Retail News
SoloHealth and Safeway signed a multiyear deal to rollout
the SoloHealth Station kiosk to almost 700 Safeway stores
nationwide. Starting this April, the SoloHealth Stations will
begin being installed in stores, giving Safeway's customers
access to free health screenings, personalized assessments
and valuable health information. Full
Story
ShopRite in Warminster, PA, launched an in-store health
resource center provided by a local hospital. The center,
"Health Connections by Doylestown Hospital," features
a concierge that refers interested shoppers to area doctors,
health services and programs, and coordinates free skin cancer,
blood pressure and blood sugar screenings, reported Supermarket
News. Full
Story
Manufacturer News
Orpheum Property has re-acquired Coscina
Brothers Coffee Company. In June 2010, CBCC had been sold
to a former director of the company who jointly worked with
the CBCC's management in order to reorganize its focus and
operations. These efforts have led to increased profitability
and sales growth. CBCC offers private labeling services on
custom coffee roasts and pancake mixes for its customers.
These customers include many Hawaii-based retailers, hotels
and restaurants. Full
Story
Pinnacle Foods priced
its initial public offering of 29 million shares of common
stock at $20 per share. The shares will begin trading
on the NYSE March 28 under the ticker symbol "PF,"
and the offering is expected to close April 3. Pinnacle Foods
granted its underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to
an additional 4.35 million shares at the IPO price, and Pinnacle
Foods intends to use the approximately $545.2 million in proceeds
from the offering to reduce debt. Full
Story
New Product News: Hillshire
Farm is introducing a new line of premium, preseasoned
and precooked Angus beef smoked sausages, in Smoked Beef,
Polska Kielbasa and Italian Style Angus Smoked Sausage flavors.
Full Story...
Schwan's Consumer
Brands launched Freschetta Brick Oven Chicken Club Pizza,
Freschetta Naturally Rising Margherita Pizza and Freschetta
Naturally Rising Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza. Full
Story... WP Rawl is rolling out Nature's Greens
organic cut and washed kale bags, reported The Packer Online.
Full
Story
Executives on the Move: John B. Sanfilippo
& Son appointed John Accardo VP of International. Full
Story
Scientists developed a novel screening
procedure to provide DNA sequencing of animal, plant and microbial
substances present in food, according to the Institute
of Molecular Genetics, Genetic Security Research and Consulting
at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Researchers adapted
DNA sequencing for human sequencing to identify materials
in food, down to which products were used and the actual amount
with a high level of precision, reported Science Daily.
Full
Story
The "fridge-test"
theory to determine the validity of extra virgin olive oil
has been disproved, according to researchers at the UC
Davis Olive Center. The fridge test is unreliable in detecting
the purity or quality of olive oil, reported the University
of California. Full
Story
Foodservice
News
Two McDonald's alums are poised to take on the Chicago
market with Lyfe Kitchen, expected to open this fall in
River North. Meanwhile, the Protein Bar, a fast-casual concept
offering breakfast and lunch, has eight locations and five
more opening soon. Vegan chain Native Foods Cafe moved from
Southern California to Chicago in 2011. Since then, the chain
has doubled to 14 locations, including three in Chicago, reported
Chicago Tribune. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Ninety-three percent of American adults that dine out
for lunch stated price is important when choosing their
destination, and 51% of millennials are more likely to make
a complete meal choice for lunch if it includes a dessert,
according to a Harris Interactive online survey commissioned
by Dairy Queen. The survey was commissioned as part of the
April 1 launch of the DQ Lunch, which offers a 1/4-lb. GrillBurger
with cheese, three-piece Chicken Strip Lunch or a Chili Cheese
Dog, all served with fries, a beverage and sundae. Full
Story
Restaurant Roundup: KFC is introducing Li'l Bucket
Kids Meals, which include a Kentucky Grilled Chicken drumstick,
green beans, a GoGo squeeZ applesauce on the go and a Capri
Sun Roarin' Water. The $3.99 kids meals can also be customized
with other chicken choices, homestyle sides and drink options.
Full
Story
Health News
There is no strong association between
living within walking distance of food stores and being overweight,
researchers stated after interviewing nearly 100,000 Californians.
The survey found unclear evidence as to whether
"promoting or discouraging a particular type of food
outlet is an effective approach to promoting healthful dietary
behavior and weight status." Additionally, "shopping
patterns are weakly related, if at all, to neighborhoods [in
the U.S.]" because of motorized transportation, the researchers
stated, reported The Los Angeles Times. Full
Story (Free Registration
Required)
The
menus offered to children by most U.S. restaurant chains have
too many calories, too much salt or fat, and often not
enough vegetables or fruit, according to a study by the Center
for Science in the Public Interest. The group found that among
almost 3,500 combinations surveyed, kids' meals failed to
meet nutritional standards 97% of the time. That was a marginal
improvement over 2008 when such meals failed to meet standards
99% of the time, reported Reuters. Full
Story
Washington News
Restaurant owners now predict the health
care overhaul law may not be as costly as they previously
claimed, as many employees will not qualify for coverage or
will decline company-offered insurance. Wendy's initially
estimated the health care law would increase the cost of operating
each of its 5,800 U.S. restaurants by $25,000 a year, but
CFO Steve Hare stated executives cut the estimate by 80%,
to $5,000 a year, primarily because they expect many employees
to decline the insurance offering. Executives
of restaurant chains such as Chipotle, Jack in the Box and
Popeye's offered similar cost estimates in recent months,
reported The Wall Street Journal. Full
Story (WSJ Subscription Required)
Enrollment in SNAP increased 70% to a record 47.8 million
in December 2012 from 2008, and is not decreasing as the
economy recovers. The Congressional Budget Office predicts
SNAP enrollment will drop slightly to 43.3 million by 2017,
down 4.5 million from the current level. The government spent
a record $74.6 billion on SNAP benefits last year, while the
average monthly benefit was $133 per person last year. USDA
officials claim expanded eligibility policies of 43 U.S. states
and territories were largely responsible for the increased
enrollment, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full
Story (WSJ Subscription Required)
USDA will hold a public hearing to receive evidence on
proposed amendments to Marketing Order No. 905 regulating
the handling of oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and tangelos
grown in Florida. Nine amendments are proposed by the Citrus
Administrative Committee responsible for local administration
of the order. The proposed amendments would authorize regulation
of new varieties and hybrids of citrus fruit, among other
changes. The hearing will be held April 24 and 25 in Winter
Haven, FL. Full
Notice
A former mechanic for J&J Snack Foods has sued the food
manufacturer, claiming J&J bilked him out of pay and then
retaliated against him for complaining. Swartz Swidler LLC
is seeking class-action status for the case, reported The
Philadelphia Inquirer. Full
Story
The Gift Shop at Buffalo Trace Distillery voluntarily
recalled various non-expired marinade and sauce products
due to mislabeling and undeclared allergens. Full
Story
Global News
A group led by investment firm Joh. A. Benckiser
is in talks for a potential takeover of Douwe Egberts coffee
for more than $9.7 billion. Benckiser is looking to further
build its presence in the $75.8 billion global coffee market,
and approached D.E. Master Blenders, which listed on the Amsterdam
stock exchange last June, with an indicative offer of €12.75
a share, including dividends. DE is the third largest global
coffee roaster with $4 billion in annual sales, behind Nestle's
$12 billion and Kraft Foods's $6 billion, reported The
Wall Street Journal. Full
Story (WSJ Subscription Required)
Belgian chocolate makers think their pralines
should have similar protection to that enjoyed by French
champagne or Italy's Parma ham. They want the term "Belgian
chocolate" to be their exclusive preserve and also want to
crack down on foreign rivals dressing up their products as
"Belgian style" or of a "Belgian recipe." The industry
federation will meet regional governments from next month
to decide how Belgium might apply to the EU to protect Belgian
chocolates or perhaps seek a trademark to safeguard their
treats, reported Reuters. Full
Story
Global Franchise Group is expanding Great American Cookies
in Puerto Rico with multiunit operators Dan Margolis ,
Carol Margolis and Wilson Castillo of A.M.A. Pretzels International,
LLP. Great American Cookies is managed by GFG Management.
Great American Cookies currently operates in mall-based locations
across the U.S., as well as internationally in Bahrain, Guam,
Mexico, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Full
Story
Syngenta and Bayer proposed a plan to support
bee health by averting a EU ban on their products. The
companies claim their pesticides' effects are unproven and
that a ban would cause a blow to the EU economy. Syngenta
and Bayer's plan includes the creation of more flowering field
margins to provide habitats for bees and a field monitoring
program to detect the neonicotinoid pesticides blamed for
the decline of honeybees, reported Reuters. Full
Story
Market News
Wheat traded near a five-week high as freezing weather
threatened the winter crop in the U.S., the world's largest
shipper. Wheat for May delivery was little changed at $7.375
a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade; prices are up 3.2%
this month, paring a quarterly decline to 5.2%, reported Bloomberg.com.
Full
Story
An Indiana farm is now turning extra manure into fuel
for its delivery trucks. Fair Oak Farms is powering 42
tractor trailers that make dairy runs to raw milk processing
plants in Indiana, Kentucky and Tenessess. Officials from
the federal Department of Energy called the endeavor a "pacesetter"
for the dairy industry, reported The New York Times.
Full
Story (NYT Subscription Required)
Louis Dreyfus Commodities reported its largest-ever annual
profit, due to robust global demand for food products and
historically high crop prices. Net earnings for the company
jumped 25%, to $1.1 billion in 2012, excluding a $93 million
loss in BioSev, reported Reuters. Full
Story
Pesticides may negatively affect bees' ability to learn
following exposure, according to two studies, one in Nature
Communications and the other in Journal of Experimental
Biology. Pesticides commonly used in agriculture interfere
with learning circuits in the bee's brain, causing exposed
bees to be slower to learn or completely forget important
associations between floral scent and food rewards, reported
Science Daily. Full
Story
The recent cold weather in Florida and Georgia could mean
promotable volumes of blueberries for the region. Despite
a predicted earlier-than-normal start, growers in Florida
began harvesting light volumes in late March, and grower-shippers
are now pushing back harvesting to more normal times in early
April, with promotable volumes in the middle to later half
of the month, reported The Packer Online. Full
Story
The unseasonably cold weather in Oklahoma could be taking
a toll on the state's peach crop. The cold killed the
few flowers that had already bloomed but many of the buds
that have not opened yet are safe. It only takes about 10%
of a crop of peaches to make a bountiful harvest, reported
kfor.com. Full
Story
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