The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) says its next “Food Dialogues: Chicago. Integrity in Food Marketing” event will be held at the InterContinental Hotel from 9:30-11 a.m. (CT) June 10. As consumers ask more questions about how their food is grown and raised, food companies are increasingly telling the story behind their food from […]
Category: National
Posted in, National, New Products
Al Fresco All Natural Launches New Freezer-To-Grill Products
Al Fresco All Natural is rolling out Gourmet Chicken Grillers, uncooked frozen chicken burgers. The new Grillers contain half the fat of a traditional beef patty and are the first offering from Al Fresco’s new line of freezer products, according to the Massachusetts-based company. Gourmet Chicken Grillers go directly from the freezer to the grill […]
Posted in, National
Mastronardi Produce Introduces Eco Flavor Bowl Packaging
Mastronardi Produce is rolling out its all-new packaging system: the Eco Flavor Bowl, a unique pack that uses top-seal technology to lock in fresh Sunset flavor. The bowl is made from recycled materials and is 100 percent recyclable. “A lot of research goes into our packaging designs,” said Giuseppe Rubino, director of packaging at Mastronardi […]
Posted in, National, Perishables
Harris Teeter First Retailer In U.S. To Meet USDA Certified Very Tender Guidelines For Beef
Harris Teeter is the first retailer in the country to offer U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Certified Very Tender beef. Harris Teeter is now labeling its Reserve Angus beef brand with the USDA Certified Very Tender label in its stores. The new certification guarantees consumers the highest quality tender eating experience, according to the Kroger-owned […]
Posted in, Amazon Fresh, National, Store News, Whole Foods
Grocery Among Industries With Highest Average Forgiveness Ratings
Based on a study of 10,000 U.S. consumers, H-E-B and USAA tied for the top spot in the 2014 Temkin Forgiveness Ratings, which rates 268 companies across 19 industries. In fact, grocery chains are among the industries with the highest average ratings. “Forgiveness is an asset that companies earn from their customers,” says Bruce Temkin, […]
Posted in, National, Organic Natural
Hain Celestial Acquires Rudi’s Organic Bakery For $61M
The Hain Celestial Group, a leading organic and natural products company, has acquired Rudi’s Organic Bakery, a leading organic and gluten-free company with facilities in Boulder, Colo. Under the Rudi’s Organic Bakery and Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery brands, Rudi’s offers a range of approximately 60 products—including USDA-certified organic breads, buns, bagels, tortillas, wraps and soft pretzels and […]
Posted in, National, Organic Natural
AWG Updates Clearly Organic Packaging And Product Line
Associated Wholesale Grocers has updated the package design for its Clearly Organic brand food products. Up to 40 existing and new Clearly Organic products have been released. Over the next six months, 150 new products will be added to the Clearly Organic line. In a concerted effort to offer customers affordable organic products, AWG and […]
Posted in, National, Perishables
InnovAsian Cuisine Debuts Lemon Grass Kitchen Line Of Frozen Entrées
InnovAsian Cuisine, a leading producer of frozen Asian entrees, has expanded its line to include Southeast Asian dishes that can be prepared in minutes. To create an authentic Southeast Asian line, InnovAsian Cuisine says it partnered with one of America’s leading Asian cuisine experts, Chef Mai Pham. The collection is inspired by Pham’s Vietnamese and […]
Posted in, C-Store News, National
Energy Transfer Partners To Acquire Susser Holdings For $1.8B
Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), owner of Sunoco, has entered into a definitive merger agreement whereby ETP will acquire Susser Holdings Corp. (SUSS) in a unit and cash transaction valued at approximately $1.8 billion. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2014. By acquiring Susser Holdings, ETP will own the general partner […]
Posted in, Equipment & Technology, National
Study: Digital Influences More Than $1 Trillion In Retail Store Sales
Digital interactions influence 36 cents of every dollar spent in the retail store, or approximately $1.1 trillion, according to the latest study from Deloitte Digital. By the end of 2014, that number will climb to 50 percent, or $1.5 trillion of total store sales. The study, “The New Digital Divide,” is first-of-its-kind research that quantifies […]
Posted in, National
Snoboy Produce Makes Return
The famous Snoboy brand of fresh produce is launching into the retail marketplace after an absence of several years. Bill Munger, president of Amerifresh, owner of the Snoboy brand, says Snoboy has been previously available only to foodservice customers like restaurants, schools, hospitals, casinos and cruise ships. “We’ve heard from a number of past customers […]
Posted inWoman Executive of the Year, Albertsons, National, Shelby Content, Shelby Honorees, Shelby Signature Content, West, Women In The News
Woman Executive Of The Year 2014: Unified Grocers’ Sue Klug
Sue Klug is perhaps the best-known woman in the West Coast food industry. The 54-year-old Unified Grocers executive started in the business at Vons as Susan Lawmaster in her early 20s. She went on to work at Lucky Stores before joining Catalina Marketing and later Albertsons/Supervalu. Prior to coming on board with Unified in late […]
Posted in, Center Store, National
Taste Test: Four Mom Brands Cereals Preferred Over Post Varieties
Cereal lovers can enjoy great taste and save money at the same time, according to a recent national taste test conducted by Mom Brands, in which consumers reportedly said they preferred the taste of Mom cereals over Post Cereals brands. Consumers were asked to taste four MOM Brands cereal varieties and four similar Post Cereal […]
Posted in, National
Store Label Growth Continues To Outpace National Brands
The PLMA’s 2014 Annual Private Label Yearbook has been released, and the group says it’s indisputable that store brands have extended their multi-year period of growth, outpacing national brands in dollar and unit gains and setting new share records in all major U.S. retail channels. The development that had been touted in some quarters as […]
Posted in, Center Store, National
Popchips Introducing Bolder Flavors In Bigger Bags
Popchips is rolling out bolder flavors in bigger bags—which the company says hold 15 percent more chips for the same price. The “more to love” Popchips are available in 3.5-oz. potato and 4-oz. tortilla share bags. Popchips says it is bringing snackers better flavors, with only half the fat of fried chips. Featuring bolder seasonings […]
Posted in, National
Food Share Partners Asks Industry For Donations
Food Share Partners, Dallas-Fort Worth area group of nonprofits that serve the homeless, food pantries, medical centers and social service agencies, is asking food manufacturers and grocery retailers across the U.S. to donate usable food items that are nearing their expiration dates. The group will accept all grocery food products—shelf stable, refrigerated, frozen, nonfood and […]
Posted in, National, Northeast
Vermont GMO Labeling Law Heads To Governor’s Desk
The Vermont legislature passed a bill Wednesday that would make it the first state to require food makers to label products made with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The Wall Street Journal reports that the Vermont House voted 114-30 to adopt a state Senate labeling bill. Gov. Peter Shumlin has said he plans to sign the […]
Posted in, Corporate Store News, National
Supervalu’s 4Q Earnings Show Positive Trends
Supervalu Inc. reported Wednesday that its fourth quarter fiscal 2014 net sales were $3.95 billion, an increase of 1.4 percent vs. the same period a year ago. Net earnings totaled $26 million, or $0.10 per diluted share. Identical store sales in the Save-A-Lot network were up 2.1 percent, while ID store sales for corporate stores […]
Posted in, National
Survey Finds That American Recycling Habits Have Room For Improvement
Curbside recycling is available to more than half of American adults, but the public could benefit from additional education on what can be recycled, according to a recent national survey. The survey, commissioned by the National Waste & Recycling Association (Waste & Recycling) and conducted online by Harris Poll among more than 2,000 U.S. adults […]
Posted in, National, Perishables
Kraft Cheese Brands Compete On Par With Artisanal Brands From Around The World
A group of Kraft brands has risen to the top of a peer group of fine international cheeses at the recent biannual World Championship Cheese Contest, the largest competition in the world of its kind. Kraft took home three medals, including two gold and one bronze. The international panel of expert judges awarded Cracker Barrel […]