Kitchen Blisscuits Classic Cinnamon Cookies and Starbucks Via Ready Brew
Lightly Sweetened Iced Coffee. Five new products are evaluated each week. Click
here to view. PepsiCo
will change Gatorade distribution in the trade channels of Convenience, UDS
(up and down the street) and Dollar from a warehouse-delivered go-to-market system
to direct store delivery through both company-owned and independent bottlers in
the U.S. and Canada. The company expects the change to become effective Jan. 1.
Full
Story  Alimentation
Couche-Tard Inc. increased its tender offer, through an indirect wholly owned
subsidiary, to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Casey's
General Stores, Inc. to $38.50 per share in cash. Full
Story
Fry's Food Stores opened a Signature
Marketplace superstore in Phoenix. The store is targeted towards affluent
shoppers with valet parking, custom car washes, a cooking school, wine bar and
expanded selections of organic produce and high-end meats, reported Arizona
Republic. Full
Story (Free Registration Required) Burger
King Holdings Inc. has been considering a possible sale and
held talks with potential buyers, claims a source familiar with the situation.
One potentially interested party was 3i Group Plc, reported Reuters. Full
Story
International
News  International
food prices are at their highest level in two years,
fueled in part by a drought in Russia that lifted the cost of wheat, according
to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, reported The Associated Press.
Full
Story
The Canadian government invested nearly
$4.4 million to help Nutra Canada develop a facility for producing fruit,
vegetable and medicinal plant extracts. Full
Story Health News The
DASH eating plan, known to reduce blood pressure and bad cholesterol, also reduces
the 10-year risk of heart attack, especially among African-Americans, according
to research reported in Circulation. Full
Story Washington
News China
imposed anti-subsidy duties for five years on imports of U.S. chicken products
after concluding producers received improper support,
according to the Commerce Ministry. Importers must pay tariff rates ranging from
4% to 30.3% on U.S. broiler or chicken products, reported The Associated Press.
Full
Story
Register
Today! The Food Institute and Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode
Matz PC will jointly present a three-part webinar series entitled Food Labeling:
What You Need To Know. Presentations are slated for Tuesdays in September
(9/14, 9/21 and 9/28) from 12pm - 2pm ET each day. A variety of topics specific
to the latest trends and rules of labeling food products for consumption in the
U.S. will be covered. Guest speakers will include distinguished personnel from
the FDA, grocery associations, healthcare law firm, advocates for health and nutrition,
experts in nutritional analysis and more! Please click
here for more information and to register. | |
California's lawmakers rejected a bill that would
have enacted a statewide ban on plastic shopping bags, reported USA Today.
Full
Story The California Grocers Association denounced the failure of the
California State Senate to pass Assembly Bill 1998. Full
Story Market News Contracted
production for California processing tomatoes is forecast at 12.3 million tons,
averaging 45.90 tons per acre, according to USDA. After a record processing tomato
crop in 2009, forecast production is 7.6% lower for the 2010 crop. Above average
rainfall during the winter improved water allocations in growing areas. In the
spring, wet weather and cool temperatures continued, causing delays in field preparation
and planting schedules. Full
Report 
Turkish
raisin production in 2010 is forecasted at 240,000 MT. Meanwhile, in the early
forecast of 2009, production was forecasted at 280,000 MT, but due to late rainfall
in September, production was just 260,000 MT. FAS
Report | 
