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July 26, 2011 |
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IFDA NewsTomorrow an IFDA webinar led by Bonnie Riggs, restaurant industry analyst with the NPD Group, will share research that explains how consumers define “healthy” when dining out. Bonnie will explain the seeming contradictions between the customers demand for healthful choices versus the foods they actually purchase. She will also identify which nutrients get the customer’s attention and how food choices are likely to vary by restaurant type. This webinar, open to both IFDA distributor members and IFDA Partners, takes place tomorrow July 27 at 2:00 PM EDT and costs only $25 per station. To register, click here. Distributor NewsAs of July 25, U.S. average diesel fuel prices were $3.949 per gallon, up 0.026 cents per gallon from a week ago, and up $1.030 from one year ago. Full Story Operator NewsDunkin' Brands Group wants to double the number of Dunkin' Donuts outlets in the U.S. over the coming 20 years. The company has roughly 6,800 domestic outlets and more than 3,000 international stores, and plans to focus on markets east of the Mississippi River, including Philadelphia, Chicago and South Florida. Longer term, it sees the western U.S. as a significant growth opportunity. Dunkin' Donuts has about 100 stores in the region currently, reported Reuters. Full Story McDonald's will begin serving a fruit or vegetable with every Happy Meal sold in the U.S. by next April. In addition, new French fry holders in Happy Meals will contain 1.1-oz. of potatoes, a decrease from 2.4-oz. The new meals will represent, on average, a 20% decrease in calories, a 15% decrease in sodium and a 20% reduction in saturated fat, reported ABC News. Full Story Falfurrias Capital Partners entered into a deal to sell Bojangles' to Advent International. Falfurrias spurred rapid growth, expanding Bojangles' to 503 stores from 377 four years ago. During that time, revenue rose 40%, reported Charlotte Observer. Full Story (Free Registration Required) BR Guest Hospitality purchased the Strip House steakhouse brand and three of its restaurants from The Glazier Group, reported The New York Post. Full Story Plano, TX residents spend 2.3 times more than the national average on fast food, and order 2.1 times more at fast food chains than the average U.S. city, according to a survey from Bundle.com that analyzed spending data for the largest 100 cities in the U.S. by population. Madison, WI and Wichita, KS were second and third. Boston was last on the list, spending 92% less on fast food than the national average. Full Story Restaurant visits were down in many countries across the world during the first quarter of 2011, according to The NPD Group. China experienced an 11% jump in visits and a 17% increase in consumer spending at its foodservice outlets in the first quarter of 2011. France and Germany are the strongest markets outside of China and saw foodservice traffic increase in the quarter, 2% and 1% respectively. Traffic was up 1% in Australia and flat in the U.S. and Italy. Full Story Retail NewsTarget proposed building a $100 million packaged foods distribution operation in West Jefferson, OH. The facility would service 370 stores in Ohio and surrounding states. Meanwhile, Meadowbrook Meat Company Inc. plans to build a 125,000-sq. ft. distribution operation in Obetz, OH, reported Business First of Columbus. Full Story (Free Registration Required)
Industry NewsTwo out of three U.S. food and beverage executives see their companies being involved in a merger or acquisition over the next two years, according to a survey released by KPMG. One of the main motivations for sellers is that they probably have brands they do not want to invest in anymore, but were unable to unload during the downturn, stated the leader of KPMG's consumer markets and food and beverage practice in the U.S., reported Reuters. Full Story New! Today's edition of the Lempert Report, hosted by Phil Lempert, discussing buying prepacked food from restaurants. The July 26 edition also takes a look at the slowing of breakfast cereal - and why. Click here to view. Latest sales & earnings for food related companies (Updated Daily - FI Membership Required) H.J. Heinz Co. plans to invest about $3 million in its Holland, MI-based plant for expanded production of specialty sauces, vinegar and mustard. The company will also purchase new machinery and equipment to upgrade a line, reported MLive.com. Full Story (Free Registration Required) Graphic Packaging plans to leave Marietta, GA and move to Sandy Springs, GA , according to an economic development official. Sandy Springs has been working on a corporate relocation that officials indicate would involve a company headquarters and construction of a 20,000-sq. ft. research and development facility, reported The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Full Story (Free Registration Required) A ban on shiitake mushrooms from another part of Fukushima was introduced on July 23 because of cesium levels, according to Japan's health ministry. Seafood is another concern after cesium-134 in seawater near the Fukushima plant climbed to levels 30 times the allowed safety standards, reported Bloomberg.com. Full Story
Health NewsAlmonds may promote heart health and may help maintain healthy cholesterol levels, according to a scientific review sponsored by Almond Board of California and published in Nutrition Reviews. Full Story Washington NewsHealth regulators advised consumers not to eat papaya from Agromod Produce as they investigate a possible link to a salmonella outbreak in 23 states. The outbreak of Salmonella Agona resulted in 97 reported cases of illness across the country, FDA stated, and the agency is working with the distributor and with officials in Mexico to determine how the fruit became contaminated, reported MSNBC.com. Full Story The Department of Commerce instructed U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to liquidate all unliquidated entries of hard red spring wheat from Canada without regard to antidumping and countervailing duties pursuant to a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit decision. The Court held that the Department of Commerce was required by law to instruct CBP to liquidate the products in an Apr. 19 decision in Canadian Wheat Board v. U.S. Full Notice Market NewsU.S. retailers are running longer and larger promotions of Florida avocados due to a larger than average crop. Grower-shippers claim retailers should expect strong volume through August and into September. Brooks Tropicals Inc. estimates late July volume is 30% higher than normal, reported The Packer Online. Full Story Meanwhile, Chile's avocado exports are not expected to be greatly affected by freezing weather. Losses likely will be in the 5% to 10% range, according to the country's avocado export association, the Comitede Paltas Hass de Chile. Even with that reduction, the 2011-12 Chilean crop is still projected to be 25% larger than the 2010-11 crop, reported The Packer Online. Full Story Corn prices fell July 25 after storms delivered rain to crops across much of the Midwest. Corn for December delivery fell 11 cents to settle at $6.75 a bushel. Rain fell last weekend across much of the Midwest, and the precipitation was enough to stabilize the crop though more is needed, according to a Northstar Commodity Research analyst, reported The Associated Press. Full Story The smallest U.S. hay crop in more than a century is being affected by a record Texas drought. The price of alfalfa surged 51% in the past year, reaching a record $186 a short ton in May, reported Bloomberg.com. Full Story
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