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Aquaculture Imports Increased – Exports Dropped in 2014

Final results from the Bureau of Census’ Aquaculture recorded an overall increase of selected fish and shellfish products imports while exports declined for 2014. Imports overall increased 7% in volume and 19% in dollar for …

Final Cold Storage for December Decreased 9%

Six frozen vegetable commodities in cold storage decreased more than 10% from the preliminary movement announcement for December. The overall change for cold storage stocks of frozen vegetables was down 9% to 2.4 billion-lbs. Green …

Frozen Berry Prices, Cold Storage Fluctuate

Blueberries saw a 9% increase in cold storage as of Jan. 31 when compared year-over-year. In 2014, 172.7 million-lbs. of blueberries were held in cold storage. In 2015, the number rose to 187.5 million-lbs. held …

Pressure to Curb Antibiotics Use Increases

The attempt to reduce the use of antibiotics on animals is growing, as concerns grow over the possibility of superbugs that are resistant to medicine used on both humans and livestock. Just this week, McDonald’s …

CCOF Introduces New Seal

California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) introduced a Non-GMO & More seal for its certified members. The seal is intended to better communicate that GMOs are prohibited in organic foods and also to recognize the contributions …

USDA Purchases $6.3 million of Canned Vegetables

On Feb. 23, USDA purchased 11 types of canned vegetable products for federal food assistance programs worth about $6.3 million. There was a total of 553,840 cases purchased that included 194,400 24/300 cases of meatless …

Big Brands Hide Behind Craft Labels as Tastes Change

There is no doubt that the millenial mindset is expanding to include all aspects of the U.S. economy. Food retailers have been quick to notice this emerging market and have begun to appeal directly to …

Target Expands Food Offerings by Going Organic

Dealing with falling consumer interest, Target plans to reignite the spark with a makeover for its grocery department. The offer more organic and natural products, making up for ground lost after it focused too heavily …

Port Slowdowns Effected Dried Fruit, Nut Shipments

While the recent preliminary settlement has been reached with dock workers and West Coast port operators, monthly shipment reports from California shows the damage that was done to certain segments of the dried fruit and …

Family Restaurants Boosted By Improving Economy

While economic stress has taken its toll on the family restaurant industry, cheaper gas prices and improving employment are improving prospects. For the past several years casual dining has been losing customers to the booming …

Fisherman Escapes Sarbanes-Oxley√¢??s Wide Net

Ambiguous laws can cause problems for businesses and individuals. This is borne out by the recent Supreme Court decision in Yates vs U.S.  Much to the chagrin of federal prosecutors, the Court ruled on Feb. …

Use Star Power to Improve the Image of Fruits and Veggies

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans has some very specific verbiage about what we eat: “On average, current dietary patterns are too low in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and low-fat dairy, and too high in …

Well-Deserved Honor For Win Taylor

Food Institute board member, C. Winston (Win) Taylor, will be feted at Saint Joseph’s University’s second annual Food Marketing Hall of Honor Day on April 21, for his achievements and contributions to the food industry. …

Attracting Shoppers’ Planned and Unplanned Purchases

While 80% of shoppers use lists, 74% still make a combination of planned and unplanned purchases, according to the NPD Group’s Bites of Insights: The New Grocery Shopper. Shoppers are more likely to add items …

Seafood Supermarket Sales Down

According to IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm, supermarket sales for five selected products was down 1.24% for dollar sales while increasing 1.27% in unit sales for 52-week period ending Jan. 25.  Dollar sales totaled …

USDA Approves GMO Apples

While new GMO apples were recently approved by the USDA, they will not be hitting grocery stores anytime soon. Developed by Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. (OSF), the USDA approved on Feb. 14 two apple varieties …

What’s Driving Whole Foods Customers To Other Stores?

While the primary reason active Whole Foods Market customers sometimes shop at other stores is for lower prices, other factors can also drive them to alternatives. Simply following common market trends, such as the increased …

Eggs Win Big if U.S. Cholesterol Warnings Disappear

Five years ago, the nation’s top nutrition advisory panel advised that cholesterol remain a “nutrient of concern” in food and food products due to its connection to heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses. This declaration …

USDA Purchases Nearly $10 Million Worth of Bottled Juices

The USDA purchased about $9.7 million of bottled juices Feb. 13. A total of 695,895 cases of seven different types of juices were purchased for the federal food assistance program. The products purchased include 231,650 …

Canned, Frozen Vegetables Exports Saw Growth in 2014

Exports for frozen and canned vegetables had healthy growth in 2014. According to the most recent U.S. Trade reports ending Dec. 31, canned and glass vegetable exports rose 7% in volume and 6% in dollar …

Frozen Fruit Imports Grow in 2014

U.S. frozen fruit imports grew to 523.4 million-lbs. in 2014, representing a 13% increase, according to the most recent U.S. Trade reports ending Dec. 31. Value also soared by 20% in a year-to-year comparsion, totaling …

J.M. Smucker Co. Hindered By Low Coffee Volumes

J.M. Smucker Co.’s performance in its third quarter was hurt by lower volumes in its coffee division, which were down 9.2% in the 12 weeks ending Jan. 28, according to Morgan Stanley Research. The company …

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Changing Consumer Tastes Impacts Kelloggs

The Kellogg Co.’s breakfast food sales declined 7.7% in fourth quarter 2014, which CEO John Bryant attributed to changing views among weight watchers hurting its flagship Special K brand. While healthy eaters previously turned to …

West Coast Port Labor Dispute Grows More Disruptive

For 14 weeks, 29 West Coast port terminals from San Diego to Seattle have been operating at a diminished capacity as the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) negotiate …

Price for Canned Green Beans Hits Historical High

Prices for canned green beans rose to its highest last month in the past seven years. Retail prices for 24/300 cut green beans increased to $12.35 per case for January, up from $11.75 per case …

Health Claims Still a Major Driver for Premium Sales

Consumer demand for health is still strong, and the willingness to pay more for exactly what they want is growing. While AlixPartners found the average consumer would pay 6.2% more for a product that had …

Beef More Popular Than Pork, For Now

Technomic’s 2015 Center of the Plate: Beef & Pork Consumer Trend Report shows a significant demand for pork and beef products, with the majority  of consumers eat beef and pork either as an entree, entree …

The Growing Avocado Craze

Over 140 million-lbs. of avocados were shipped into the U.S. for the Big Game on Feb. 1. The first produce-related advertising spot ever aired during the game compliments of Avocados from Mexico, and by most …

Institute of Medicine Recommends White Potatoes for WIC

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended that white potatoes be reinstated for use in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The recommendation reverses a 2006 release from IOM suggesting that …

USDA purchases $54.9 million of cranberry products

To alleviate a glut in the cranberry market, USDA made three separate purchases of about 3.9 million cases of cranberry products for distribution in federal food assistance programs worth a total of $54.9 million. Between …

Pork now second in meat consumption

The comeback of pork continued with it now being the second most produced meat in the U.S. Pork recently surpassed meat to land in second behind chicken. According to the USDA, pork production will climb …

Dollar Tree May Shed More Than 500 Stores

Earlier expectations that Dollar Tree Inc. would only need to divest 300 stores to gain FTC approval for its merger with Family Dollar Stores Inc. may have proven wrong, and the Federal Trade Commission is ...

More Than Just Chicken Feed

The American poultry industry is a $470 billion mega-industry employing over 1.814 million people and generating $32.9 billion in government revenue.  We know this because we just completed an economic impact study of the industry …

Costco May Become Nation’s Biggest Organic Retailer

Costco has had some success with its organic options in recent years, and is in a position to overtake WHOLE FOODS MARKETS and TRADER JOE’S as the number one organic retailer in the country. With …