As consumer interest in meal kits continues to grow, Coborn’s online service, CobornsDelivers, has launched its fall meal kit menu. To meet families’ need for “healthy, adventurous, homemade meals” during the back-to-school season, the company has launched not only seven dinner meal kits but also, for the first time, nine school lunch kit choices. All […]
Author Archives: Lorrie Griffith

Lorrie began covering the supermarket and foodservice industries at Shelby Publishing in 1988, an English major fresh out of the University of Georgia. She started as an editorial assistant and proofreader—and, in spite of herself, she still proofreads everything, everywhere. Over more than three decades with Shelby, she held a variety of editorial roles. After a detour into business development, she rejoined Shelby in June 2024. “It’s good to be back covering the greatest industry in the world,” she says.
Festival Foods Provides Update On Gordy’s Market Acquisitions
Festival Foods entered into new agreements to purchase three Gordy’s Market locations in Wisconsin—two in Eau Claire and one in Tomah—on Sept. 13. Festival Foods had announced plans to acquire those three Gordy’s Market locations in July, but those plans temporarily stalled in August when Gordy’s announced it would have a receiver appointed. Now that […]
GMA Presents Mariano And Powell With Its Highest Honor
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has presented its highest honor, the Hall of Achievement Award, to Bob Mariano of Roundy’s Inc. and Ken Powell of General Mills. The awards were presented Saturday at the GMA Leadership Forum at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The Hall of Achievement Award recognizes the service and extraordinary […]
Green Giant Spiralized Frozen Vegetables Coming In 2018
B&G Foods continues to innovate its Green Giant line, with plans to roll out Veggie Spirals early next year. The spiral-shaped vegetables, designed to be an alternative to pasta, initially will be available in Zucchini, Carrots and Butternut Squash varieties. The new line contains 100 percent vegetables; no sauces or seasonings are added. All varieties […]
Walmart Has Reopened Most Locations In Harvey-Impacted Areas
Walmart said Sept. 5 that it has reopened most of its stores and is again serving customers in the Gulf region following the devastation from Hurricane Harvey. All but five of its stores in the Gulf region have reopened; the remaining five stores that remain closed are along the coast where the storm made landfall. Walmart […]
Food Lion’s ‘Great Pantry Makeovers’ Doubled For Anniversary Year
As part of its 60th anniversary celebration and Feeding America’s Hunger Action Month in September, Food Lion is expanding its third annual “The Great Pantry Makeover” by remodeling and stocking the shelves of 60 local food pantries across its 10-state operating area. During this event, which kicked off Sept. 5 with makeovers running through Dec. […]
Gruma/Mission Foods Donates 26 Tons Of Food To Harvey Victims
Gruma, through its U.S. subsidiary Mission Foods, is donating 26 tons of food products, such as packages of corn tortillas and chips, to victims of Hurricane Harvey. The packages are being delivered through the Houston Food Bank and the Red Cross. “Out of a spirit of great solidarity we are providing support to those who […]
Associated Food Stores ‘Stuff A Truck’ For Hurricane Relief
In an effort to support its neighbors in Texas and southwest Louisiana who have been impacted by Hurricane Harvey, area shoppers can donate at the registers of their local Associated Food Store, supplied by Associated Grocers (AG) of Baton Rouge. Shoppers can visit mylocalafs.com to see if a store in their area is participating in […]
HR & Benefits News: How FMLA Applies To Grocers
Editor’s note: HR & Benefits News is a new monthly column by Chris Cooley, co-founder of MyHRConcierge and SMB Benefits Advisors. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides protected leave to employees when they must take extended absences for qualified reasons. The calculation to determine if a grocer meets the 50-employee threshold to comply with […]
Pork Comes Out As Top Protein In HelloFresh Survey
Meal kit delivery company HelloFresh knows that keeping its offerings fresh and on-trend are key to success. In May, the company conducted a nationwide survey that polled 1,168 respondents, including current HelloFresh customers and non-customers, about their preferences on types of cuisine, techniques and ingredients. This, combined with analysis of over a year’s worth of […]
Beef Checkoff Promotes Batch Cooking For Back-To-School Meals
With school back in session, family schedules are ramping up. To help them get back in the swing of post-summer life, the Beef Checkoff is helping stretched families by providing batch cooking tips to ensure meal planning is stress-free but still nutritious. The promotional board is offering tips on batch-cooking shredded beef and steak and […]
JOH To Undergo Major Leadership Changes At The Top
JOH, a major independent regional broker based in Billerica, Massachusetts, has announced a significant reorganization of its corporate leadership. Effective Sept. 1, Chip O’Hare will take on chairman emeritus status; John Saidnawey will be promoted to chairman and CEO; and Matt O’Hare, Chip’s son, will become president and COO. JOH was founded in 1956 by […]
Leaders Of New Hanover Wegmans Have 80+ Years With Company
The Wegmans Food Market that opens in Hanover, New Jersey, on Sunday, July 23, will be led by a team of leaders that have a combined 84 years of experience with the grocer. The team consists of: Store Manager Tim Lockwood; Executive Chef Preston France; Pharmacy Area Manager Jim Rossettie; Perishable Area Manager Megan Doherty; […]
Tops Friendly Markets Reports Staff Promotions, Addition
Williamsville, New York-based Tops Friendly Markets has announced staff promotions as well as one addition. Four were promoted. Ashley Tucker, formerly a manager trainee for the North Country Tops stores, has been promoted to store manager for the Cox Sackie, New York, store. Tucker has more than 17 years of experience in retail management and […]
Harvest Hill Beverage Co. Promotes Champlin To President Of Sales
Harvest Hill Beverage Co. in Stamford, Connecticut, has promoted David Champlin to president of sales. Champlin, who has been with the company for about three years, will oversee the company’s selling organization of more than 40 people, and will be responsible for global sales efforts across all channels. Harvest Hill’s beverage brands include Juicy Juice, […]
CAC Says July Fourth Avocado Sales Broke Record
According to the California Avocado Commission (CAC), this year’s Fourth of July avocado sales figures indicate 118.3 million pounds were sold in the U.S. in support of holiday festivities, making it the highest Fourth of July consumption period on record. The results were stronger than the 100-million-pound pre-holiday projection and surpassed the 2016 actual by […]
Hunger Fundraiser Under Way In 28 U.S. Grocery Stores
Making Change, a 501(c)(3) organization that partners with retailers nationwide to run point-of-purchase fundraisers, has launched its campaign for summer 2017, “Hunger Knows No Season.” The campaign runs through the end of September, which is Hunger Action Month. A total of 28 stores in different regions across the country are participating in the fundraiser: nine […]
Kroger Atlanta Launches School Supplies Drive In Metro Area
Kroger’s Atlanta Division, in partnership with Children’s Restoration Network and local station WSB-TV, kicked off its 23rd annual “Back 2 School” campaign on Sunday, July 16. During the campaign, which runs through July 29, 124 Kroger stores will serve as dropoff sites for the school supplies. Children’s Restoration Network is a nonprofit agency focused on helping […]
Whole Foods To Open First 365 In State Of Ohio This September
Whole Foods Market 365 will open its first Ohio store in Akron on Sept. 14. The store will be the sixth 365 format store to open nationally for Whole Foods. Located at 1745 W. Market Street, the store will feature only products that meet Whole Foods Market’s rigorous quality standards and are free of artificial […]
Teasdale Latin Foods Grows Reach With Rudy’s Tortillas Acquisition
Teasdale Latin Foods has acquired Rudy’s Tortillas to enhance its position in the Hispanic foods category, especially in the bakery and foodservice arenas. Teasdale provides private label and branded Hispanic foods to the retail, foodservice and wholesale channels nationally. It is majority owned by private equity firm Snow Phipps Group. Rudy’s, which was founded in […]
