Stagnito's Daily Brief

Wakefern Food Corporation entered into an agreement with the Stop & Shop Supermarket Company to purchase the store fixtures and assets of ten Stop & Shop Supermarkets. The projected acquisition is expected by Aug. 15 and once completed, the stores will be reopened as ShopRite supermarkets, which will be owned and operated by Wakefern Members. Full Story

Applebee's International, Inc. and IHOP Corp. reached a definitive agreement under which IHOP Corp. will acquire Applebee's International, Inc. for $25.50 per share in cash, representing a total transaction value of approximately $2.1 billion. Full Story

The world sports drinks market and energy drinks market are collectively expected to reach $39.2 billion by 2010, according to a report published by Global Industry Analysts Inc. The U.S. continues to be the largest market, worth an estimated $12.5 billion in 2007, followed by Europe and Japan. Full Story

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Coca-Cola Co. is reportedly in talks to acquire a 20% stake in Brain-Twist Inc., developer of Cinnabon coffee lattes and other drinks, for about $5 million, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required)

Carl Icahn has a stake in Kraft Foods Inc., according to people familiar with the matter, reported The Wall Street Journal. The size of Mr. Icahn's stake in Kraft and the amount of time he has held Kraft shares is not clear. He is not currently agitating for change at the company, according to a person familiar with the matter. Full Story (WSJ Subscription Required)

Walgreens plans to expand into Hawaii with new concepts, including Cafe W, a beverage bar, as well as drive-through pharmacies. Walgreen Co. recently scaled back its planned store count to 30 or less, reported Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Full Story

Joey's Seafood & Grill plans to double its 19 U.S. restaurants within two years and add hundreds of locations in the years ahead. Joey's is the largest seafood chain in Canada, but U.S. rollout has moved slower than anticipated since its rights were purchased in 2002, reported Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Stations Acquisitions LLC purchased 24 gas station/convenience stores throughout the Kansas City, KS area for $24 million, reported Kansas City Business Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Mexican restaurant El Torro will open its eighth restaurant in Beavercreek, OH, and plans on opening two more in the area over the next year, reported Dayton Business Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Ripple Effect Development Corp. will open three Lenny' Sub Shops in Charlotte, NC, and are close to signing deals for two more locations in the area, reported Charlotte Business Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

O'Charley's Inc. closed on the sale of its commissary facility in Nashville, TN, and also made other changes to its supply chain. Performance Food Group entered into an agreement with the company to be the exclusive master distributor for O'Charley's and Stoney River restaurants. Full Story

A new whole grain rice bran cracker containing NutraCea's proprietary stabilized rice bran as one of the primary ingredients was launched in Australia and New Zealand. The rice bran cracker is distributed through Sakata Rice Snacks, a division of Frito Lay. Sakata will also be exporting these crackers to the U.S., UK and South Africa. Full Story

Food was the main theme of the op-ed page of Sunday's New York Times On The Web, which included three food-related items: Catfish With a Side of Scombroid Full Story, Chicken of the Sea Full Story, and Sushi for Two Full Story. (All Free Registration Required)

China suspended imports of chicken and pork from Tyson Foods Inc. and six other U.S. companies, reported Bloomberg.com. Frozen chicken meat from Tyson was found to contain salmonella and frozen chicken feet from Sanderson Farms Inc. had residues of feed additives and anti- parasite drugs, according to China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. Full Story

Meanwhile, China's top quality control official accused foreign media of raising unnecessary alarm about the safety of the country's food and drug exports, reported The Associated Press. Full Story

Carrefour Group's Spain-based Dia entered into an agreement with Tengelmann to acquire 250 Plus Supermercados for €200 million. This transaction is subject to approval by the relevant authorities. Full Story

Ebro Puleva SA agreed to acquire Birkel Teigwaren, a German pasta company for €30 million including debt and pension fund liabilities. Ebro Puleva stated that the operation must first be cleared by the German competition authorities, reported Forbes. Full Story

Master franchisor Dixie Lee International Industries, Inc. launched its international expansion campaign to offer master franchise developments for its "Dixie Lee Diner" banner in Europe, the Middle East and Asian markets, including mainland China. Full Story

In Great Britain, poorer people do not eat significantly differently from the rest of the country, according to a survey of 3,500 people on lower incomes over a 15-month period by the Food Standards Agency. The majority of people on lower incomes shop in large supermarkets and have adequate facilities for storing food, reported Medical News Today. Full Story

U.S. grocers and foodmakers will be required to put country-of-origin labels on cuts of red meat beginning Sept. 30, 2008, under a bill approved by a House Appropriations subcommittee, reported Reuters. Full Story

Federal regulators have undertaken an informal investigation in the anonymous online postings of John Mackey, the chief executive of Whole Foods Market Inc., some of which denigrated a smaller rival grocery, reported The Associated Press. Full Story

The Federal Trade Commission approved a petition from Bruno's Supermarkets to reopen and modify a 2002 decision and order regarding Koninklijke Ahold N.V. (Ahold). Under the order, Ahold was permitted to acquire all of the outstanding voting stock of Bruno's, provided that it met certain conditions. Specifically, the order required Ahold to divest two BI-LO supermarkets in Milledgeville and Sandersville, GA. It also required that for 10 years from the date the order became final, Ahold had to notify the Commission before acquiring any supermarkets (or supermarket interests) in Georgia's Baldwin and Washington counties. Full Story

Attorneys for Century Foods International plan to file a federal lawsuit against the developer of a planned ethanol plant, alleging violations of the federal Clean Air Act. Century Foods, a subsidiary of Hormel Foods Corp., argues that its dairy-based food products would be contaminated by the ethanol plant's pollution, reported TwinCities.com. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

U.S. International Trade Commission examined the competitive conditions for Foreign Direct Investment in India. The country offers both positive and negative incentives for foreign investors. Positives include strong economic growth, which may lead to an increase in buying power by the middle class, lower wages, and an educated work force. Full Story, Full Report

The FDA confirmed that a strain of Salmonella Wandsworth bacteria found in Veggie Booty snack food is responsible for the disease outbreak that occurred between March and June 2007. Full Notice

Meanwhile, Newsweek examined the impact of Veggie Booty's recall on its manufacturer Robert's American Gourmet. Full Story

Gerber Products Co. recalled all packages of its organic rice and organic oatmeal cereals due to a potential choking hazard. Full Story

Florida fresh citrus growers and shippers will probably be shut out of California and other citrus-producing states for the second consecutive season due to a citrus canker quarantine, but citrus industry officials are working to change that for the future. In the seasons before the quarantine, Florida fresh citrus packinghouses shipped about 5% of their fruit to 10 citrus-producing states and territories, mainly to California. That amounted to $10 million or more in sales each year, according to The Lakeland Ledger. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

NMFS prohibited directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the Central Aleutian District of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area. Full Notice

NMFS prohibited directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the West Yakutat District of the Gulf of Alaska. Full Notice

NMFS prohibited directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in a specified area of the Western Aleutian District of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area. Full Notice