The board of directors of the PMA’s Foundation for Industry Talent met to focus on the Foundation’s goals and objectives for 2012 and beyond at PMA’s 2011 Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition in Atlanta. Chairman of the Board John Anderson, chairman, president and CEO of The Oppenheimer Group, Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, is joined […]
Category: National
Posted in, National, New Products
Angry Birds Fruit Snacks and Gummies Introduced by Healthy Food Brands
Healthy Food Brands introduces new Angry Birds™ Fruit Snacks and Gummies based on the worldwide puzzle Internet game sensation. These new snacks feature a variety of characters from the Angry Birds mega hit gaming app which has achieved more than 100 million downloads on the world’s most popular mobile and computer gaming systems including Android™, […]
Posted in, Marketing News, National
New World Record Set for Biggest Banana Display?
Chiquita Brands helped celebrate what is believed to be the world’s largest banana display. More than 70,000 pounds of Chiquita® Bananas from 1,776 boxes and 37 pallets comprised the display at Firelake Discount Foods in Shawnee, Okla. The display eclipses what is believed to be a record set in 2009 of 66,000 pounds of bananas […]
Posted in, National, Perishables
Proposed Dairy Policy May Have Hidden Costs
A new study of the impacts of proposed dairy policy legislation on federal nutrition programs has found millions of dollars in hidden costs. Behind typical estimates of the price of the National Milk Producers Federation’s Foundation for the Future dairy policy proposal are large and unintended additional taxpayer costs, reductions in the effectiveness of federal […]
Posted in, National, Perishables
AFFI, USDA, FDA, Appliance Manufacturers to Launch ‘Cook it Safe’ Campaign
The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) has partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) and home appliance manufacturers to launch the “Cook it Safe” campaign. “Food safety has long been the number one priority for America’s frozen […]
Posted in, Ellerbee Buzz, National
Maybe What We Need is a Little Sacrifice
It’s funny how the little things get you thinking. There was a story in The New York Times about consumers who stubbornly refuse to wash clothes in cold water, even as popular detergent makers have developed formulas specifically for the job. Evidently, that’s too much of a sacrifice, or at least, that’s how it read […]
Posted in, National
SymphonyIRI: Private Label Could Be Much More
Increasingly, private label products are strategic weapons that separate a retailer from its competitors in a way that helps to build loyalty and purchase behavior. But Symphony IRI Group states in its latest Times & Trend Report that private label can be—should be—even more. Much opportunity remains for private label marketers and national brand marketers […]
Posted in, Grocery Store Layout, National
FMI Energy & Store Development Conference: Integrated Design Can Change Everything
Rocky Mountain Institute’s Hutchinson says ‘put doors on everything’ by Terrie Ellerbee/associate editor Grocers operate on paper-thin profit margins, and for the industry as a whole, those margins are trending smaller. Store profitability has slipped below 1 percent. Meanwhile, energy costs have, on average, risen well above 1 percent. Throw in the current regulatory environment, […]
Posted in, National, New Products
Starbucks VIA Ready Brew House Blend, Breakfast Blend Hit Grocery Shelves
Marking the two-year anniversary of the Starbucks VIA® product line, the company on Oct. 19 made available Starbucks VIA Ready Brew in House Blend and Breakfast Blend at select grocery stores across the U.S. The introduction of the new instant coffee varieties further reinforces Starbucks global coffee leadership and its commitment to offering customers high-quality […]
Posted in, Executive News, National
GMA Appoints Burns VP, Health and Nutrition Policy
Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) President and CEO Pamela G. Bailey on Oct. 19 announced the appointment of Robert Burns, Ph.D., as GMA VP, health and nutrition policy. “I am very pleased to welcome Dr. Burns to GMA,” said Bailey. “Health and nutrition policy is critically important to GMA and its member companies and Dr. Burns […]
Posted in, National, Shelby Content
African-American Buying Power
In 2010, African Americans will constitute the nation’s largest racial minority market, but the buying power of Hispanics—an ethnic group—is larger. Despite the severe impact of the 2007-2009 recession, however, blacks’ economic clout will continue to energize the U.S. consumer market. The Selig Center projects that the nation’s black buying power will rise from $316 […]
Posted in, National
Study: Reusable Shopping Bags Could Harbor Bacteria
The International Association for Food Protection’s Food Protection Trends published a study in its latest issue revealing that most consumers surveyed never wash their reusable bags between uses, permitting bacteria to grow. The peer-reviewed study, completed by University of Arizona Microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba, found that large numbers of bacteria were found in almost all […]
Posted in, From My Point of View, National
Of Stellar Customer Service
My column this month will be in two parts, somewhat unrelated but as always, anything that affects our business is a part of us. A couple of years ago I wrote a column about an incident that happened one Sunday on the way home after church. We stopped at a supermarket to pick up a […]
Posted in, National
Allens Donates One Can of Popeye Spinach for Every New Facebook Fan
Arkansas-based Allens Inc., the parent brand of Popeye Spinach and a national leader in canned and frozen vegetables since 1926, hosts the “I Yam What I Yam, Donate a Can” virtual food drive benefiting regional food banks nationwide. Through the end of October, Allens Inc. will donate a can of Popeye spinach to a local […]
Posted in, Beverage News, National
Anheuser-Busch to Spend $30 Million on Los Angeles Brewery
Anheuser-Busch has announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in its breweries and other facilities nationwide that will support the growth of its brands and reinforce its commitment to local U.S. communities where it operates. These capital expenditures, according to a company press release, include resources spent or committed in 2011 toward projects to […]
Posted in, Albertsons, National
Supervalu Family of Stores Commit $1 Million
Supervalu Inc. has committed $1 million to sponsor 1,542 youth sports teams in markets where its Acme®, Albertsons®, Cub Foods®, Farm Fresh®, Jewel-Osco® and Shaws/Star Market® stores operate. The sponsorships underscore the company’s commitment to its local neighborhoods. The sponsorships, which began last spring, have helped to offset the cost of local youth baseball and […]
Posted in, National, Suppliers
IFBA Reaches Out to Manufacturers, Grocers
by Terrie Ellerbee/associate editor [gn_pullquote align=”right”]Next year’s IFBA Top to Top will be held May 15-17 at the Renaissance Chicago Hotel. NARMS will hold its annual spring confernce April 14-17 at the Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, Fla., which is north of Tampa.[/gn_pullquote]Independent food brokers are, in many ways, the last people for whom a […]
Posted in, From My Point of View, National
Of Fiscal Conservatism
It is time for those who are truly proud to be an American to take back our country from those who have betrayed us. There has never been an election in my lifetime that was any clearer than the one coming up in 2012. Let’s stay prayed up for America before it is too late […]
Posted in, National, The Independent Perspective
12 Members of Congress Who Could Have a Profound Impact
Back in early August, right before members of Congress hightailed it back to their districts for the August recess period, the Administration and Congress finally came to an agreement at the 11th hour to raise the nation’s debt limit. A major part of that agreement was the creation of a new 12-member “super committee”—formally known […]
Posted in, National
Corn vs. Sugar Industries Legal Battle Heats Up
High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a man-made sweetener used in thousands of grocery store products and it has a serious image problem. Consumers are avoiding it. Food companies are taking it out of the products they make. Some supermarkets have banned it. Demand for this highly processed ingredient is falling fast. The Corn Refiners Association—comprised […]