The board of directors of the Frozen & Refrigerated Association of the North East (FRANE) has unanimously chosen Big Y Foods as its 2018 Member of the Year. Big Y will be honored at the group’s upcoming Convention & Business Conference to be held at Mystic Hilton in Mystic, Connecticut, on Friday, Oct. 5-Sunday, Oct. […]
Category: Grocery News
Peapod Ramping Up Its Meal Kit Variety, Distribution
Chicago-based online grocer Peapod is planning to release more than 40 new meal kits from now until next spring. Popular recent meal kit additions, created through partnerships with chefs and food manufacturers, include limited-edition Chicken Tinga Tacos by Chef Jon Zaragoza and Diet Coke; Vegan General Tso’s Tofu by Chef Chloe Coscarelli; and Glazed Beef Tenderloin Skewers, Cauliflower […]
Walgreens To Purchase Fred’s Pharmacies Patient Files For $165M
Walgreens and Fred’s Inc. have entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement under which Walgreens will acquire pharmacy patient prescription files and related pharmacy inventory of 185 Fred’s stores located across 10 Southeastern states for approximately $165 million. “This agreement increases patient access to Walgreens pharmacies in the Southeastern U.S., and allows us to introduce […]
Campbell Appoints Slavtcheff Head Of Research & Development
Campbell Soup Co. has appointed Craig Slavtcheff, 51, as VP and head of research and development (R&D). Slavtcheff will lead Campbell’s entire R&D organization, including strategy, innovation and product development for the company’s divisions, as well as its science and technology, regulatory, nutrition and culinary teams. He will report to Campbell’s Chief Operating Officer Luca […]
Raley’s Revamps Its Check Stands With Better-For-You Options
Raley’s is reimagining the checkout experience in an effort to help customers make better decisions at the check stand. The California-based retailer has reduced the overall candy offerings at its check stands by 25 percent, fully eliminated conventional candy and replaced it with a selection of snack options that take nutritional value, portion control and […]
Gristedes Joins Allegiance Retail Services To Improve Offerings
Gristedes has joined the Allegiance Retail Services Cooperative. Gristedes, owned by Red Apple Group of New York City, is the 30th member of the cooperative and increases the number of stores serviced by Allegiance to 120. Gristedes operates 23 stores in the New York metro market. “Strategically aligning the Gristedes business with Allegiance in the New York […]
Premium Brands Holdings Ready To Buy Maine’s Ready Seafood Co.
Premium Brands Holdings Corp., a Canadian producer, marketer and distributor of branded specialty food products, plans to purchase Ready Seafood Co. of Portland, Maine. Ready was founded in 2004 by brothers John and Brendan Ready and has grown from a small startup to a major processor, distributor and marketer of lobsters in the U.S. It has three production […]
PepsiCo Launches Nutrition Greenhouse Program For Startups
PepsiCo has launched the “Nutrition Greenhouse” accelerator program designed to discover and support emerging brands in the food and beverage sector. The North American program follows the launch of PepsiCo’s Nutrition Greenhouse in Europe, now in its second year. In 2017, eight startups in the European program delivered an estimated combined sales growth of more than $10 […]
USDA Finds Slight Improvement In Food Insecure Population
A report released this week by the USDA found that one in eight households (11.8 percent) in the U.S. had trouble providing enough food for all their members at some time during 2017. This represents a decline of 0.5 percentage points from the previous year’s data. Still, the improvements are not enough to overcome the effects of […]
Stir Foods And Pacifica Foods Acquires Sabra’s Salsa Business
Stir Foods and Pacifica Foods (Stir-Pacifica), a custom manufacturer of soups, sauces, dressings and fresh salsas for both retail and foodservice customers, has acquired Sabra Dipping Co.’s salsa business, based in Oceanside, California. The acquisition includes the Santa Barbara and Chachies brands, which will continue to be produced at the Oceanside facility, and the Sabra […]
Giant Highlights Easy Meal Solutions For Family Meals Month
This September, Giant Food Stores is supporting the FMI Foundation’s National Family Meals Month initiative. Created by the FMI Foundation in 2015 on behalf of the nation’s food retailers, the goal of National Family Meals Month is to encourage families to enjoy at least one more meal together per week. “Families are always juggling busy schedules and struggling […]
Festival Foods Celebrates Family Meals Month With Video Series
Festival Foods is recognizing Family Meals Month this September with a variety of programs, insights and recipe ideas to help bring families together at meal time. This year’s campaign features some of Festival Foods’ “little guests” in a YouTube mini-series that’s focused on food, family meals and fun. On camera, children will be doing everything […]
Raley’s Promotes Online Shopping With New Video Campaign
Raley’s has launched a new video campaign promoting its online shopping service, developed with “an understanding of how Raley’s shoppers and non-shoppers use online shopping,” the company says. The grocer conducted a series of focus groups and online surveys to understand what customers want from their online grocery experience. The retailer found that convenience is […]
Educate And Inspire Your Deli Shoppers
Sponsored content It’s not about food, it’s about a meal by Tyson Foods Inc. According to Eric LeBlanc, director of channel marketing, deli, at Tyson Foods Inc., “A good, satisfying meal is the backdrop of the family dinner table, and both are still important to families. It’s time for prepared foods to stop offering pieces […]
Food Lion Feeds To Renovate 30 Food Pantries In 30 Days
In conjunction with Feeding America‘s Hunger Action Month, Food Lion Feeds will remodel and stock the shelves at 30 food pantries across its 10-state footprint during its fourth annual “The Great Pantry Makeover.” Food Lion Feeds is Food Lion’s hunger relief initiative, which has donated more than 400 million meals to neighbors in need since […]
Maine’s Moxie Brand Sold To Coca-Cola New England
Coca-Cola North America and Coca-Cola of Northern New England (CCNNE) have purchased the Moxie brand, known as the official state beverage of Maine. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Officials said shoppers will not notice any changes. Moxie will continue to be produced locally by CCNNE, the exclusive bottling partner for […]
Three Bridges Rolls Out Heat-And-Eat Pasta Meals
Three Bridges, a producer of pastas and sauces, is debuting four new heat-and-eat pasta meals that are ready in the microwave in five minutes. Designed specifically for lunch, Simple Dishes eliminates meal prep time. “Half of Americans have less than 30 minutes for lunch, and they don’t want to spend precious minutes of that time […]
J.M. Smucker Co. Closes $375M Deal With Hometown Food Co.
The J.M. Smucker Co. has completed the sale of its shelf-stable baking business, including the exclusive U.S. rights to the Pillsbury brand, along with the Hungry Jack, White Lily, Jim Dandy, Martha White and Funfetti brands, to Hometown Food Co., a wholly-owned portfolio company of Brynwood Partners VII L.P. and Brynwood Partners VIII L.P. The $375 million […]
Sprouts Coming To Vacaville, California, Sept. 12
Sprouts Farmers Market will open a new store in Vacaville, California, on Sept. 12, offering locally made products from Northern California-based producers, including BRU Broth, Casa Sanchez, Clover Stornetta Dairy, Preservation & Co., and Bay Area Bee Co. Sprouts will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new store, located at 1041 Helen Power Drive, before doors open at 7 a.m. The public is invited to join […]
Natural Grocers Celebrates Organic Harvest Month With $50K Fundraiser
Natural Grocers is celebrating its more than 30-year history of selling only organically grown produce with a month-long series of festivities for Organic Harvest Month, including giveaways for shoppers and a fundraiser for the Organic Farmers Association (OFA). The celebration will kick off on Sept. 1 with a one-day-only free bag giveaway with any purchase […]
