Industry News

Mars Chocolate North America broke ground for a manufacturing facility in Topeka, KS. The 350,000-sq. ft. plant is the first Mars Chocolate site built in the U.S. in 35 years and will pursue LEED Gold Certified designation. Full Story

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C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. formed a long-term agreement to provide procurement and distribution services for all 97 Marsh stores across Indiana and Ohio. Full Story

Emerging markets delivered 45% sales growth for the H.J. Heinz Company , driven largely by acquisitions including Foodstar in China in November 2010 and the Quero brand in Brazil in April. The company recorded 13% organic sales growth in emerging markets, which set a record at 23% of total company sales, up from 18% a year ago. Total organic growth also reflected higher net pricing (3.8%), primarily in the U.S., UK and Latin America. Full Story

View Today! The Aug. 23 edition of the Lempert Report, featuring Phil Lempert, discusses Bloom's nine-store test of in-store media. Click here to view.

Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza's CEO plans to expand the chain in Florida and the Northeast from its current 25 locations. Revenue grew from $19.1 million in 2008 to $39.7 million last year, reported Miami Herald. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

New Product News: Win Schuler Foods launched refrigerated Lia Marie's Original Garlic Spread and Five Cheese Garlic Spread in stores throughout the Milwaukee and Green Bay areas. Full Story ... Aunt Jemima Frozen Breakfast rolled out Oatmeal Pancakes. Full Story ... Baker's Pride, Inc. will introduce new products in the "better for you" category and expand manufacturing capabilities to service its private label, regional and national supermarket chain business. Full Story ... To Go Brands launched VitaRocks children's vitamins in 78 H-E-B stores in Texas. Full Story

Food Institute News

Purchase Today! The Food Institute's Almanac of Tomato Products 2011, a revised, updated reference report, presents five-year time series data through the end of 2010. At 119 pages, a variety of data is included, such as acreage, consumption and production, as well as imports and exports. Benefit from this edition, which contains exclusive Food Institute price trend data collected directly from industry sources as well as U.S. Census Bureau data. To learn more and purchase, click here.

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International News

Swiss supermarkets are planning further price cuts in response to the soaring Swiss franc, which is driving food shoppers to Germany and France. Retailers like the cooperatives Migros and Coop and discounter Denner already cut prices of food, drinks and household and personal care items by up to 20%, and plan further reductions in the coming weeks. Migros is cutting the price of 500 branded products by 10% to 20%, while Coop is cutting the price of 700 items by up to 20%, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required)

Increased localization of food sourcing, production and distribution is being used to build sales in emerging markets and address increasing costs for ingredients like milk, sugar and cocoa by global food companies. Nestle SA is looking to reduce its reliance on imports from Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. and double the company's local milk production by investing in local cooperatives, improving water supplies for cattle and building barns for local farmers in Indonesia. Local manufacturing of milk-based products cuts the need for transportation and expensive packaging, which can account for as much as 30% of the cost of goods sold, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required)

Health News

Some 15% of Americans stated soy is "good for women," compared to 3% in 2010, according to the 2011 Consumer Attitudes about Nutrition survey conducted by the United Soybean Board. Full Story

Washington News

FDA Deputy Commissioner Michael Taylor visited farms on a listening tour for 18 months, seeking to allay farmers' concerns. The first draft of farm rules mandated by the Food Safety Modernization Act is due early next year, and the agency is currently in the process of writing rules that are expected to address basics like hand-washing stations for field workers, tests of irrigation water and measures to protect fields from wild animals, reported The New York Times on the Web. Full Story (NYT Subscription Required)

Market News

Corn futures in Chicago rose nine cents on Aug. 22 to close at $7.20 a bushel for September delivery. Corn futures rose amid speculation that the recent rains in the Midwest will not be enough to ease drought conditions and boost farmers' yields, reported The Los Angeles Times. Full Story (Free Registration Required)