The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA) has hired Meagan Thorpe as association services manager. Thorpe will research legislative and regulatory issues, serve as a liaison to communicate emergency planning issues, manage the association’s committees and provide government relations coverage in the monthly newsletter and weekly e-newsletter communications. She also will assist with the planning and educational […]
Category: Northeast
The Shelby Report of the Northeast covers grocery retailers, wholesalers and suppliers in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Follow the latest store openings, remodels, leadership changes and market news from the region.
Posted inNortheast
Two Iconic Brands To Exhibit At Sweets & Snacks Expo For First Time
McKee Foods, maker of Little Debbie snacks, and Clif Bar will exhibit at the Sweets & Snacks Expo this year for the first time. The 2017 expo, hosted by the National Confectioners Association (NCA), will be held May 23-25 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. McKee Foods began during the height of the Great Depression when O.D. McKee began […]
Posted inNortheast
AB InBev, Keurig Partner To Create In-Home Alcoholic Drink Dispenser
Anheuser-Busch InBev and Keurig Green Mountain have entered into a joint venture focused on the research and development of an in-home alcohol drink system. The venture will build on the Keurig Kold technology and system innovations and AB InBev’s brewing and packaging technology, and evolve them within the realm of the full adult beverage category, including beer, […]
Posted inNortheast
Rich’s Foodservice Launches C-Store Line Of Healthy Energy Bars, Cookies
Rich’s Foodservice of Buffalo, New York, has introduced its line of Better-For-You Protein Energy Bars and Cookies for the convenience store channel. The portfolio, compatible with ACT ovens, began rolling out to U.S. c-stores on Jan. 3. “We’re delighted to offer c-stores this delicious snack that combines consumers’ desires for fresh baked goods and healthier […]
Posted inNortheast
Wegmans To Employ 1,000 At Two New N.J. Stores
Wegmans has begun the process of hiring and training 1,000 people for its two new stores in Montvale and Hanover, New Jersey. The Montvale store in Bergen County is set to open in the fall and employ approximately 500 people, 450 of whom will be hired locally. Of these, there are 200 full-time positions to […]
Posted inNortheast
Giant Food Assists In Development Of New Maryland Food Bank Facility
With the assistance of Giant Food, the Community Action Council of Howard County, Maryland, is looking forward to the Jan. 10 opening of the new Howard County Food Bank facility. The new building will include improved technology for tracking clients and supplies, provide more food choices and heighten the food bank’s ability to provide for more […]
Posted inNortheast, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods
Bulk Of Retailers Chosen For SNAP Online Pilot Based In The Northeast
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has selected seven retailers to participate in a new project designed to enable Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants to purchase their groceries online. The two-year pilot is slated to begin this summer, with many of the chosen retailers based in the Northeast. “Online purchasing is a potential lifeline for […]
Posted inNortheast
Merchant Groups Ask New Congress To Protect Debit Reforms
Now that a new Congress is in session, the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) and 170 state and national merchant groups are communicating to both branches of Congress about the importance of keeping debit reforms intact, which were enacted as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. In a letter sent […]
Posted inNortheast, Sustainability News
Baldor Specialty Foods Eliminates Food Waste From Production Facility
Baldor Specialty Foods, a New York City produce processor and distributor, has diverted 100 percent of the organic waste generated in its Fresh Cuts operation from landfill—thanks to its food waste initiative known as SparCs (the word “scraps” spelled backward). SparCs is a waste prevention strategy developed by Baldor’s sustainability director, Thomas McQuillan. Baldor processes […]
Posted inNortheast
New York’s Fieldbrook Foods Completes Expansion
Fieldbrook Foods Corp., a producer of private label ice cream and novelty products, has completed a $4 million expansion to increase ice cream production at its headquarters in Dunkirk, New York. The expansion allows the company to add 61 full-time jobs and retain 586 full-time positions. The expansion of the company’s 234,000-s.f. Dunkirk facility included […]
Posted inNortheast, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods
National C-Store Sales Grow In 2016; NACS Optimistic About New Year
Low gas prices helped drive sales increases at convenience stores in 2016—and retailers expect those strong sales to carry over into 2017, according to a survey of retailers released this week by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). More than two in three convenience retailers (68 percent) said their fuels sales increased in 2016 […]
Posted inNortheast
7-Eleven Completes 77 Drone Deliveries
7-Eleven and Flirtey, a drone delivery service, have completed 77 autonomous drone deliveries to customers’ homes in the U.S. The test began in July with the world’s first autonomous drone delivery to a customer’s residence. Flirtey conducted regular weekend deliveries during November from a 7-Eleven store in Reno, Nevada, to a dozen select customers who were […]
Posted inNortheast
U.S. Raises Bar For Seafood Imports To Curb Fraud
A U.S. program will trace specific fish products from international harvest to entry into the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries will administer the Seafood Import Monitoring Program to further curb Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing practices and to identify misrepresented seafood imports before they enter the U.S. market. The program requires […]
Posted inNortheast
Dover Fueling Solutions Completes Purchase Of Wayne Fueling Systems
Dover Fueling Solutions has completed its purchase of Wayne Fueling Systems, a global provider of fuel dispensing, payment, automation and control technologies for retail and commercial fuel stations. The Wayne acquisition is Dover’s fourth purchase in the retail and commercial fueling space in 2016. Dover is now combining these companies into a new business called […]
Posted inNortheast, Home Page Latest News
Peapod Predicts 2017 Will Be The Year Of The Home Cook
Will 2017 be the year Americans finally ditch fast food in favor of homemade? Peapod and ORC International recently conducted a national survey to see what food resolutions will be topping many lists. Peapod found that the home-cooking trend—72 percent of Americans already report cooking at home four nights or more per week in 2016—will not slow […]
Posted inNortheast, Home Page Latest News, Organic Natural, Private Label Brands
ShopRite Debuts ‘Wholesome Pantry’ Organic Private Label Line
ShopRite has launched “Wholesome Pantry,” a private label line of free-from and organic products—available exclusively at the chain’s more than 270 stores in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania. The new brand, marketed as Wholesome Pantry and Wholesome Pantry Organic, is designed as an alternative for customers seeking cleaner ingredients and simpler labeling, […]
Posted inNortheast
Grocer Delivers Fire Station Meals, Donates $10K Following Neighborhood Blaze
A few days before Christmas, Burns’ Family Fresh Grocer delivered holiday meals to firefighters throughout the West Philadelphia district. The retailer also donated $10,000 in gift cards to the American Red Cross for families affected by a recent fire in the city’s Cobbs Creek neighborhood. “At The Fresh Grocer, we believe in community, supporting our neighbors […]
Posted inNortheast
Maine Food Opportunities Are Growing, But Group Director Concerned Over Lack Of High-Paying Jobs
There is some optimism surrounding the food industry in Maine, but Maine Grocers and Food Producers Association Executive Director Shelley Doak still maintains a wait-and-see attitude. Doak reports more economic opportunities for food manufacturers, with more new startups for full-service independent markets. She is excited about a “Fork Food Lab” connecting food manufacturers with food lovers […]
Posted inNortheast
C&S, Congressional Hunger Center Commemorate 12-Year Partnership
C&S Wholesale Grocers of Keene, New Hampshire, has announced its support of the 23rd class of Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellows, as it celebrates its 12-year partnership with the Congressional Hunger Center to develop national leaders to end hunger in the U.S. Since 2005, C&S has contributed to the Congressional Hunger Center’s mission to develop, inspire […]
Posted inNortheast, Home Page Latest News
Food Retailers Prepare For Impact Of Philadelphia’s New Beverage Tax
Retailers are expecting many angry customers once the Philadelphia Beverage Tax takes effect on Jan. 1. According to the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA), the 1.5 cents per ounce tax on sweetened beverages will cause many products to double in price, putting a financial strain on consumers. “Items such as juice drinks, sodas, teas, sports […]