Industry News

Walmart plans to base some executive compensation this year on the success of its compliance operations overhaul. Under its policy changes, Walmart's audit committee can choose to reduce or eliminate 2014 cash incentives for top executives if the company does not meet certain compliance objectives related to a federal investigation into bribery allegations in Mexico. Senior managers will begin providing quarterly reports to the audit committee on their progress in implementing the corporate compliance program, including standards and controls, training, and monitoring, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required)

Food companies like Chipotle have started using solar cells and hyper-efficient plumbing to cut down on their carbon footprints. Others have installed recycling bins and segregated trash, to ensure that compostable materials and recyclables get disposed of properly. And some fast food chains are taking aim at their packaging. Starbucks and McDonald's have emerged as leaders in the green fast food movement. For the past few years, the two companies have been working on improving their sourcing, cutting down on their packaging, and lobbying the FDA to increase the amount of recycled fibers that are allowed in fast food packaging, reported Daily Finance. Full Story

Kroger is experimenting with technology that allows customers to scan grocery items themselves as they take them off the shelf. Called "Scan, Bag, Go," it provides interested shoppers hand-held scanners and bags as they walk in the door. Customers scan and bag items as they navigate the store, then scan a bar code at the front of the store that transfers their order to the checkout. Kroger has been testing the technology at a few stores in the Cincinnati region since fall 2009. It has added two new stores for a total of five in the pilot project in the last year. Upgraded software with more vivid text displays is being rolled out to test stores, reported The Cincinnati Enquirer. Full Story

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Reed's secured a new agreement to produce a line of private label branded beverages for a large foodservice distributor. Full Story

DuPont's first-quarter net profit more than doubled as its agricultural segment posted strong results. For the first quarter, the company's sales in its agricultural segment rose 14% while performance chemicals dropped 17%, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required)

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

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Food Institute News

The Food Institute's Demographics of Consumer Food Spending 2013 provides in-depth information and insightful analysis on U.S. consumer food spending patterns. Designed for easy use, this annual study provides an easy-to-read breakdown of spending on food overall, food at-home, food away-from-home, and alcoholic beverages. Topics covered include age, income, career, education, race, gender and region of the U.S. For more information, click here.

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International News

Lidl will pump millions into its UK fresh meat and poultry range. The supermarket chain will invest £66 million ($101 million) as part of a commitment towards increasing the amount of fresh products on offer in store. According to the supermarket, it will increase the number of fresh meat and poultry lines in its listed range by 49%. It will also install new chiller cabinets in all 600 UK stores, reported Meat & Poultry. Full Story

Health News

People who get more fiber in their diet are less likely to have a stroke than those who skimp on the nutrient, according to a new review of existing research. The researchers found the risk of suffering a first stroke fell by 7% for every 7-gram increase in dietary fiber people reported each day - so that those who ate the most fiber had the lowest chance of stroke, according to findings published in the journal Stroke, reported Reuters. Full Story

Washington News

FDA is violating food-safety law by delaying regulations intended to help prevent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses, according to a federal judge. U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton stated the agency "admittedly failed to comply with the mandatory rule-making schedule" of the Food Safety and Modernization Act, reported Bloomberg Businessweek. Full Story

Market News

River flooding that is already swamping part of the Midwest could get worse with more rain and snow spreading over the region. Areas from Oklahoma through Michigan are forecast to get an inch of rain April 23, and some places twice that, by the time the storm moves away later that night, the National Weather Service forecasts. To the north, up to 9-in. of snow is possible in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. As of late April 22, more than 170 gauges were in flood stage across the U.S., almost all of them in the upper Midwest, reported USA Today. Full Story

NASS will not publish the Puerto Rico Various Agricultural Statistics 2012 Summary, due to changes in the availability of the data from the Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture. The annual publication provided data on various livestock and crop commodities. Full Story