Posted inExecutive News, Featured News, Finance News, National, News

Conagra Brands Names J.M. Smucker President, COO Brase As CEO

Conagra Brands has appointed John Brase as president and CEO, effective June 1. Brase, who will also join the company’s board of directors, succeeds Sean Connolly, who is stepping down after more than a decade leading the Chicago-based food company. Brase most recently served as president and COO of The J.M. Smucker Co., where he […]

Posted inPackaging News, Dairy News, Featured News, National, News, Organic Natural

La Fermière Launches LTO Yogurt Pots Designed By Alex Alpert

French yogurt brand La Fermière launched a newly designed terracotta pot April 6 that will be available for a limited time at partner retail stores. The pots were designed by Alex Alpert, a visual artist and creative director living in New York City who has done work for companies such as American Express, Nike, Red […]

Posted inDairy News, Finance News, News, West

Francisco Foods To Acquire Rizo-Lopez Foods Assets Out Of Bankruptcy

Valley Milk a California dairy ingredient producer, has formed Francisco Foods, a new joint venture that has acquired substantially all assets of Rizo-Lopez Foods out of bankruptcy proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of California. The deal preserves the Tío Francisco brand and keeps the Modesto, California-based operation’s workforce and customer […]

Posted inMarketing News, National, News, Walmart

Walmart, Sam’s Club Launch Annual Fight Hunger. Spark Change. Campaign

Walmart and Sam’s Club have launched the 13th annual Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign at all U.S. stores and club locations. The cause marketing initiative runs through May 3, with the goal of providing people facing hunger access to food and resources through Feeding America’s network of local food banks. Since its inception in 2014, […]

Posted inPackaging News, Equipment & Technology, Meat/Seafood/Poultry, National, News

Chef Robotics Expands AI-Powered Automation Into Meatpacking

Chef Robotics, a San Francisco-based food robotics company, has expanded its artificial intelligence-driven automation platform to handle tray assembly for meatpacking. The system can assemble raw, frozen and precooked proteins – including pork loin fillets, chicken breasts, steaks, lamb chops, bratwursts and sausage links – onto trays before packaging. Tray assembly for proteins has been […]

Posted inSupply Chain News, National, News

NRF: Middle East Conflict Fuel Costs Pressuring Imports

U.S. container port volumes are not being significantly disrupted by the conflict in the Middle East, but rising fuel costs tied to the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz could eventually affect retailers and consumers, according to the latest Global Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. “Just because retailers don’t […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Finance News, Grocery Research, National, News

Survey: Consumers Spend 37% Of Grocery Budget At Independent Stores

Americans spend a larger share of their grocery budget at independent stores than in any other retail category, according to a new survey from OnDeck in partnership with research consultancy Censuswide. The finding underscores the role independent grocers play in local economies even as consumers navigate an era of online convenience and corporate scale. The […]