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May 09, 2013 | |
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IFDA NewsWe are pleased to announce that Daesang Corp., a leading food manufacturer in South Korea, and its affiliate Daesang BestCo, a leading food distributor to "territory" restaurants, have joined IFDA as IFDA Korea members. Daesang Corp. was established in 1956 and had 2012 annual sales of more than $1.5 Billion. The company manufacturers a wide range of products including instant foods, western foods, processed meats, frozen foods, and agricultural and marine food products. Distributor Daesang BestCo was established in 2010 and had 2012 sales of approximately $320 million. To learn more about these companies, as well as M'S Food System, another new IFDA Korea member, click here. Operator NewsMcDonald's and Wendy's are focusing on their value menu items in their effort to increase sales, reported The Wall Street Journal, and to attract cost-conscious consumers who are demanding better deals than even these low-price fast-food chains offer. Full Story Meanwhile, McDonald's posted another drop in monthly sales in April, with weak international sales eclipsing growth in U.S. sales. The chain, which has more than 34,000 locations around the world, stated sales at stores open at least 13 months, or same-store sales, slipped 0.6% worldwide, dragged down by a 2.4% fall in Europe. U.S. comparable sales grew by 0.7% in April, with the introduction of new menu items such as the McWrap helping to drive sales, reported Chicago Business Journal. Full Story Retail NewsTalks with other companies about acquiring Harris Teeter are ongoing, the company stated May 8 in a securities filing. The disclosure came as part of the grocery chain's quarterly report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Harris Teeter has been silent about the talks since February, when the company stated it had hired J.P. Morgan after being approached by two hedge funds interested in acquiring it, reported Charlotte Observer. Full Story Costco Wholesale reported April same-store sales at stores open a year or longer rose 4%, less than the 4.5% increase analysts were expecting. The retailer claimed changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange rates had negative impacts on comparable sales last month, reported Puget Sound Business Journal. Full Story New Store News: ShopRite has plans for a $13.5 million, 67,700-sq.-ft. store in the Howard Park section of Baltimore MD, a designated food desert, reported Baltimore Business Journal. Full Story
Industry NewsIn an effort to counter critics that its products contribute to obesity, Coca-Cola is expanding distribution of its low-calorie drinks and will include calorie counts on the front of its packaging globally, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required) Green Mountain Coffee Roasters will continue its partnership with Starbucks for at least another five years, according to CNN. The two companies have been partners since 2011, when they inked a deal for Starbucks and Tazo-branded single-serve packs to be made and sold for Keurig brewing machines. Financial terms of the expanded deal were not disclosed, but it puts an end to investor concerns that Starbucks would nix the partnership after introducing its own single serve machine, the Verismo, last year, reported Hartford Business. Full Story Brasil Foods sold to JBS Aves its pork processing plant and poultry farms at the Ana Rech Industrial Unit in Rio Grande do Sul for 200 million reais ($99.7 million). The transaction includes 120 million reais for the Ana Rech Industrial Unit and the Pending Real Estate; and 80 million reais for the Biological Assets, equivalent to approximately 491,000 hogs as of this date, reported Meat Trade News. Full Story Executives on the Move: Constellation Brands named Tom Kane human resources officer effective next month, reported just-drinks. Full Story
Health NewsFast food restaurants have made disappointing progress towards creating healthier menus, according to a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. While more salads, fruits and vegetables are now offered at these establishments, many fast food chains have also increased the number of unhealthy options available - causing the overall nutritional quality of their menus to remain relatively stagnant over the years, reported Fox News. Full Story Magnesium may be as crucial to children's bone health as calcium, according to a small, early study. While it's known that magnesium is important for adults' bone health, few studies have examined the nutrient's role in children's bones. This study found a significant association between magnesium intake and absorption, and bone density in children. The study included 63 healthy children, aged 4 to 8, who were not taking any multivitamins or minerals. The researchers found that the amounts of magnesium consumed and absorbed were key predictors of how much bone the children had, but calcium intake was not significantly associated with total bone mineral content or density. Foods with high levels of magnesium include salmon and almonds, reported Health Day. Full Story Washington NewsWrigley temporarily halted production of its new Alert Energy Caffeine Gum in response to concerns expressed by FDA over the impact of caffeine on children and adolescents. The company stated it had paused the production, sale and marketing of Alert to give FDA time to develop a new regulatory framework for the addition of caffeine to food and drinks. The recently launched gum has about 40 milligrams of caffeine, as much as a half a cup of coffee, in each piece, reported Reuters. Full Story FDA is amending the regulations for irradiation of animal feed and pet food to provide for the safe use of electron beam and x-ray sources for irradiation of poultry feed and poultry feed ingredients in response to a food additive petition filed by Sadex Corp. The offical anniouncemnet will be published in the May 10 Federal Regsiter. Pre-Publication Notice Market NewsA new wave of genetically-modified (GM) foods in grocery aisles with clear-cut benefits may help with shopper acceptance. The power of transgenic corn and biotech soybeans is harnessed on farmland; but GM apples and bananas and Golden rice will make their impact on the grocery aisle, directly appealing to consumers, reported Western Farm Press. Full Story Last week's rare May snowstorm was a close call for many Nebraska fruit growers. The manager at Kimmel Orchard and Vineyard claimed he was the most concerned about the peach trees, which are almost all in full bloom. The orchard grows apples, cherries, pears, peaches, plums, grapes and a few other crops, reported Nebraska Radio Network. Full Story May 5's fierce, day-long wind storm hit California's Kern County's stone fruit and almond growers hard, stripping cherries, peaches and plums off trees, ripping through almond orchards and uprooting thousands of the shallow-rooted trees. The blow to almond growers, who produce Kern County's second-largest crop, could be a major, long-term handicap. Cherry growers were also unhappy, especially because the wind and rain followed a week of hot temperatures that had pushed the fruit to the edge of harvest, reported Bakersfield Californian. Full Story Declining tax revenues and other hits mean the Florida Department of Citrus will spend $3.3 million less in the 2013-14 fiscal year, but its biggest program, orange juice marketing, emerged unscathed. Meanwhile, the Florida Citrus Commission approved going forward with one new OJ spot for the new citrus season beginning in October. The commission proposed a budget at $48.1 million, down 6.5% from the current $51.4 million budget, reported The Lakeland Ledger. Full Story (Free Registration Required)  |
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