Industry News

Redemption rates for free standing insert coupons increased 11.1% on average for grocery coupons in 2011. Overall, consumers saved $4.6 billion using coupons last year, $500 million more than 2010, according to Valassis. Some 80.6% of consumers report using coupons regularly, up 17 share points from pre-recession levels, according to the Annual Topline U.S. Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Coupon Facts Report, released by NCH Marketing Services, Inc. In 2011, CPG marketers distributed 305 billion coupons, representing an 8.1% decrease from the prior year. Full Story

Starbucks is targeting approximately 800 net new store openings globally in fiscal 2012, with approximately 400 net new stores in the Americas, approximately 300 net new stores in China and Asia Pacific and approximately 100 net new stores in Europe, Middle East, Russia and Africa. One-half of the China and Asia Pacific new stores are planned for China. Starbucks opened 241 net new stores globally. Full Story Meanwhile, Starbucks shipped more than 100 million K-Cup packs by the end of 2011. The premium single cup coffee segment was up 138% year-over-year for the 52 weeks ended Jan. 1, while Starbucks VIA Ready Brew reported system-wide sales of $250 million in 2011. Full Story

Wal-Mart plans to sell a new, lower-priced single-serve coffee brewer this spring that it developed with ESIO Beverage. The machine will "likely be a game changer in the single-serve category" and "compete head-on" with Green Mountain Coffee's Keurigs, according to investment bank Detwiler Fenton, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required)

US Foods expects to be the first national foodservice distributor in the U.S. to be certified in food safety and quality to the International Featured Standard. US Foods selected NSF International to certify each of the company's 60 distribution facilities across the country. The food safety and quality certification process is expected to be finished by the end of 2013. Full Story

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Latest sales & earnings for food related companies (Updated Daily - FI Membership Required)

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) released its 2012 Retail Sustainability Report, which highlights sustainability leadership in the retail industry and discusses retail's environmental, social and community impacts. Data for the report was collected from the 2011 sustainability reports of 30 RILA member companies. Full Story, Full Report

Food Institute News

Opportunities for investing in the $2.5 trillion global agricultural production and trade industry will be explored at the Global AgInvesting SM 2012 conference in New York. The conference will begin with a short course on Ag fundamentals, followed by discussions of current conditions in ag markets and the agricultural value chain. Investment possibilities for improved profitability and enhanced valuation will also be addressed. To learn more and sign up, click here.

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International News

Kraft Foods released a report from the World Economic Forum's New Vision for Agriculture initiative, which shares insights from the last year's work driving agricultural transformations in Vietnam, Indonesia, Mexico and Tanzania. Vietnamese farmers in pilot projects expect to boost fruit and vegetable yields 30% in 2012 and 100% by 2014. In another project, tea farmers achieved a 30% increase in the amount of Rainforest Alliance-certified tea, improving livelihoods and using resources more efficiently. The report was prepared in collaboration with McKinsey & Company. Full Story, Full Report

Health News

About 89% of U.S. women ages 18 to 34 consume the caffeine equivalent of 1.5 to two cups of coffee a day, according to a study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study also found that caffeine changes women's estrogen levels and has different effects in Asian and white women, reported HealthDay. Full Story

Washington News

Hostess Brands Inc. is pursuing initiatives such as upgrading its vehicle fleet, closing five bakeries that "operate at low baking capacity" and outsourcing the production of certain Hostess baked goods to third-party bakeries as it restructures. The company is also seeking court permission to reject the 296 collective-bargaining agreements that cover the majority of its 19,000 employees, claiming that it cannot survive in the marketplace without significant changes to its labor obligations, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required)

Market News

USDA continues to reduce and eliminate some of its in-season fruit and vegetable reporting. Vegetables will be reduced to one in-season report; most fruits will have one forecast report issued; and banana revisions, guava, olive, papaya and prune reports will all be eliminated. The current changes affect the 2012 growing season. All programs will be reevaluated in the future. Full Story

Fresh market vegetable and melon production for the 24 selected crops estimated in 2011 totaled 435 million cwt, down 2% from last year. Harvested area covered 1.7 million acres, down 1% from 2010. Processing production of eight selected vegetables estimated in 2011 totaled 17 million tons, down 4% from last year. Area harvested is estimated at 1.05 million acres, down 8% from a year ago. USDA Report