Industry News

Smithfield Foods Inc. wants to either sell its share or purchase the entirety of the Butterball brand, stating it was "under-invested in" dating to the 2006 sale of the business by ConAgra Foods Inc. Smithfield owns 49% of the Butterball brand after acquiring the business in 2006 with Maxwell Farms Inc. for $325 million, and offered around $200 million for the controlling stake held by Maxwell Farms, which has no intention to walk away from the "strongest brand in the turkey industry," stated president Walter Pelletier, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required)

Small stores will continue as a big trend in retailing during the next few years, fueled by risks to capital and an increasing number of older consumers who prefer small formats to large locations, according to speakers at a forum sponsored by Kantar Retail, reported Supermarket News. Full Story Register now for The Future of Food Retailing 2010, a webinar presented by the Food Institute and Willard Bishop. Join Jim Hertel, Managing Partner, and Craig Rosenblum, Partner, both of Willard Bishop, and moderator Michael Sansolo, editor, columnist, and FI Board Member, as they provide their unique and unparalleled insights into the Future of Food Retailing in a one-hour webinar to be held 12 p.m. (EST), Tuesday, June 29. They will delve into retailer strategies, identify specific actions 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 post-recession food retailing landscape. To sign up and learn more, click here.

Yakult U.S.A. Inc. will open a factory in Fountain Valley, CA in 2012. The facility will produce 250,000 bottles per day of the company's probiotic drink Yakult. Full Story

Several stevia companies formed agreements with sugar companies to develop and market blends of sugar and stevia, which offers more sucrose-like taste and lower calories. It is likely that soft drinks would be the first area for development, stated VP of marketing at GLG Life Tech James Kempland, reported Food Navigator USA. Full Story

America's moms are exercising financial restraint and seeking discounts, with 58% planning to eat out less this year than last, according to a survey from BOHAN Advertising/Marketing. The survey also found that 57% intend to use coupons more this year, 63% expect to order more often from value menus and 62% plan to buy discount, value or less expensive items. When eating out, 70% of moms believe it is important that restaurants offer healthy kids food but 87% simply want food that kids will eat. Full Story

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Insights into the consumer mindset throughout each stage of the purchase cycle, from planning to purchase, is discussed in Information Resources Inc.'s Shopper Marketing: Re-Architecting Shopper Marketing for Maximum Performance Times & Trends report. For the report, click here. (FI Membership Required)

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International News

Kellogg Co. plans to pursue international snack firms and increase its presence in Russia, Turkey and China and surrounding regions. "We're not looking to go buy another big company," stated COO John Bryant at the Deutsche Bank Global Consumer and Retail Food Conference. "We're likely to buy businesses in our categories. There is not a lot of cereal businesses out there to buy. That tends to take you to snacks," reported Food Navigator. Full Story

Asia Food & Properties Ltd. entered into an agreement to sell its wholly owned subsidiary Florentina International Holdings to Golden Agri-Resources Ltd. for a cash consideration of $142.8 million, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required)

Health News

An extract from apples rich in polyphenols may reduce or prevent an allergic response to food allergens, claims a study by Nestle published in Clinical & Experimental Allergy, reported Food Navigator. 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

USDA filed an administrative action against K & R Farms Produce Inc. The action alleges that the company committed willful, repeated, and flagrant violations of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. Full Story

How Can You Comply With Complex Food Safety Regulations? The Food Institute's HACCP & U.S. Food Safety Guide - 2nd Edition provides clear explanations of the recent regulations and requirements issued by FDA and USDA regarding the handling and sanitation of food products. Authored by Olsson, Frank & Weeda, P.C., this guide includes information on applying HACCP plans in the plant, mandatory HACCP systems in general and specific HACCP requirements for seafood, meat & poultry. For details, click here.

Market News

Beef exports through the first four months of 2010 were 26% above year-earlier levels, with exports forecast to increase 10% this year, noted ERS. U.S. beef imports through April, however, were down 20% from 2009. Broiler meat production is expected to total 9.13 billion-lbs. in second quarter 2010, up 2% from a year earlier. Stocks are down from the previous year and exports have proven to be stronger than expected. Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook Report