Industry News

Consumer confidence in food safety is at its highest point in seven years, with 88% of shoppers "completely" or "somewhat" confident in the safety of food at the supermarket, according to FMI's U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report. More than 90% of shoppers agree "strongly" or "somewhat" with the statement that they trust their grocery stores to ensure the food they eat is safe and more than half of shoppers agree strongly. When asked where they believe the food safety breaches occur, more than half of shoppers named food processing and manufacturing plants. Full Story NEW! Sign Up Today! The Food Institute and Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode Matz PC will offer a year-long webinar series on FDA implementation of the new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Twelve one-hour webinars will be offered throughout the course of the next year, offering information on the following topics and so much more: FDA Rulemaking Activity, Upcoming Deadlines, Significant Studies, Reports and Notices Mandated by FSMA and Guidance Document Developments. The webinar series begins Wednesday, May 25. To learn more and sign up, click here.

Publix Super Markets Inc. entered into a contract to sell fresh salads, soups and sandwiches restaurant company Crispers to Healthy Food Concepts, LLC. Healthy Food Concepts, LLC will operate 36-unit Crispers as a stand-alone business. Full Story

Recording Now Available! Merger and Acquisition activity continues to be a driving force within the food sector, according to the Food Institute webinar Mergers and Acquisitions in the Food Industry: "The Art of the Deal". This webinar evaluated recent Merger and Acquisition activity and offered strategies for the future. To learn more and purchase, click here.

View Today! The May 11 edition of New Products Hits and Misses with Phil Lempert evaluates: Green Valley Organics Lactose Free Cultured Sour Cream, Annie Chun's Roasted Seaweed Snacks Wasabi Flavor, Ideal No Calorie Sweetener 100 Packets, Pretzel Pete Pretzel Pearls Coconut Curry Mild Heat Flavor and Planters Flavor Grove Almonds Vanilla Caramel Flavor. Click here to view.

King Arthur Flour Co. plans to break ground in June on an expansion of its facility in Norwich, VT. The project, estimated to cost $8 million to $10 million, is scheduled to be finished by June 2012, reported Burlington Free Press. Full Story

General Mills' Betty Crocker leads the $382 million market for cake, cupcake and pie mixes, with a 38.1% share, followed by Duncan Hines, with a 30.9% share, according to data for the 52 weeks ending Apr. 17 by SymphonyIRI Group, excluding Wal-Mart, reported The New York Times on the Web. Full Story (Subscription Required)

The Pantry, Inc. will expand its fresh food offerings to a third market, Birmingham, AL, reported News & Observer. Full Story

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

Food Institute News

Sign Up Today! The Food Institute and Willard Bishop will present a one-hour webinar, The Future of Food Retailing, on June 15 at 12 p.m. (EST). Food inflation is making a comeback, at levels that have not been seen in over 35 years, and is being driven by rising commodity prices. Jim Hertel, Managing Partner, and Craig Rosenblum, Partner, both of Willard Bishop, and moderator Michael Sansolo, will provide their unique and unparalleled insights into retailer strategies, identify specific actions that Walmart and others are taking, and point out intended and unintended consequences of retailers' actions. They will also point out winners and losers in the consumer spending turnaround and the effect this has had on the larger food retailers. To sign up and learn more, click here.

Kerr Concentrates, Inc. Kerr Concentrates, Inc. processes fruit and vegetables into juice concentrates, purees, puree concentrates and essences that will enrich your products with distinctive color and flavor. The Salem, OR-based company also offers custom blending and a full-time product development staff to meet your needs. With an experienced team, Kerr Concentrates is poised to continue its history as a leading provider of innovative and quality products. To learn more about this Food Institute member visit: www.kerrconcentrates.com. Interested in seeing your company featured here? Email us for more details.

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International News

China registered 48 billion fast-food transactions in 2010, each with an average value of about $3.22, according to statistics compiled by retail analytics firm Access Asia, reported The Globe and Mail. An estimated 15.3 million urban Chinese consume fast food once a day. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Japanese convenience store operator FamilyMart aims to increase the number of its outlets in China to 8,000 by February 2021 from around its current 600. Ting Hsin International Group, which operates FamilyMart stores in China, will lift its stake in their joint venture to 59.7% from 50.5%. FamilyMart is aiming to boost the number of its stores worldwide to 40,000 by 2020 from about 18,000 now. Of that, 11,000 outlets would be in Japan with 29,000 overseas, reported Reuters. Full Story

Health News

Women who drink five or more cups of coffee a day may lower their risk for developing ER-positive breast cancer, a hormone-responsive estrogen receptor form of the disease, according to Swedish research published in Breast Cancer Research, reported HealthDay. Full Story

The Daily Update is a substantially abbreviated version of Today In Food. You can get a subscription to Today In Food, which usually has over 30 news items each day, as well as access to the archives for just $49.95 per year. Click here to sign up.

Washington News

The Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit challenging George's Inc.'s acquisition of Tyson Foods' Harrisonburg, VA-based chicken processing complex. The department stated that based on the information gathered thus far, the acquisition eliminates substantial competition between the two companies for the procurement of services of chicken growers in the Shenandoah Valley area. Full Story

Market News

The 2011/12 outlook for U.S. wheat is for reduced supplies with lower carryin and production than in 2010/11. Beginning stocks for 2011/12 are down 14% from 2010/11, but remain the second highest in a decade. All-wheat production is projected at 2.04 billion bushels, down 7% from 2010/11. Corn production for 2011/12 is projected at a record 13.5 billion bushels, up 1.1 billion from 2010/11. Meanwhile, both broiler and turkey production for 2012 are forecast higher as returns improve following expected production cutbacks during the latter part of 2011. However, as feed prices remain relatively high, the rate of expansion during the year is expected to be modest. WASDE Report

The California 2011 peach crop is forecast at 815,000 tons, down less than 1% from 2010. The California Freestone crop is forecast at 385,000 tons, unchanged from last year. Meanwhile, Hawaii guava utilized production for 2010 is estimated at 1.30 million-lbs., 38% lower than the 2009 utilized production. USDA Crop Production Report