Industry News

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Consumers have a high concern for food safety when shopping for food, yet appear to have nearly the same sense of control over purchasing safe foods as they do in eating food at home. A key concern to consumers when dining out is a lack of interaction between the process and the ingredients that produce their meal, according to The Hartman Group. Full Story

2006 Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report The 2006 Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report is the most comprehensive ranking, analysis and overview of the U.S. chain restaurant industry. The Top 500 helps readers develop sales and marketing strategies, identify growth opportunities and monitor segment and menu category performance. The report features total restaurant industry and Top 500 share by menu category, Top 100 restaurant brands, Fastest growing chains and New "emerging" entrants to the Top 500. For more information, click here.

The 26-store Kings Supermarket chain is looking to double in size over the next five years, according to Bruce Weitz, a member of the investment group that bought NJ-based Kings Super Markets Inc. in April and now president and ceo, reported The Record. He also noted the chain is much more competitive in pricing than the company has ever been. The firm's growth plan is to increase comp store sales, remodel and open new stores, and look for acquisitions of single-stores and groups of two or three stores. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Grocery retailer, Winn-Dixie, made an agreement with Star-K Certification, Inc., a large kosher certification agency, through which it will ensure that Winn-Dixie's private-label kosher products adhere to Jewish dietary laws, providing shoppers an increased variety of kosher foods. In its stores, Winn-Dixie will update its specialty product section as well as labeling kosher items to help the kosher customer locate items during a shopping trip. Full Story

Tesco plans to take over an Albertsons market in Glassell Park, CA. This location will be one of the first of 150 stores to open in the West Coast. The 32,500-sq. ft. location is about double the size of what retail analysts previously expected, reported The Los Angeles Times. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

RainSweet, Inc. Salem, OR-based RainSweet, Inc. is a processor of natural fruits and vegetables. Vegetables include onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, bean sprouts and small whole (pearl) onions. The fruit category is comprised of Marionberries, Red Raspberries, Boysenberries, Evergreen Blackberries Strawberries, Bartlett Pears and Blueberries. RainSweet has launched RainSweet Berry Extremes®, select berries in an elegant sauce (frozen toppings), bakery fillings and bakery jams (shelf stable). RainSweet Berry Extremes® is made from the finest fresh picked berries. To learn more about 14-year Food Institute member visit www.rainsweet.com Interested in seeing your company featured here? Email us for more details.

Aiming to cater to busy working families, Wegmans is using its flagship store in Pittsford, NY as a test site for a new concept. "What we have here is a concept...we're calling them pods. They're really bars that are quick meal solutions," said Wegmans executive chef Eric Wendorff, reported 13WHAM.com. The vegetarian bar offers vegetables, salads, and smoothies. There is also a seafood bar where a chef prepares a variety of seafood, grilled and topped with choice of sauce. The company is also considering a bar with Italian food. Full Story

Tyson Foods Inc. is looking to expand or make acquisitions, possibly with partners, in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and China, according to Reuters. Full Story

McDonald's Corp. may soon offer its breakfast menu all day long as a new restaurant layout will make it easier to prepare a wide variety of foods at once. Breakfast sales have been a key part of the company's three-year turnaround, thanks in part to products like McGriddles sandwiches and a new, stronger coffee blend. The breakfast period is the "strongest performer" among McDonald's three major meal segments in the last two to three years, according to the company's Chief Financial Officer, reported Houston Chronicle. Full Story

Coffee farmers should be able to meet growing demand for premium coffee, despite some market concerns about tight supply, said the chairman of Starbucks Corp. Meanwhile, this year Starbucks expects to exceed its 50% target of coffee purchases from farmers applying the company's Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E) Practices, a set of what the company says are socially and economically responsible buying guidelines, reported Reuters. Full Story

Pierre Foods Inc. competed the purchase of Clovervale Farms Inc., producer of a variety of food items, including individually portioned entrees, fruits, vegetables, sandwiches, cobblers and other similar products, reported CSP Daily News. Full Story

Las Vegas-based Redux Beverages introduced a new energy drink described as a fruity, atomic fireball. The beverage is marketed to give a person a "high" coupled with a tingly euphoric feeling within five minutes of drinking it, according to the company. That initial boost is followed 15 minutes later by an energ