SECTOR MUST PROMOTE HEALTH BENEFITS

Despite the fact that fresh fruit and vegetables offer the general public many potential benefits, particularly when it comes to nutrition, health and the environment, consumers continue to take them for granted, according to European industry association Freshfel Europe.
What's more, other sectors in the meantime are increasingly abusing the positive image of fresh produce for their own marketing purposes, the organisation has claimed.
For that reason, it has called on the fresh produce sector at large to put even more effort into highlighting such benefits.
"Besides a robust, pro-active advocacy of these positive benefits, the sector needs to simultaneously promote even more the inherent properties of fresh produce, namely taste, texture, quality and the sheer pleasure of enjoying a fresh fruit or vegetable," the group said in a statement.
"A truly holistic approach from the industry is needed to raise consumption levels all across Europe."
Despite falling consumption levels over the past five years, European consumers are reportedly becoming increasingly aware of the specific benefits that fresh fruit and vegetables can offer, with new figures from a recent Eurobarometer survey suggesting that 58 per cent of people in Europe believe a healthy diet means eating more fruit and vegetables.

"Fresh produce has a critical role to play in the prevention of chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes," Freshfel continued.

"The majority of European citizens – 83 per cent according to Eurobarometer – also considers the impact of a product on the environment when deciding which product to buy.

"Various recent studies have shown that consuming fruits and vegetables represents an environmentally friendly way of feeding the world’s rising population."

The group added: "Furthermore, the fresh produce sector is rightly recognised as having been pro-active in developing sustainable agricultural practices to meet the evolving requirement for refinements and improvements across the supply chain."

Source: Fruitnet

CARREFOUR SPAIN PILOTS CARREFOUR EXPRESS STORES IN BP STATIONS

Grocery retailer Carrefour has announced that it is testing Carrefour Express convenience stores in BP petrol stations in Spain. The retailer has opened an outlet in the town of San Fernando de Henares in Madrid.

The partnership comes after Carrefour and BP signed an agreement last July, part of which the retailer's Club Carrefour and Pass cardholders can accumulate the equivalent of 3% savings at BP service stations. BP operates more than 660 locations in the country.

Source: Planet Retail

WALMART LOOKING AT EUROPEAN EXPANSION

US-based Walmart is considering expanding into Europe with mergers and acquisitions a likely growth strategy, according to the Independent.

Founder Sam Walton’s grandson Steuart Walton is thought to have taken an interest in the problems at the French retailer Carrefour.

A source close to Walmart said Walton would consider taking over Carrefour stores if the French retailer decides to close outlets. In the face of a stagnating US market and fierce competition for Asda in the UK, Walmart sees Europe as a growth driver. A spokesman said: “Steuart is currently on secondment in the UK as part of his induction into the Walmart business.”

Source: Planet Retail

TESCO TO DROP CARBON FOOTPRINT LABELS?

UK-based supermarket giant Tesco is back tracking on its support for carbon labeling of its products.

The chain says the labels, which it launched with the Carbon Trust four years ago, is frustrated at the lack of take up by other retailers and the time it takes to organize reports the Grocer magazine.

Tesco displays the label on around 500 products and is one of more than 100 businesses currently using it.

In an interview Tesco's climate change director, Helen Fleming, said the supermarket would be phasing out its Carbon Reduction Labeling.

She said labeling each product takes 'several months' and as competitors were not following suit the scheme was no longer 'viable.'

A Tesco spokesman said 'no final decision' had been made but customer feedback was that the labeling is 'difficult' to understand.

USDA OFFICIAL TALKS LOCALLY GROWN FOOD

U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan speaks about agriculture and its importance in the U.S.

Merrigan, the deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, wants people to understand the importance of knowing where their food comes from.

"Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" is the USDA's effort to encourage direct farmer-to-consumer connections and strengthen access to locally produced foods.

Merrigan said interest in sustainable agriculture and demand for local food is strong and growing.
"Local's hot, if you will," Merrigan said. "People want to know where their food comes from."

7-ELEVEN ACQUIRES 55 SAM'S MART STORES IN THE CAROLINAS

7-Eleven, Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement with Sam's Mart LLC to acquire 55 Sam's Mart stores in North and South Carolina and convert them to 7-Eleven® stores this year.

The transaction is anticipated to close in February, subject to standard closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

ALDI SÜD TO INTRODUCE TRACEABILITY SCHEME IN SWITZERLAND

German discounter Aldi Süd is to launch a traceability initiative for agricultural products in Switzerland called NatureSuisse.

The program, which comes into effect on February 2, allows customers to trace selected fresh and processed meat products back to their origin. At www.naturesuisse.ch and via QR codes, customers can find information about the Swiss suppliers, the production conditions and the items themselves, which Aldi Süd says match and in some cases exceed the standards for ecological agriculture.

The first industry partner for the program is Ernst Sutter, based in Gossau, St Gallen canton. Aldi Süd’s Hofer is running a similar program - Zurück zum Ursprung (Back to origin) - in neighboring Austria that has gradually been expanded beyond meat to include fresh produce, bakery and dairy products.

Source: Planet Retail

STUDENTS TO SEE HEALTHIER SCHOOL LUNCHES UNDER NEW USDA RULES

Millions of schoolchildren in the US will see more fruit and vegetables and less fat on their lunch plates under new U.S. Department of Agriculture standards unveiled Wednesday aimed at improving child nutrition and reducing childhood obesity.

"Improving the quality of the school meals is a critical step in building a healthy future for our kids," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "When it comes to our children, we must do everything possible to provide them the nutrition they need to be healthy, active and ready to face the future – today we take an important step towards that goal."

The changes mark the first overhaul of the school lunch program in more than 15 years and will affect the nearly 32 million children who eat at school. The new regulations will be phased in over the next three years, starting in the fall.

Under the new regulations, schools will be required to offer fruits and vegetables every day, increase the amount of whole-grain foods and reduce the sodium and fats in the foods served. Schools will also be required to offer only fat-free or low-fat milk. In addition, the menus will pay attention to portion sizes to make sure children receive calories appropriate to their age, according to Kevin Concannon, USDA under secretary for food, nutrition and consumer services.

FOOD SAFETY IS MORE THAN AUDITS: PMA RESPONDS TO USA TODAY EDITORIAL

PMA’s Chief Science and Technology Officer Dr. Bob Whitaker responded to a USA Today editorial which claimed food safety auditors are too closely tied to the industries they audit.

Specifically the editorial stated: “The system has an inherent conflict of interest: While retailers generally require audits before buying from a supplier, the suppliers often hire and pay the auditors who evaluate them. It’s like authors hiring their own book reviewers.”

It went on to draw similarities between the audit system and the U.S. financial crisis in 2008.

COUPON DISTRIBUTION DOWN, SAVINGS UP

CPG marketers distributed 305 billion coupons in 2011, an 8.1% decrease from 2010, according to a new report from NCH Marketing Services, a Valassis company.

The Annual Topline U.S. Consumer Packaged Goods Coupon Facts Report noted that the decline in 2011 reflects the fact that 2010 was a record-setting year for coupon distribution, which increased markedly during the recession.

Volume in 2011 was up by 20 billion over 2007 levels. Despite the decline in distribution from 2010 to 2011, consumer savings using coupons was up sharply, as Valassis reported that shoppers saved a total of $4.6 billion, up 12.2% over the preceding year. NCH's annual Consumer Survey found that 80.6% of shoppers report using coupons regularly, up 17 share points from pre-recession levels. More than one-third of the survey respondents said they used more coupons in 2011 than the prior year, a 14.3 share point increase from pre-recession levels.

Marketers continue to modify coupon-offer characteristics, according to the 2011 Coupon Facts Report:
- 27% of coupons distributed require multiple purchases, up 2 points from 2010;
- 9.9 weeks average expiration, down from 10.4 weeks a year ago;
- An average $1.54 face value, which remained the same as in 2010.

Source: Supermarket News

RUIZ TO FILL WALMART COO ROLE IN US

Walmart Stores has filled the position of COO within its US business for the first time in eighteen months with the appointment of Gisel Ruiz to the role.

TARGET NAMES NEW CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Target has promoted Senior Vice President of Finance John Mulligan to the position of Executive Vice President and CFO.

MEIJER TO SPONSOR 'MADE IN MICHIGAN' SCHEME

According to the Detroit News, grocery retailer Meijer will sponsor a new initiative called ‘Made in Michigan’ to promote the products of 22 local businesses.

The program, run in conjunction with the Michigan State University Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources, launches this month and will see the new grocery items become available in 33 Meijer stores across the state.

AUCHAN TESTS PRICE COMPARISON APP

French grocery retailer Auchan has launched a pilot of a price comparison app at its hypermarket in Issy-les-Moulineaux (Hauts-de-Seine).

The tool, which is available as a free download from the Apple App Store, allows real-time access to the store's price database. Users simply scan a product at a competitor’s outlet, for example, and receive the Auchan price. According to the retailer, the tool currently provides access to 10,000 reference prices.

Competitor Leclerc launched a mobile version of its price comparison website in June 2011.

Source: Planet Retail

RUSSIAN MAGNATE PLANS TO ENTER THE U.S. SUPERMARKET ARENA

Andrei Rogachyov, co-founder of the Russian supermarket chain that became X5 Retail Group, is opening 400 discount groceries in southern Florida, a project in which his company, AgroTrade International, will invest $500 million.

The stores will have a floor area of 5,400 to 7,500 sq ft, with up to 60 stores in the Sunshine State opening this year and the full 400 stores in operation by 2016.

TARGET LOOKS TO SUPPLIERS TO FIGHT ON-LINE THREAT

US general merchandise retailer Target has sent a letter to vendors urging them to create exclusive products in a bid to differentiate from other retailers and avoid direct price comparisons. As reported in The Wall Street Journal, Target’s letter has also asked suppliers to help it match prices in cases where exclusive lines are not available.

The company is also considering a subscription service that would give shoppers a discount on items purchased regularly. "What we aren't willing to do is let online-only retailers use our bricks and mortar stores as a showroom for their products and undercut our prices without making investments, as we do, to proudly display your brands," the letter stated, signed by Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel and Executive Vice President of Merchandising Kathee Tesija.

Source: Planet Retail

USDA SEEKS TO MODERNIZE POULTRY INSPECTION IN THE UNITED STATES

In a shift that will save money for businesses and taxpayers while improving food safety, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is proposing a modernization of young chicken and turkey slaughter inspection in the United States by focusing FSIS inspection resources on the areas of the poultry production system that pose the greatest risk to food safety.

"The modernization plan will protect public health, improve the efficiency of poultry inspections in the U.S., and reduce spending," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. "The new inspection system will reduce the risk of foodborne illness by focusing FSIS inspection activities on those tasks that advance our core mission of food safety. By revising current procedures and removing outdated regulatory requirements that do not help combat foodborne illness, the result will be a more efficient and effective use of taxpayer dollars."

Currently, some FSIS employees in poultry establishments perform several activities which are unrelated to food safety, such as identifying visual defects like bruising, while others conduct the critical inspection activities. Under the proposed plan, all FSIS inspection activities will focus on critical food safety tasks to ensure that agency resources are tied directly to protecting public health and reducing foodborne illnesses. Additionally, some outdated regulatory requirements are being removed and replaced with more flexible and effective testing and process control requirements. Finally, all poultry establishments will now have to ensure that their procedures prevent contamination in the production process and provide supporting data to FSIS personnel.

By focusing inspectors only on the areas that are crucial to food safety, these changes will not only enhance consumer safety but will improve efficiency saving taxpayers more than $90 million over three years and lower production costs at least $256.6 million per year.

FSIS will continue to conduct on-line carcass-by-carcass inspection as mandated by law. This rule will allow FSIS personnel to conduct a more efficient carcass-by-carcass inspection with agency resources focused on more effective food safety measures. Data collected by the Agency over the past several years suggests that offline inspection activities are more effective in improving food safety. Inspection activities conducted off the evisceration line include pathogen sampling, and verifying that establishments are maintaining sanitary conditions and controlling food safety hazards at critical points in the production process.

The proposal was posted today on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/Proposed_Rules/index.asp and soon will publish in the Federal Register. The comment period will end 90 days after the proposal publishes in the Federal Register and must be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov, or by mail to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), FSIS, OPPD, RIMD, Docket Clearance Unit, Patriots Plaza III, Room 8-164, 355 E Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024-3221. All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must include the Agency name and docket number, which will be assigned when it is published in the Federal Register.

Over the past two years, FSIS has announced several new measures to safeguard the food supply, prevent foodborne illness, and improve consumers' knowledge about the food they eat. These initiatives support the three core principles developed by the President's Food Safety Working Group: prioritizing prevention; strengthening surveillance and enforcement; and improving response and recovery. Some of these actions include:

- Performance standards for poultry establishments for continued reductions in the occurrence of pathogens. After two years of enforcing the new standards, FSIS estimates that approximately 5,000 illnesses will be prevented each year under the new Campylobacter standards, and approximately 20,000 illnesses will be prevented under the revised Salmonella standards each year.
- Zero tolerance policy for six Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serogroups. Raw ground beef, its components, and tenderized steaks found to contain E. coli O26, O103, O45, O111, O121 or O145 will be prohibited from sale to consumers. USDA will launch a testing program to detect these dangerous pathogens and prevent them from reaching consumers.
- Test and hold policy that will significantly reduce consumer exposure to unsafe meat products, should the policy become final, because products cannot be released into commerce until Agency test results for dangerous contaminants are known.
- Labeling requirements that provide better information to consumers about their food by requiring nutrition information for single-ingredient raw meat and poultry products and ground or chopped products.
- Public Health Information System, a modernized, comprehensive database about public health trends and food safety violations at the nearly 6,100 plants FSIS regulates.

HANNAFORD OFFERS ONLINE RECYCLING TRACKER

Delhaize Group-owned Hannaford in the US has introduced an online tool that allows shoppers to track their recycling efforts, according to Supermarket News. The solution enables customers who recycle bottles and cans through the self-service kiosks at 46 Hannaford stores to see the amount of carbon, energy and emissions they have saved. The units and online tracking program are run by Clynk and allow members to view the amount of cash in their accounts and make donations to Clynk-affiliated charities.

Clayton Kyle, Chief Executive Officer of Clynk, said: "We understand the power of data and want to share that information with our members. The positive effects of recycling become tangible when you can see what your actions are doing, individually and collectively."

KELLER TO RETIRE AS VONS PRESIDENT

Tom Keller has been president of Vons since 1999 and has worked in the food industry for more than 40 years.

TO SAVE MONEY, DON’T BUY …..

U.S. News and World Report published a list of money saving detours, pointing out the best prices for gourmet cheeses are at warehouse clubs and the best prices for home necessities such as light bulbs, extension cords, nails and small tools are at hardware stores.

Kitchen appliances, cookware and bake ware are less expensive at box stores or on-line, the list says. Also, skip the grocery for name brand spices you can find cheaper at box stores and ethnic markets.