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August 13, 2010 |
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IFDA NewsThere is nothing like kicking off a conference with an upbeat speaker who challenges you personally and professionally. Motivational speaker Steve Gilliland has turned his philosophy of living in the moment and having passion for what you do into a bestselling book Enjoy the Ride: A Roadmap for Success. As the featured opening speaker at the October Distribution Solutions Conference, Gilliland will share a message that shows you how to never lose your passion, cure your "destination disease," and redefine your focus. Full Story Distributor NewsU.S. Foodservice appointed John Lederer as its new president, chief executive and a member of the company's board of directors. Lederer presently is chairman and CEO of Duane Reade, reported chicagobreakingbusiness.com. Full Story Operator NewsWendy's/Arby's Group Inc. will focus on value pricing this fall, including 99-cent Frosty treats at Wendy's and a new menu at Arby's featuring 30 items for less than $3, including five new sandwiches. Wendy's breakfast line will be rolled out to 150 more restaurants by the end of August, and another 100 stores by the end of the year, reported Nation's Restaurant News. Full Story (Free Registration Required) International expansion deals are taking on a new importance for restaurant operators as they face depressed sales and cash flow at home, along with fewer financing sources for domestic franchisees, reported Nation's Restaurant News. Full Story (Free Registration Required) Chili's Grill & Bar introduced a $20 dinner-for-two promotion to help boost customer traffic, reported Nation's Restaurant News. Full Story (Free Registration Required) Charlie Brown's Steakhouse formed a partnership with New Jersey Department of Agriculture's Jersey Fresh program, serving local produce through four produce distributors in the area, reported The Packer Online. Full Story (Subscription Required)
Retail NewsPW Markets will close after 67 years in business. The company is seeking to lease all its seven existing locations. Increasing competition is the biggest reason for the pending closure, according to store representative John Machado, SVP at Colliers International, reported Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required) Industry NewsSupermarket chains and other retailers are using cereal prices to draw shoppers into their stores, according to Kellogg chief executive David Mackay. The price war could end as early as October or as late as December, according to the executive, as commodity costs are increasing, reported MarketWatch. Full Story Latest sales & earnings from food-related companies (Updated daily - FI Membership Required) Doctors at three health centers in Massachusetts began advising patients to eat "prescription produce" from local farmers' markets, in an effort to fight obesity in children of low-income families. The doctors will give coupons amounting to $1 a day for each member of a patient's family to promote healthy meals, reported The New York Times on the Web. A foundation called CAVU, for Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited, sponsors the clinics that are administering the project. The Massachusetts Department of Agriculture and Wholesome Wave each contributed $10,000 in seed money. Full Story (Free Registration Required) Kraft is focusing efforts on the Asia-Pacific region, mostly on the strength of the Indian and Chinese consumer markets, and is seeking to raise the profile of Cadbury products in China and increase investments in other developing markets. The company is in the process of consolidating the Beijing headquarters of Cadbury to Kraft's Shanghai offices, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required) Barilla's fully-owned subsidiary Lieken AG agreed to sell German
bakery chain Kamps to Germany-based ECM Equity Capital Management
GmbH, reported Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Full
Story
Health NewsA total of 1,097 foodborne disease outbreaks were reported in 2007 to CDC, according to the agency's Surveillance for Foodborne Disease Outbreaks - U.S., 2007 report. In the 235 outbreaks where one food commodity was identified, the largest number of illnesses listed poultry (691 illnesses), beef (667 illnesses) and leafy vegetables (590 illnesses) as the cause. Full Story, Full Report Washington NewsA compromise food safety bill that reportedly has bipartisan support was released by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) via a "manager's amendment" that omits a ban on the use of BPA in plastic containers. The House passed a version of the bill in 2009 and with Congress in recess until September, the food safety legislation appears to moving to the forefront once again, reported The Des Moines Register. Full Story, Revised Bill Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, organizations representing livestock producers and other agricultural interests and the Humane Society of the U.S. formed a joint agreement which will result in the Humane Society not pursuing a ballot initiative this fall and enhance animal welfare and animal care standards. The sides agreed to bar new construction of egg farms that pack birds in cages, and to phase out the tight caging of pregnant sows within 15 years and of veal calves by 2017, reported The New York Times on the Web. Full Story (Free Registration Required), Full Release A lawsuit seeking penalties against Olivera Egg Farm over pollution from its manure lagoon should go to trial, according to a federal judge. The egg farm has more than 700,000 chickens in cages at its facility, reported The Sacramento Bee. Full Story (Free Registration Required) California consumers who use debit cards could not be charged a fee by stores and other retail outlets under legislation sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Senate Bill 933 would include debit cards in an existing prohibition barring retailers from charging a fee on transactions paid with credit cards, reported The Sacramento Bee. Full Story (Free Registration Required) Market NewsCool early-summer temperatures in Mexico combined with colder-than-usual winter temperatures in Peru will create a demand-exceeds-supply situation this summer for asparagus, reported The Produce News. Full Story The South Florida Water Management District board approved a state plan to buy 26,791 acres for about $197.4 million from U.S. Sugar, reported Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Full Story
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