July 16, 2008

Does your company use engineered work standards to measure worker productivity?

• Yes - 47%
• No - 53%
  

IFDA News

IFDA has launched a new online supplier directory that provides IFDA members with a unique online search tool and quick access to an extensive directory of industry-specific products and services. "Foodservice distributors can quickly refine their search for solutions from trucks, trailers, dock equipment, and software to material handling equipment and a variety of business services," said Steve Potter, IFDA's senior vice president of industry relations. The directory is accessible at "www.ifdabuyersguide.com" or through a prominent link on the IFDA website. Full Story

The Food Industry Truck Driving Championship is an opportunity for the industry's best drivers to showcase their talents on a national level. The event, taking place September 12-14, 2008, in Orlando, FL, consists of a three-part competition testing driver safety, knowledge, and skills. If you have not yet registered your drivers, please note the registration deadline for this event is just 30 days away and advance reservations are available for drivers. For full program information, click here.

Operator News

International Food Product Group, Inc.'s wholly owned subsidiary, Restaurant Holdings Group, Inc., secured an equity position in the Inka Grill franchise concept. Inka Grill, a Peruvian casual dining restaurant group, is in the process of being franchised nationally. Full Story

Restaurants on the Run acquired RestaurantsToGo, a restaurant food delivery service. The acquisition adds another 50 restaurant partners to the company, which now works with over 900 restaurants, including Rubio's, Claim Jumper, California Pizza Kitchen, The Cheesecake Factory, and BJ's Restaurant. Full Story

Two years after taking the company private, the owner of Dave & Buster's restaurants is looking to return to the public market as a way to ease its debt load. The company hopes to raise $170 million in an initial public offering, according to a SEC filing, reported The Dallas Morning News. Full Story (Free Registration Required), SEC Filing

Organic To Go acquired a Marvelous Market café in Bethesda, MD, continuing its expansion into the Metro Washington, DC market. Marvelous Market continues to operate nine additional cafés in Washington, DC and Virginia, under the Marvelous Market brand, which were not included in this transaction. Full Story

Saladworks plans to franchise more than 10 stores in Charlotte, NC over the next two years, reported The Charlotte Observer. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Meanwhile, Saladworks signed an agreement to open stores in the Boston area with a multiunit developer, reported The Boston Globe. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

UFood Grill will launch an aggressive nationwide expansion plan beginning with the opening of a Chicago, IL franchise on July 30 and a Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport franchise in October. Full Story

Sandella's Flatbread closed a multiunit franchising deal with Gourmet Ventures bringing five new restaurants to Houston, TX, reported QSR Magazine. Full Story

Au Bon Pain will open 100 locations in India during the next two years. The company signed a franchise agreement with Spencer's Retail Limited to develop the stores, reported The Associated Press. Full Story

Maui Wowi Hawaiian signed a master franchise agreement with ALOHA Limited Company to bring the chain to the Republic of Turkey. Full Story

Retail News

Vending machine sales are down by as much as 25% from last year in the Atlanta area. Vendors have plenty of theories for the slower sales: More people out of work or working from home means fewer people in the workplace to buy snacks. Higher gas prices leave less disposable income for a soda. Fewer people traveling leads to fewer hotel vending machine purchases. Perhaps consumers are holding on to every last quarter. Or it's a reaction to rising prices. Or both. Rising supply costs have led to their own round of price increases, mostly a nickel or dime per item, vendors said, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Jewel-Osco will open Urban Fresh, by Jewel a 16,000-sq. ft. specialty grocery store in Chicago's Lincoln Park community. The store aims to cater to the needs of on-the-go, time-sensitive commuters, with one of the store's key offerings being a variety of ready-to-go meal solutions. The store will also carry produce and organic offerings, as well as a selection of fresh meats and seafood. Full Story

Dierbergs Markets is tapping its long-standing relationships with small regional farmers to promote local foods in print, and via email and the web, reported Progressive Grocer. Full Story

SimonDelivers Inc. will shut down its online grocery business by the end of the month, as a result of increased pressure from rising fuel and food prices. The company will deliver its final orders over the next two weeks, reported Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

The Co-operative Group and Somerfield entered into an agreement, under which the Co-operative Group will acquire Somerfield for £1.6 billion. Somerfield operates approximately 880 local grocery retail outlets across the UK and the combined food business will operate more than 3,000 grocery stores. Full Story

Japan-based convenience store operator Lawson Inc. will spend nearly ¥3.9 billion to take control of discount grocery chain Ninety-nine Plus Inc. Lawson, which already owns 34.6% of Ninety-nine Plus, wants to buy a 30% stake in the discount grocer held by Kyoden Co., reported Reuters. Full Story

A Hong Kong food retailer, Jusco, will feature Nebraska beef for two weeks. State officials hope selling the beef in the stores will lead to a long-term deal with the retailer, reported The Associated Press. Full Story

Industry News

Retail sales at food and beverage stores were $48.7 billion in June, up 3.1% from a year ago. Sales at foodservice and drinking places were $38.7 billion, up 1.1% from a year ago, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Full Story

In June, the consumer price index for food and beverages rose 0.5% from May, and 5.2% from a year ago, according to just released government data. The index for food-at-home increased 0.6% during the month, up 6.1% from a year ago. Meanwhile, the index for food-away-from home also increased 0.5% in June, up 4.4% from a year ago. Full Story

Consumers want their foods to clearly display key information, including country of origin, so they can make more informed shopping decisions, according to a Deloitte survey. More than two out of five consumers stated that they currently do not feel they have enough information about the food they purchase and eat. Consumers' top three concerns were: 'Healthiness of ingredients' (61%); 'Possible use of chemical ingredients that are detrimental to my health' (49%); and 'Safety of the ingredients' (49%). Full Story

Frito-Lay's strategy to root its Sun Chips brand in environmental causes as well as health-forward thinking seems to be working, as Sun Chip sales are up 17.6%, totaling $201.8 million for the 52 weeks ending June 15, per IRI, reported Brandweek. Full Story

Snack Alliance added two production lines at its Hermiston, OR plant to make riceworks brand snacks. The gluten-free brown rice crisps already are being sold in Canada and Great Britain and in certain areas of the U.S. The company produces private label potato chips, cheese curls and other snack product, and its own brands: Sports Bar Snacks, Thin and Crispy, Granny Goose, Clover Club, Laura Scudder's, Terry's Classic Snacks, and its riceworks Rice Crisps, according to Tri-City Herald. Full Story

More New York City residents are visiting food pantries, with the number of meals food charities served this spring up 9% from last year, according to New York City Coalition Against Hunger. Nearly two million meals were served in March and April, reported 1010 WINS. Full Story

Rising commodity costs are forcing states and nonprofit groups to find new ways to get healthy food to under-served areas. For example, the New York health department gave $500,000 to the Veggie Mobile, operated by the Capital District Community Gardens, to deliver fresh, locally grown produce to people in Albany, Troy, and Schenectady, reported CNN. Full Story

Chocolate makers are focusing on the technology of making better chocolate. Nationwide a new breed of manufacturers are driving themselves to make the perfect chocolate and are taking control of the entire process in hopes of producing a better product. The results are envelope-pushing varieties, some of which are on par with the chocolate from European producers long considered the standard, reported The Los Angeles Times. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Nascent Wine Company, Inc., dba Nascent Foodservice, Inc., completed the sale of Palermo Italian Foods, LLC to AIP, Inc. Full Story

Health News

In an analysis of 367 products aimed at kids, nearly 90% were deemed to be of poor nutritional quality, according to research from Carleton University in Ottawa published in the journal Obesity Reviews. Yet 62% of these poor-quality foods made some sort of nutrition-related claim on the package, such as "made with real fruit juice" or "no artificial flavors," reported The Philadelphia Inquirer. Full Story (Free Registration Required), Study Abstract

Low-fat dairy products have the ability to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with poor kidney function, suggests new research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reported Food Navigator. Full Story, Study Abstract

Washington News

Pierre Foods, Inc. and its subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to restructure its debt. "As a result of rising raw material prices experienced throughout our industry, it is necessary for Pierre Foods to create a capital structure more appropriate for both our operations and the current marketplace," noted CEO Norbert Woodhams. In conjunction with the filing, the company received a commitment for up to $35 million of debtor-in-possession financing from certain funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management L.P. Full Story

A bill to ban restaurants and other food facilities from using trans fats was approved by the California Legislature and sent to the governor. The measure would make California the first state in the nation to enact such a ban, reported The San Francisco Chronicle. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not taken a position, a spokesman said. Full Story

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) introduced the Organized Retail Crime Act of 2008 to provide law enforcement and retailers with more tools to fight organized retail crime and protect online consumers. The Act requires increased transparency of high-volume sellers, those who sell at least $12,000 in merchandise annually, on online marketplaces to help identify criminals engaging in organized retail crime and protect online consumers. Full Story

New York, Kentucky and Indiana each have one lab-confirmed case of an E. coli infection that matches the 41 previously reported cases traced to recalled beef in Michigan and Ohio that was supplied by Nebraska Beef Ltd., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reported The Associated Press. Full Story

Zacky Farms agreed to pay $235,000 to hundreds of female job applicants who were denied employment. The settlement agreement stems from a 2005 investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor that found Zacky's hiring process disproportionately rejected female applicants for production-worker positions, reported The Fresno Bee. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

USDA designated two California counties as primary natural disaster areas. Calaveras County was named because of losses caused by extremely cold temperatures that occurred on Apr. 20, 21, and 24. Full Story

Market News

Whole Foods Market implemented enhanced farmed seafood standards for all farmed seafood sold at its stores in the U.S., Canada and the UK. These additional strict guidelines will help reduce potential environmental impacts and will require vendor partners to successfully pass an independent, third-party audit that reviews every detail of the standards. Full Story

Meanwhile, The Washington Post takes a look at grocery retailers' efforts to offer sustainably farmed fish. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

The Chesapeake bay's blue crab stock is down 70% since 1990 due to overfishing and water pollution, according to Virginia and Maryland fisheries managers. The states have imposed steep cuts on this year's female crab harvest, aiming to reduce the number of crabs taken by more than a third, reported The Associated Press. Full Story

Pilgrim's Pride Corp. plans to consolidate the tray-pack chicken business from its El Dorado, AR processing plant into six other case-ready facilities. Following the transition, which is expected to be completed within 60 days, the El Dorado facility will operate as a supply plant. Full Story

The number of organic citrus growers and amount of acreage dedicated to organic citrus is rising at a steady and healthy pace, according to Uncle Matt's Fresh's CEO, Matt McLean. The company is a vertically integrated grower, manager and marketer of organic citrus. Full Story

Gourmet Mushrooms, Inc. now offers an all-organic program to its customers after making agreements with two other Pacific Coast growers. Gourmet Mushrooms' five varieties of specialty mushrooms are now joined by organically grown shiitake and maitake. Full Story

A much-larger harvest of California winter wheat is winding down in the Central Valley. The dry spring hurt farmers who grow wheat without irrigation, but the dry weather also reduced disease and insect problems. California farmers responded to strong prices by planting 33% more winter wheat this season, reported California Farm Bureau.

IFDA's Mission: The International Foodservice Distributors Association advocates the interests of the foodservice distribution community in government and industry affairs through research, education, and communications. IFDA represents foodservice distributors throughout the U.S., Canada, and internationally. For more information, click here.

FI's Mission: The Food Institute strives to be the best "single source" for current, timely and relevant information about the food industry from "farm to fork." The association serves as a trusted source of information, providing balanced coverage of the issues. It delivers information through multiple media so that industry professionals worldwide can tap in when and how they choose. For more information, visit, http://www.foodinstitute.com.