Industry News

A consortium of global private equity firms consisting of Bain Capital Partners LLC, The Carlyle Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP completed the acquisition of Dunkin' Brands Inc. from Pernod Ricard SA for $2.4 billion in cash. Full Story

Wendy's International, Inc. will explore strategic alternatives for its Baja Fresh business. The company will also speed the public offering of and spin off its Tim Hortons chain, aiming to complete that process by year's end. Full Story

Publix Super Markets Inc plans to open two additional Hispanic grocery stores under the Publix Sabor format in Miami-Dade County, FL. While the grocer does not have Publix Sabor stores planned for Broward or Palm Beach counties, company officials will be evaluating new and existing locations as prototypes for further expansion, according to South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Full Story

Latest sales & earnings for food related companies (Updated Daily)

Questions are surfacing about Sara Lee Corp's ability to pull off its year-old transformation plan, after announcing, last September, it would contribute $219 million toward its $1.5-billion unfunded pension liability this fiscal year. The company warned it might have to increase that amount in order to make certain businesses more attractive to potential buyers, reported Crain's Chicago Business. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Data from food and beverage companies indicates that Wal-Mart represents 14%to 18% of all food and beverage sales and The New York Times on the Web looks at Wal-Mart's growing power in the grocery business. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Wal-Mart's new Grand Blanc operation represents its Store of the Community concept, which replaces its original gray and blue look with an understated brick outside and wood floors in the clothing and home areas. All new Wal-Mart supercenters will have this design, featuring better lighting and signs, skylights to draw in natural light, upgraded restrooms, polished concrete floors and wider aisles, reported Detroit Free Press. Full Story

The Chicago Sun Times looks at the remodeled Dominick's grocery store that opens today in Streeterville, IL, that is stocked with twice the amount of organic produce as an old-fashioned Dominick's. Full Story

Nathan's Famous, Inc. acquired the trademarks and intellectual property relating to the "Arthur Treacher's" brand. Full Story

On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina franchisee Border Pacific, LLC will open six new restaurants in the Western U.S. through a franchising and development agreement with Brinker International, Inc. Full Story

C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc. will open a distribution center in Lower Nazareth Township, PA, reported ExpansionManagement.com. Full Story

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Inside Bay Area profiles Vinfolio, one of two new San Francisco-based ventures, offering high-tech cellar inventory systems and concierge-type services to the growing wine-collector market. Both services offer Web-based software programs that organize wines and track purchases, storage facilities and access to hard-to-get bottles for clients throughout the U.S. and as far away as Japan. Full Story

International News

Sweden's first case of mad cow disease was confirmed by the EU's central laboratory, reported Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Full Story

Japan's supermarkets are following department stores in introducing integrated circuit tags for their goods, believing that easing the payment process will make shopping more convenient for customers and help increase profits. In some supermarkets, the tags have already entered the practical-use stage. Convenience store chain FamilyMart Co. has put 2-cm IC tag on about 500 kinds of goods it handles, according to The Japan Times. Full Story

Health News

Almost two-thirds (64%) of U.S. adults consider themselves healthy eaters and almost half (45%) say they follow some type of health-conscious diet, according to a new survey by Harris Interactive. Full Story

Washington News

The House put off a vote on a bill to pre-empt all state food safety labeling laws that are tougher than federal rules until next week. The controversy over the National Uniformity for Food Act appears to be growing, however, as a bipartisan group of 37 state attorneys general, sent a letter to Congress warning that the measure could undermine state's rights and consumer protections, reported the San Francisco Chronicle. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

The U.S. Sugar Association filed a petition requesting USDA establish the definition of "natural" on label claims made on foods and beverages regulated by FDA. The petition emphasizes the importance of two criteria: a "natural" food should not contain anything artificial or synthetic and a "natural" food or ingredient should not be more than minimally processed. Full Story

Remarks by Mexican President Vicente Fox on U.S. immigration policy have fanned the fires of central San Joaquin Valley farm leaders who are lobbying Congress for reforms as the Senate began its debate over the issue Mar. 2, reported The Fresno Bee. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Market News

Bird flu in poultry does not pose any food safety risk because it is unlikely a sick chicken would be slaughtered for consumption and thoroughly cooking meat and eggs would kill the virus, according to Dr. Judith Hilton, the head of microbiological safety at Britain's Food Standards Agency. Full Story

ITC determined that the U.S. orange juice industry is materially injured by imports of orange juice from Brazil, after a DOC finding that the product was sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. Full Notice

NMFS released the 2006 and 2007 final harvest specifications and prohibited species catch allowances for the groundfish fishery of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area. Full Notice

NMFS released the final 2006 and 2007 harvest specifications, reserves and apportionments thereof, Pacific halibut prohibited species catch limits, and associated management measures for the groundfish fishery of the Gulf of Alaska. Full Notice

NMFS released the final specifications for the 2006 fishing year for the Atlantic herring fishery. The intent of this final rule is to promote the development and conservation of the herring resource. Full Notice

NMFS amended the geographic coordinates that define the longline fishing prohibited area in waters of the