Stagnito's Daily Brief

Regency Centers Corporation and Macquarie CountryWide Trust entered into a definitive agreement to acquire an interest in 33 retail centers of primarily Schnucks-anchored shopping centers from The Desco Group. The transaction is valued at approximately $400 million and is expected to close in the third quarter. Full Story

An affiliate of Argonne Capital Group, LLC, Sunshine Restaurant Partners LLC, acquired the restaurant assets, operations and development rights of IHOP's largest area licensee, FMS Management Systems, Inc. FMS owned, operated and sub-franchised 148 IHOP restaurants located throughout the state of Florida as well as in certain counties of Southern Georgia. Full Story

Publix Super Markets Inc. recently began testing several new programs in the Florida area including: a curbside service for deli items, an in-store Carrabba's Italian Market, and an elaborate pilot deli. The company also plans to launch a meal-assembly concept at sites in Jacksonville and Lithia, in which customers register for sessions and prepare meals using ingredients and recipes supplied by Publix, according to The Lakeland Ledger. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Mohamed Abdulmohsin Al Kharafi & Sons W.L.L. purchased 1.8 million shares of Krispy Kreme stock, increasing the firm's stake to 9.1 million shares, or about 14%, of the company, reported The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area. Full Story

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Made In Japan Teriyaki Experience plans to open 600 U.S. restaurants in the next five years and is seeking franchisees for the concept, reported Kansas City Business Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Z Square Restaurant & Bar Cambridge signed a lease to open a new store in Massachusetts and plans further growth of as many as 20 locations over the next four years, reported Boston Business Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Sonic plans to open 30 locations in the Dayton, OH area over the next five years, reported Dayton Business Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Premium Brands Income Fund completed the acquisition of Centennial Foodservice Partnership, a specialty distributor of high quality "center-of-the-plate" protein products to the foodservice industry in Canada. Full Story

Agribusiness firm Syngenta agreed to acquire Zeraim Gedera Ltd., an Israeli vegetable seeds company, from Markstone Capital Partners for $95 million. Full Story

The availability of healthy restaurant menu offerings is extremely important to a growing number of consumers. However, a fairly low ratio of consumers are truly satisfied with the 37 leading restaurant chains healthy and nutritious product offerings, according to Technomic's Nutritrack, a consumer research study on health and nutrition trends. Full Story

International Speedway Corporation (ISC) signed an exclusive ten-year agreement with Coca-Cola North America (CCNA), making CCNA brands the "Official Soft Drink," "Official Sparkling Beverage" and "Official Water" for 10 of ISC's wholly owned and/or operated motorsports facilities. Full Story

Produce flavor is an important factor driving store choice for more than three-quarters of the 1,000 primary shoppers surveyed by Opinion Dynamics Corporation for the Produce Marketing Association. Yet, in stark contrast, 3% of those shoppers report only middle-of-the-road satisfaction with the taste of the produce they purchase, and only 25% report they are very satisfied. Full Story

Pathmark Stores, Inc. is introducing Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Newman's Own Organics coffee. The coffee will be available in 90 Pathmark stores in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Full Story

Hawaii's first Whole Foods Market will stock products from two dozen Hawaii-based companies, including Big Island Organics, Hawaiian Isle Organics and Hawaii Kai Gourmet Sea Salts, reported Pacific Business News. Full Story

Airline caterer Gate Gourmet is buying deStar Holding BV of Amsterdam, a large supplier of cutlery, chinaware and airline amenity kits, reported The Washington Post. Full Story

Demand for Chinese goods remains strong despite safety concerns, reported Detroit Free Press. China's trade surplus widened 85.5% from a year ago to $26.9 billion in June, pushing the total surplus for the first half of the year to $112.5 billion, according to the country's customs agency's website. Full Story

Groupe Danone SA is offering $16.8 billion for Royal Numico NV. The Dutch baby food company makes Olvarit, Bambix and Nutrilon brands, reported The Associated Press. Full Story

Japan-based Siam FamilyMart will close 100 convenience stores this year in Thailand. The company will focus on strengthening its business in all major departments such as operations, service functions and product assortment, reported The Nation. Full Story

The European Food Safety Authority expressed concern about the use of the coloring E128, also known as Red 2G, which is used in some sausages and burgers. Its expert panel on food additives recommended that the dye should no longer be considered safe for human consumption, reported BBC News. Full Story

Cucurbita ficifolia, an extract from pumpkins, may improve blood glucose levels in diabetics, according to a study in rats by the East China Normal University, reported NUTRAingredients.com. Full Story

Consumer advocates are raising concerns about whether federal restrictions meant to stop the import of tainted Chinese seafood are strong enough. FDA issued an import alert on June 28 requiring that five types of farm-raised seafood from China be tested for banned antibiotics before being allowed into the U.S. market. The restrictions require that the testing be conducted by a third party and that importers provide documentation that their seafood is safe. Certification, however, can come from a lab in any country, including China, reported The Washington Post. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

A group of 16 dairy farmers filed two nearly identical lawsuits in federal court alleging Dean Foods Co. and others in the dairy industry conspired to limit prices paid to farmers. The farmers claim that Dean Foods, its processors and cooperative suppliers have "flooded" the regional wholesale milk market with milk from other areas of the country limiting the price Southeastern farmers can get for their milk, according to The Tennessean. Full Story

Montana's cattle industry may depend on negotiations between the federal government and a ranching couple. Seven cows from the couples ranch tested positive for brucellosis in May, and as a result Montana could lose its brucellosis-free status if the couples herd is not slaughtered by July 17, reported Detroit Free Press. Full Story

Farmers in 36 out of 55 freshman congressional districts would receive more support from USDA by shifting "direct" payments to provide more funding for voluntary USDA conservation programs, according to a study entitled "Freshman Economics: Subsidy Reform Would Help More Farmers in Freshman Districts." Full Story

USDA made its annual adjustments to the national average payment rates for meals and supplements served in child care centers, outside-school-hours care centers, at-risk afterschool care centers, and adult day care centers; the food service payment rates for meals and supplements served in day care homes; and the administrative reimbursement rates for sponsoring organizations of day care homes, to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index. Full Notice

USDA adjusted the amount of money the Federal Government will provide States for lunches, afterschool snacks and breakfasts served to children participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Full Notice

The public hearing in for the International Trade Commission's investigation into Canned Peaches, Pears, and Fruit Mixtures: Conditions of Competition between U.S. and Principal Foreign Supplier Industries was canceled. Full Notice

Minnesota corn farmers are concerned that the ongoing drought that extends from the state's northeast to southwest could significantly impact this year's harvest. About 58% of the state's cropland was "short" or "very short" of water by July 6, up from a week earlier, when 44% of the state's cropland was short of water, reported StarTribune.com. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen requested a federal designation of natural disaster for agriculture for all 95 counties in Tennessee, allowing farmers to apply for low-interest emergency loans to cover losses and plan for next year, reported Memphis Business Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab asked the World Trade Organization to investigate whether the EU's banana import system, which imposes a heavy tariff on Latin American bananas, violates WTO rules, reported ThePacker.com. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Avocado marketers report plenty of good-quality fruit available, even though the overall crop is slightly smaller. California avocado growers report their crop survived the January freeze better than they expected. Most of the fruit for sale in California comes from within the state, while Mexican avocados are being imported to other states, reported California Farm Bureau Federation.

Thousands of tiny 2-week-old lobsters were released into Maine waters as part of an ongoing effort to keep the state's lobster populations strong. This is the second year the Zone C Lobster Hatchery has released young lobsters in Penobscot Bay waters, reported The Associated Press. Full Story

Agricultural Marketing Service increased the assessment rates for the California Desert Grape Administrative Committee from $0.0175 to $0.0200 per 18-lbs. lug of grapes handled. Full Notice