Month: May 2012

BrightFarms & Homeland Stores Announce Partnership For Store Greenhouse

May 3, 2012 BrightFarms

Today BrightFarms and Homeland Stores announced a partnership to build a greenhouse for the 76-store Oklahoma supermarket retailer. BrightFarms will finance, build, and operate a greenhouse at a Homeland Stores location, supplying them with fresh, local produce year-round. Homeland Stores committed to buy BrightFarms' produce by signing the grocery industry's second long-term Produce Purchase Agreement (PPA). …

Henry's Farm Inc. Expands Soybean Sprouts Recall

May 3, 2012 FDA

Henry’s Farm Inc. is expanding the recall of its Soybean Sprouts, to include Natto Soybean Sprouts, because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections to individuals with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. …

3M Food Safety Unveils Innovative Molecular Detection System For Dangerous Foodborne Pathogens

May 2, 2012 3M

After decades of transforming the food processing industry with 3M™ Petrifilm™ Plates, 3M is once again revolutionizing the industry – this time in the area of pathogen detection. 3M Food Safety has introduced the 3M™ Molecular Detection System: a fast, accurate and easy-to-use method of detecting dangerous pathogens, like Salmonella, E. coli O157 and Listeria, that can shut down businesses and threaten public health. …

Union Prepares For Possible Strike Against West Sacramento-Based Raley’s Supermarket Chain

May 2, 2012 Dale Kasler, Sacramento Bee

Raley's unionized workforce Tuesday began preparing for a possible strike against the West Sacramento supermarket chain. The United Food and Commercial Workers announced early Tuesday that Raley's refused to extend its contracts and was preparing to give workers its "last, best and final offer."

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NPD: Use Of Private Label Foods Continues To Rise But Satisfaction Is Declining

May 2, 2012 The NPD Group, Inc.

The number of consumers using private label food and beverage products continues to rise, but U.S. consumers are losing their enthusiasm for these value-oriented options, according to a recently released report by The NPD Group, a leading market research company. NPD’s food and beverage market research report finds that private label’s share of household servings was 18 percent in 2000 and reached 27 percent in 2011. In contrast to steadily increasing usage, the satisfaction with private label foods meeting consumers’ needs has dipped from 32 percent in 2009 to 24 percent in 2012.
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