Industry News

A growing number of retailers are trying to deliver greater value mainly through lower prices, according to a Brick Meets Click blog authored by Bill Bishop. Whether these are offered on the shelf or reflected in specials and promotions, there is a good chance that by themselves, lower prices will be slow to increase sales. In some cases, they may even deflate sales below what they would have been had there been no pricing initiative. However, pricing is only one dimension of value. Full Story

H.J. Heinz Co. has no interest in selling off its frozen food business. The company's CEO, chairman and president sees products such as Smart Ones and Ore-Ida as core to the company's U.S. business, reported Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Full Story

Some 35% of consumers will dine out and/or use restaurant takeout or delivery for a picnic, cookout or outdoor event this Labor Day weekend, according to research by the National Restaurant Association. Meanwhile, 20% ordered restaurant takeout or delivery for an outdoor dining occasion during the summer months; about 66% of consumers went on a summer vacation or trip during which they visited a restaurant. Full Story

About 74% of online U.S. adults have used an online coupon or coupon code at least once, with 36% reporting that they use online coupons or coupon codes at least once a month, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of CouponCabin.com. Some 49% of those that use coupons use them on food and wine. Full Story

Green Gourmet Foods of Ohio LLC will expand, with plans to lease a 150,000-sq. ft. potato processing plant and make an investment of at least $6.4 million in machinery and equipment, land and building acquisition. The company makes microwaveable potato products, reported Business Courier of Cincinnati. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

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

Food Institute News

Pre-Order Today! The 2011 edition of The Food Institute's Food Industry Review is slated for release on or about Oct. 17. The Food Institute's yearly flagship publication features comprehensive write-ups and detailed sales charts on all segments of the food industry, providing information for the success of your business or research. Pre-orders are now being accepted online for the book and CD. To reserve a PDF version of Food Industry Review 2011, please click here or contact Sue Antista at 201-791-5570, ext. 212.

S. Kamberg & Company Ltd. Founded by Stephen Kamberg in 1965, S. Kamberg & Company Ltd. has become one of the leading food ingredient brokers in the Northeast. S. Kamberg concentrates its efforts by working with food processors in the Baking, Confectionery, Candy and Ice Cream Industries as well as with Ethnic Distributors, Roasters, Salter's and Re-Packers. Centrally located within its area of responsibility, Great Neck, Long Island-based S. Kamberg attributes its success to the special relationships it maintains with the Shippers, Growers and Processors that it represents. With over 40 years of experience, an efficient infrastructure and accurate market reporting, S. Kamberg is well positioned to assist its customers in day to day strategic purchasing decisions. To learn more about this Food Institute member, please visit: www.ingredientsourcing.com. Interested in seeing your company featured here? Email us for more details.

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International News

Tesco plans to sell its business in Japan as it was not able to build a sufficiently scalable business. The company operates 129 small stores in the Greater Tokyo area under the Tsurakame, Tesco and Tesco Express formats. Full Story

Carrefour is seeing a slowing of growth due to a "zig-zagging on its strategy," reported The Wall Street Journal, including its pricing in France to a failed merger proposal of its Brazil business and canceled plans to spin off its property-development unit. The result is that Carrefour is retrenching in many of its biggest markets. Carrefour's French business, which accounts for 43% of group sales, unveiled a new strategy that includes far fewer price promotions. Instead, it plans to lower prices over the long-term. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required)

Washington News

About 10% of all U.S. children, 7.5 million, lived with their grandparents in 2010, according to figures released by the Census Bureau. 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.

Market News

Peanut stocks reported in commercial storage on July 31 totaled 1.52 billion-lbs. of equivalent farmer stock, compared with 1.83 billion-lbs. a year ago. Utilization by type was 99.5 million-lbs. for all peanut butter products, 35.7 million-lbs. for peanut candy and 32.2 million-lbs. for peanut snacks. Full Report

New York's orchard fruit fared well during Hurricane Irene, according to a spokesman for the New York Farm Bureau. However, cabbage, sweet corn, onions, cauliflower and other vegetables sustained still undetermined damage, reported The Buffalo News. Full Story