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WASHINGTON - The U.S. Labor Department today said consumer prices rose 0.5 percent in April, the largest increase in almost a year, The Associated Press reports.

Some claim supermarkets are giving away sales to the bakery cafes that are rapidly proliferating in small towns and suburbs.

CAMDEN, N.J. - Campbell Soup Co. today said it is pursuing possible additions to its portfolio of brands, which includes Pepperidge Farm cookies and V8 beverages, Reuters reports.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Wegmans Food Markets has said it will begin selling irradiated fresh ground beef in all its stores by mid-May, making it the first supermarket chain to introduce irradiated beef under a private label.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. convenience store industry reported a 5.0 percent sales increase over those of 2000, climbing to a record $283 billion, despite a decline in motor fuels and in-store margins, according to data on the industry released today by the National Association of Convenience Stores.

MINNEAPOLIS - Cub Foods on Monday said it has filed a lawsuit against Rainbow Foods, its parent company Fleming, and H.Brooks, a produce distributor, alleging that for more than a year, Rainbow has engaged in an ongoing scheme to steal Cub's Sunday newspaper advertisement prior to their publication.

CHICAGO - Procter & Gamble Co. said on Monday it wants to sell some of the lesser-known brands it acquired in its purchase of shampoo maker Clairol in order to focus on more profitable global brands, Reuters reports.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reported that Susie brand cantaloupe melons from Mexico, brought into the U.S. and Canada during April, have been linked to a recent outbreak of foodborne illness caused by Salmonella Poona.