Industry News

Advance Food Co. reached an agreement to acquire the operating assets of Whitaker Foods, a frozen-food manufacturer servicing national and regional chains, grocers and foodservice customers. The majority of Whitaker products sales are breaded beef, pork, and chicken, reported Enid News & Eagle. Full Story

Consumer food purchases are tied to gasoline prices, according to the study An Empirical Investigation of the Impact of Gasoline Prices on Grocery Shopping Behavior conducted by four business school professors. As gas prices rose, consumers cut back on shopping at grocery stores and bought more food at supercenters and club stores. With every doubling of gas prices, groceries lost 7% of their dollar share of the households' food budget, while supercenters gained 41% and clubs gained 24%, reported Daily Finance. Full Story

The Coca-Cola Company and its bottling partners will transition all new vending machines and coolers to hydrofluorocarbon-free units by 2015. Full Story

Nine of the 10 fastest growing Mexican limited-service restaurants last year were fast-casual chains, according to the 2009 Technomic Top 50 Limited-Service Mexican Chains Restaurant Report. Within the Top 50 limited-service Mexican chains, the fast-casual subsegment grew sales by 11.8% to $3.7 billion and units by 6.6% to a total of 3,348. In comparison, traditional quick-service chains grew sales 1.8% to $7.4 billion and declined in units by 0.4%. Full Story

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

All of Delhaize Group's banners will further emphasize price reductions in 2010 and the company will open more Bottom Dollar Food stores in the U.S. The company also plans to audit 100% of its private brand suppliers for food safety and compliance. Full Story

Food Institute News

Consumer packaged goods is a game centered on the consumer, beginning and ending with the consumer mindset, according to Information Resources Inc.'s Zero-Moment of Truth: Redefining the Consumer Decision-Making Process Times & Trends report. CPG marketers with an intimate understanding of how the consumer is wired and a deft ability to market to the new consumer will win in the long run. For the report, click here. (FI Membership Required)

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International News

Canada-based COBS Bread plans to open as many as 100 stores per year in the country over the next five years. The chain currently has about 60 corporate and franchisee locations in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, reported The Globe and Mail. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Scotland's food and drink industry aims to grow in value to £12.5 billion by 2017, an increase of £2.5 billion, according to industry body Scotland Food and Drink. The organization also wants exports to increase from £3.8 billion to £5 billion, reported BBC News. Full Story

Washington News

A Federal Judge ruled against a motion filed by Ocean Spray Cranberries to dismiss claims made by Decas Cranberry Sales, Inc alleging that Ocean Spray is attempting to misuse the legal system to gain a competitive advantage and monopolize the market for sweetened dried cranberries. Full Story

Listeria Control and Regulation A two-part webinar presented by FI and Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode Matz PC New Two-Part Webinar Scheduled! Listeria Control and Regulation, presented by The Food Institute and Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode Matz PC, will be held at 12 p.m. (EST) Dec. 9 and Dec. 16. Topics to be addressed include: FSIS's and FDA's plans to enhance inspection and sampling at RTE food establishments; implementation of adequate control programs to prevent Lm; root cause analysis and corrective preventive measures when Lm is discovered; and how to respond to the government when an agency requests recalls or threatens enforcement actions as a result of Lm positives. To sign up or learn more, click here.

Market News

Cargill is testing a vaccine that may make cows immune to the E. coli bacteria strain O157:H7, reported The New York Times on the Web. Some researchers believe E. coli vaccines can reduce the number of animals carrying the bacteria by 65% to 75%. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

More than a quarter of Illinois' corn has not been harvested. The quality of the corn still in the fields, primarily in central and northern Illinois, is beginning to drop because of moisture, stated Dennis Bowman, a crop expert with the University of Illinois Extension Service. Some elevators are far behind on drying corn, reported The Associated Press. Full Story