The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) has filed comments in response to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) request for scientific data and information about products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds. The 2018 Farm Bill allows for the production and commercialization of hemp and hemp-derivatives like cannabidiol (CBD), but the new law explicitly preserves FDA’s authority […]
Category: National
Veteran Trade Journalist Bob Vosburgh Dies At 54
Robert D. “Bob” Vosburgh Jr., a veteran supermarket trade journalist and most recently a spokesperson for the U.S. store brands industry through his online video work for the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA), died July 15. A resident of New Milford, Connecticut, Mr. Vosburgh was 54. He previously worked as an editor at Griffin Publishing’s […]
Acosta Names 28-Year Veteran Darian Pickett CEO
Acosta, a full-service sales and marketing agency in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, has appointed Darian Pickett as CEO, effective immediately. Pickett, a 28-year veteran with Acosta and most recently the Jacksonville, Florida-based company’s chief client officer, succeeds Alejandro Rodriguez Bas, who will leave Acosta to pursue other opportunities. “Under Alejandro’s leadership, Acosta made […]
Coleman Natural Foods Introduces Budweiser BBQ Variety Pack
Coleman Natural Foods has introduced a BBQ Variety Pack as part of its Budweiser BBQ Collection. The packaging, which resembles the familiar six-pack of Budweiser lager beer, includes a half rack of St. Louis-style ribs with BBQ sauce, 14-oz. classic pulled pork in BBQ sauce and four beer bratwursts, all individually packaged inside the box. […]
Lactalis Group Acquires Ehrmann’s U.S. Yogurt Division
Lactalis Group in Buffalo, New York, has acquired Ehrmann Commonwealth Dairy, the U.S. yogurt business of Ehrmann AG, a Bavaria, Germany-based dairy company. The acquisition was completed on July 5. Established in 2009, Ehrmann Commonwealth Dairy has two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities that employ 250 people in Brattleboro, Vermont, and Casa Grande, Arizona. The plants manufacture […]
Nestlé Toll House Rolls Out Edible Cookie Dough In Two Flavors
Nestlé Toll House has released Edible Cookie Dough, a ready-to-eat treat that is safe to eat right out of the tub. The new Edible Cookie Dough has two flavors: Chocolate Chip (inspired by the classic recipe) and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Monster. “We know cookie dough is hard to resist, so we wanted to bring […]
Survey Says Convenience Retailers Optimistic About Summer Sales
The summer months should be good for convenience store operators, according to a recent NACS survey. NACS, based in Alexandria, Virginia, is the trade association that represents the convenience and fuel retailing industry. U.S. convenience store operators surveyed reported most retailers experienced strong sales during the first half of 2019 and warm weather and low […]
Tyson, Hillshire Add Tajín Clásico Seasoning To Products
The Tyson and Hillshire Farm brands have launched five new products featuring Tajín Clásico Seasoning, a chili lime seasoning brand popular in Mexico. Tajín’s flavor is a blend of mild chili peppers, dehydrated lime juice and sea salt. It primarily is used to enhance the flavor of desserts, vegetables, fresh fruit and now, protein. The […]
Meet Gen Z: Young Consumers Crave Shareable Experiences
by Claire Lentsch/guest columnist Social media is revolutionizing the way consumers shop. We are experience driven. Whether it be dairy, deli or bakery, these consumers want something to share. Everyone has their cellphone on them at all times. This means all products need to be Instagram and Snapchat ready. There are endless video subscriptions on […]
Tastykake Rolls Out Limited-Edition Products For Summer
Tastykake, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is offering six summertime limited-edition items available everywhere Tastykake is sold now through Aug. 24. The six limited-time offered items included: Blueberry Donuts: featuring blueberry flavor in a powdered sugar donut, this product is available in multipack bags for $2.99, as well as 3-oz., six-count single-serve packs for $1.79; Banana […]
Kroger Updates Pesticide Policy To Protect Pollinating Species
Cincinnati, Ohio-based Kroger has updated its pollinator policy encouraging suppliers to move away from pesticides and adopt alternative pest management. The policy states Kroger supports the expansion of organic food and products that are affordable for many families. Friends of the Earth and other environmental, consumer, beekeeper and farmworker groups have pressured Kroger for more […]
Luigi’s Real Italian Ice Debuts Red, White & Blue Variety Box
Luigi’s Real Italian Ice has added a Red, White & Blue Variety Box, which brings together the classic flavors of Cherry, Lemon and Blue Raspberry into one package for the first time. Luigi’s Real Italian Ice Red, White, & Blue is now available nationwide for an SRP of $2.99- $3.99 in a 6-count box. Made […]
VideoMining’s Analytics Tool To Aid Strategies For Foodservice Shoppers
VideoMining Corp.‘s, the Meal Builder, is a new interactive, cloud-based analytics tool for helping to develop strategies for growing the basket of c-store foodservice shoppers. The tool enables users to dive deep into a rich information set, including which foodservice types are purchased on different dayparts, cross-purchase details for each food type for each daypart, […]
Plant-Based Dairy: Fad Or Trend?
by Cindy Sorensen, Founder and CEO/The Grocery Group When almond-based “milk” beverages entered the market a few years ago, they took market share away from soy-based beverages. The market then saw an influx of new beverage introductions made with a wide variety of nuts and plants, all hoping to have the same success enjoyed by […]
Albertsons Implements Self-Checkout Systems From Toshiba
Albertsons Cos. is implementing Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions’ self-checkout systems. Albertsons expects checkout times to speed up to improve operational throughput and reduce shopper interventions with the ultimate goal of improving the customer’s grocery store experience. “We are empowering our consumers to curate their in-store shopping experiences based on their needs and desires,” said Anuj Dhanda, […]
Spoon Guru Study: Consumers Need Help Identifying Healthy Choices
A recent study suggests that 72 percent of consumers do not understand the recommended levels of salt, fat and sugar consumption. The statewide health survey by Spoon Guru, a London-based developer of AI technology designed to assist in food discovery, revealed that only 28 percent of shoppers included in the study felt confident in deciphering […]
Hot Sauce Maker Cholula Names New CEO, Other Top Executives
Cholula, a producer and distributor of hot sauce, has appointed a new senior leadership team to drive growth. Maura Mottolese has been appointed CEO of the company with U.S. headquarters in New York. She brings more than two decades of experience in the food and beverage industry, most recently serving as CEO of Tate’s Bake […]
AFS’ Obray: To Quote One Well-Known Entrepreneur, ‘Stasis Is Death’
Bob Obray calls himself an accountant. The SVP and CFO at Associated Foods Stores (AFS) in Salt Lake City also is a student of (other) successful people in business. He shared some of the lessons he’s learned from what they’ve had to say with those attending ROFDA’s Spring Conference in Stowe, Vermont, in May. He […]
Perdue Foods’ New Chicken Plus Line Combines Chicken, Vegetables
Perdue Foods has created a new line called Perdue Chicken Plus that includes nuggets, tenders and patties. To make the new products, Salisbury, Maryland-based Perdue blends cauliflower, chickpeas and plant protein with no-antibiotics-ever white meat chicken. Each serving has a quarter-cup, or half a serving, of vegetables. The products are made with 100 percent all-natural […]
Study Reveals Significant Produce Shelf Life Variability
Zest Labs has released the results of a research study measuring and comparing the shelf life (or freshness) of produce being sold at major grocery chain stores across the United States. The research found that the freshness of produce varied significantly from store to store as well as within each individual store. This variability causes […]
