United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) said April 22 that in order to accelerate its integration of Supervalu into one organization, it now will operate under a national UNFI leadership team. UNFI says the change will advance its execution of its long-term strategic objectives and short-term synergy, revenue and EBITDA growth objectives. UNFI completed the acquisition […]
Category: National
Target Rolls Out New Everspring Brand On Earth Day
Target Corp. has introduced its Everspring brand of household essential items, designed to be environmentally friendly. The Everspring line includes more than 70 products developed by Target’s internal design team to include ingredients and components that are derived from plants or use other renewable materials, including post-consumer recycled paper. Everspring products arrive in stores and […]
Consumer Reports: Only Trader Joe’s Earns Top Satisfaction Rating
Trader Joe’s is the only national grocery chain to earn top overall ratings, according to the latest Consumer Reports ratings of grocery stores and supermarkets. Of the 96 stores in Consumer Reports’ ratings, five regional grocers shared top marks for customer satisfaction: Texas-based Central Market; mid-Atlantic brand Wegmans; Heinen’s, located in Ohio and Illinois; Southern […]
Deli Meat Companies Use PacPro Interleaver To Improve Food Safety
Land O’Frost, which specializes in pre-sliced deli meats and specialty sausage products, wanted to start a new line of premium sliced meat sub kits for retail sale. The company aimed to add value by conveniently grouping a variety of meats in sandwich-sized portions, interleaved with sanitary wax paper. “We required a higher-volume, more sanitary solution […]
World Peas Resolves Peatos Trademark Dispute With Frito-Lay
World Peas Brand Peatos, a division of Snack it Forward, announced Wednesday that its trademark-related disputes with Frito-Lay have been amicably resolved. “We would like to commend Frito-Lay on its cooperative attitude toward reaching a resolution that works for both parties,” said Nick Desai, CEO of World Peas Brand in Los Angeles. “This battle will […]
Kraft Heinz Launches Oscar Mayer Natural Meat And Cheese Snack Sticks
Kraft Heinz has launched Oscar Mayer Natural Meat and Cheese Snack Sticks intended to be sold in convenience stores to target consumers looking for protein snack alternatives. The Natural Meat and Cheese Snack Sticks contain no artificial ingredients and no added nitrates or nitrites. The product is designed for sale across the convenience channel. Available […]
GMDC Named Association Affiliate Of Retail Analytics Council
Retail industry trade association Global Market Development Center (GMDC) is now an association affiliate of the Retail Analytics Council. GMDC President and CEO Patrick Spear will represent GMDC for all RAC-related activities. “It’s an honor for GMDC to be an association affiliate for the Retail Analytics Council,” Spear said. “This is a significant opportunity for […]
GMA Report Finds Americans Have Desire To Recycle But Are Confused
A report called Reduce, Reuse, Confuse shows that although Americans are more environmentally concerned than ever, a patchwork system of local policies has confounded consumers and damaged recycling efforts. According to the study from the Grocery Manufacturers Association, 75 percent of Americans say they have changed their behavior in recent years to be more environmentally […]
Butterfly Equity Buys Bolthouse Farms from Campbell Soup Company
An affiliate of Butterfly Equity has agreed to purchase Bolthouse Farms from Campbell Soup Co. for $510 million. The agreement is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to be completed by the end of 2019. Butterfly Equity is a Los Angeles-based private equity firm specializing in the food sector. Bolthouse Farms is Butterfly’s fourth […]
Walmart Success Leads To Soylent Nutrition Distribution Nationwide
Thanks to sales success in select Walmart stores, Soylent Nutrition is making five Soylent meal replacement drinks available at all Walmart stores nationwide. The drinks will be available in four-bottle packs. “Soylent is committed to providing affordable, accessible and appealing complete nutrition to the masses and Walmart’s tremendous presence and reach makes them a great […]
Digitally Engaged Food Shopper Study Expanded by FMI, Nielsen
The Digitally Engaged Food Shopper study has been expanded by Food Marketing Institute and Nielsen to address the constant changes in digital platforms. The study delivers an omnichannel roadmap for the food marketing industry. Through a broadened roster of advisory partners, this year’s output will bring to life a set of actionable tools and resources […]
NPPC’s World Pork Expo Canceled Due To African Swine Fever Concerns
Due to concerns about African swine fever, the National Pork Producers Council board of directors has decided to cancel World Pork Expo 2019 scheduled for June in Des Moines, Iowa. African swine fever (ASF) continues to spread in China and other parts of Asia. World Pork Expo, held each June at the Iowa State Fairgrounds […]
Midan Marketing Segments Meat Consumers To Understand Trends
In an effort to help retailers understand customers who purchase meat, Midan Marketing conducted an updated segmentation study of meat consumers in the U.S. The study, conducted in late 2018, is the second edition of segmentation research Midan Marketing conducted in 2016, which provided key insights into six distinct meat consumer groups. According to Midan […]
Walmart Renovating Stores In 6 States To Enhance Customer Service
Walmart plans to spend millions remodeling and renovating 157 stores in six states for customer service innovations. Stores in Texas, Florida, California, Indiana, Arizona and Pennsylvania will receive upgrades to expand customer-focused innovations such as online shopping, grocery pickup, grocery delivery, pickup towers, autonomous shelf scanners, fast unloaders and autonomous floor scrubbers. Nationwide this fiscal […]
‘Power of Bakery’ Report: Bakery Is A Driver Of Grocery Store Sales
A bakery in a grocery store drives store sales and encourages emotional connections with consumers, according to the results of the Power of Bakery Report, a report jointly released by the American Bakers Association (ABA) and Food Marketing Institute (FMI). The results of the analysis, unveiled at the ABA Convention in Naples, Florida, share consumer perceptions, […]
Kroger Promotes Three SVPs, Shifts Division Presidents
The Kroger Co. has promoted several executives to support its Restock Kroger initiative and is relocating some of its division heads, including replacing the retiring Marlene Stewart in Houston, Texas. “We are making progress on redefining the customer experience, and our high-performing leaders are determined to maintain that momentum in year two of Restock Kroger […]
United Fresh Partner X-Change Matchmaking Event Sells Out
The new Partner X-Change matchmaking program at the United Fresh Produce Association 2019 Convention and Expo in June has sold out, but a waiting list has been created. New this year, United Fresh 2019 is enhancing business development opportunities with one-on-one business partner meetings between the buying community and those seeking their business. During the […]
President Declares April ‘Winning On Reducing Food Waste’ Month
The United States Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency and the Food And Drug Administration are working to reduce food waste with its “Winning on Reducing Food Waste” initiative. President Donald Trump declared April as Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month. In the United States, more than one-third of all available food goes uneaten through […]
16th Straight Year Of Record Convenience Store Food, Merchandise Sales
The National Association of Convenience Stores says food and merchandise sales rose nearly 10 percent to a record $654.3 billion in 2018. It is the 16th straight year of growth. The NACS State of the Industry data found while fuel sales increased 13.2 percent, foodservice sales accounted for 22.6 percent of in-store sales. Also, wages […]
United Fresh Produce Association Encourages Action On Border Issue
The United Fresh Produce Association is asking Congressional leaders to take immediate action on immigration issues to avoid a shutdown of the United States border with Mexico. “The solution to our immigration problems is not closing the border or slowing commercial traffic, but for Congress and the Administration to work together on real immigration reform,” […]
