Industry News

After posting sales increases for the two prior months, grocery store operators saw their November sales decline 0.3%, bringing year-to-date sales 0.3% under year-ago levels as well. Meanwhile, eating and drinking place sales fell 1.5% during the month but were up 0.6% for the first 11 months of 2009, according to Food Institute analysis of just-released government data. Full Story (FI Membership Required)

Coca-Cola Co. settled a pricing dispute with Costco; its products will "soon" return to the chain's stores, reported The Associated Press. Full Story

In-Store Marketing Triggers: The Effect on Brands and Purchase Behavior Purchase the recording today! In-Store Marketing Triggers: The Effect on Brands and Purchase Behavior, a webinar presented by The Food Institute & Miller Zell, examined Miller Zell research on shopping habits and provides guidance in how to more effectively target food and beverage shoppers in the grocery and mass channels by using the store as a valuable media. The webinar featured Curt Johnson, SVP Consumer Industries, Miller Zell and was moderated by Food Institute president Brian Todd. To purchase a recording, click here.

McDonald's Corp. will begin selling a variety of breakfast items for $1 early next month, including the Sausage McMuffin, a sausage burrito, a sausage biscuit, a small coffee and a hash brown, reported The Associated Press. Full Story

Menu innovation will play an essential role to entice recession-weary diners in 2010, and five trends will stand out in 2010, according to Technomic. The trends are: new spins on comfort foods, made with fresh, premium or high-quality ingredients; the continued increasing popularity of Asian foods, with Korean foods hitting the mainstream; flavors like umami and ingredients such as hibiscus flower becoming popular; a greater emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients, proprietary herb or vegetable gardens and breakfast served around the clock. Full Story

"Experimentation nation," umami and food with benefits are among the top 10 trends to watch in 2010, according to The Food Channel. Other trends include a continuing interest in where foods are sourced and ethnic foods. Full Story

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

Food Institute News

Purchase the recording today! The Food Institute's Advertising to Children: Successfully Meeting the Challenges webinar is now available for purchase. Marketing and advertising food products to children is an area of increasing interest and is of major interest to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which will be holding a workshop on this very subject later this year. This webinar, moderated by Dr. James Tillotson of Tufts University, provided guidelines to companies on how to create truthful, accurate and acceptable advertising directed to children. To purchase the recording, click here or contact Sue Antista at 201-791-5570, ext. 212 or santista@foodinstitute.com. FI Members, pay $99 with your Member Rewards Card! Not a member? Click here for details on joining.

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International News

Increasingly wealthy Chinese consumers are consuming imported food and agricultural products. Imports from all countries reached $69 billion in 2008, almost double the value in 2005. Chinese imports of U.S. agriculture products increased from under $3 billion in 2001 to about $13 billion in 2008, noted FAS. FAS Report

Indonesia was the seventh largest market for U.S. agricultural export in 2008 and the largest market in Southeast Asia at $2.3 billion. In the last few years, a stabilized macro-economic situation and business climate provided excellent opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural exports, noted FAS. FAS Report

Health News

Roasting peanuts increases the antioxidant capacities of peanuts, peanut flour and peanut skins, according to ARS scientists. 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 National Consumers League sent a letter to FDA regarding what it believes to be deceptive labeling of processed fruit and vegetable products. 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

Smithfield processed approximately the same number of pigs this year as in 2008, but heavier weights resulted in a 2% volume increase. Fresh pork exports for the second quarter of fiscal 2010 declined compared to last year's record levels. Domestic pig raising costs decreased to $53 per hundredweight from $58 per hundredweight in the first quarter of this year and $63 per hundredweight in last year's second quarter. Smithfield reduced the size of its U.S. sow herd by 13%, or 130,000 sows and believes its reductions will result in over 2.2 million fewer hogs annually by fiscal 2011. Full Story