Industry News
IMC Licensing entered into a representation agreement with Roman
Meal, a producer of whole grain products, to develop a portfolio
of licensed food items. Initial categories may include bagels, muffins,
pizza crusts, baking mixes, whole grain salty snacks and crackers,
breakfast cereals, pastas and frozen breakfast foods. Full
Story
Soup
sales are falling, with Citigroup reporting a 6.7% decline for
the 12 weeks ended Jan. 23 and a drop of 3.3% over the 52-week period.
Campbell's U.S. soup sales dropped 8% over the 12-week period compared
with 2009, as ready-to-serve soups such as the Chunky brand declined
18% due to a lack of aggressive promotion, stated food industry consultant
Rick Shea. General Mills Inc.'s soup sales also fell 12.6% during
the three-month period while ConAgra's sales fell 14.1% in the segment,
according to Nielsen data, reported The Los Angeles Times.
Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Positioned
as a relatively inexpensive luxury, upscale coffee sales continue
to thrive even as many other industries suffer from consumer cutbacks
on nonessential purchases, according to Packaged Facts' Coffee
and Ready-to-Drink Coffee in the U.S.: The Market and Opportunities
in Retail and Foodservice, 6th Edition report. Total coffee market
sales, including foodservice and retail, rose to $48 billion in 2009,
with annual growth of 4% in 2008 and 2009. Sales in foodservice reached
$42 billion, accounting for 87% of the coffee market. Full
Story
Hispanic
shoppers tend to spend more on food consumed at home, African-American
shoppers tend to buy fewer items on deals or with coupons and Asian-American
consumers are more likely to eat outside of the home, according to
The
Nielsen Co. Full
Story New! Eating
In, a Food Institute webinar presented in cooperation with
Willard Bishop and The Coca-Cola Retailing and Research Council,
will be held Thursday, Apr. 15 at 12 p.m. (EST). The webinar will
highlight results from a study sponsored by the Coca-Cola Retailing
and Research Council - North America using NPD Group data. A copy
of the study will be available for download upon webinar registration.
To sign up, learn more and download the study, click
here.
C-stores
including Wawa, QuikTrip, Quick Chek, Rutters and Sheetz compete against
the quick-casual segment by delivering fresher food and coffee
and more sophisticated packaging and accoutrements, according
to Tim Powell, senior manager and c-store program director at Technomic
Inc., who spoke at the annual American Wholesale Marketers Association
show.
The executive noted that convenience
chains will continue to ramp up store designs and foodservice areas,
reported CSP Daily News. Full
Story
Latest
sales & earnings for food related companies (Updated Daily
- FI Membership Required)
Food Institute News
Just
Rescheduled! The Food Institute and Olsson Frank Weeda
Terman Bode Matz PC will host the Implementing An E.coli Control
Policy webinar on Wednesday, Apr. 7 at 12 p.m. (EST). A panel
of experts will discuss how to prevent and control E. coli outbreaks;
how to keep your records in order to avoid shouldering the blame for
mishandling foodstuff; and how to deal with a positive finding should
it occur. To sign up and learn more, click
here.
* Members only
International News
A mayor loyal to Venezuelan president
Hugo Chavez, Amalia Saez, ordered the expropriation of property
owned by food producer Empresas Polar, reported The Associated
Press. Full
Story
BusinessWeek examines
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez's takeovers of various food companies
and industries. Under state ownership, food production in the country
is declining. From 1999 to 2008, per capita, sugar cane was off by
8%, fruit declined by 25% and beef production dropped by 38%, according
to Carlos Machado, an expert in agriculture at the Institute of Higher
Administrative Studies. Full
Story
Health News
A diet rich in berries may reduce levels of inflammatory markers
associated with liver health and metabolic syndrome, claims a study
published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reported
Food Navigator. Full
Story
Washington News
The Massachusetts state Senate approved a bill that bans the sale
of junk food and sugary drinks in school vending machines and
school stores, reported The Boston Globe. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Market News
Due
to the recent earthquake in Chile, Whole Foods Market is anticipating
a significant shortage of Chilean grapes that will extend through
early April and perhaps to May, according to Karen Christensen,
Whole Foods' Global Produce Buyer. Whole Foods received reports that
many cold storage facilities and packing plants were destroyed. Full
Story
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