Market Trends

WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration has released new guidelines to protect the U.S. food supply, stressing that the food industry should voluntarily follow them, The Associated Press reports.

LONDON - U.K. supermarket chain Asda plans to begin fulfilling its Internet orders through its existing stores, rather than by operating separate warehouses for its online shoppers, according to The Independent newspaper.

BOISE, Idaho - Albertson's Inc. announced on Monday that Terry Lee, an experienced food industry executive with strong credentials in private brand development, has joined the company as vice president, corporate brands.

MONTVALE, N.J. - The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Inc. today announced that sales for the third quarter ended Dec. 1, 2001, were $2.5 billion in fiscal 2001 vs. $2.4 billion in fiscal 2000. Comparable store sales increased 3.1%.

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Ecolab announced it has purchased Audits International, a Chicago-based provider of food safety audits and food retail quality evaluations.

NEW YORK - Poor neighborhoods have fewer supermarkets and food service offerings than wealthier areas, according to a study by the US Environmental Protection Agency that was recently published in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Reuters reports.

ABINGDON, Va. - K-VAT Stores Inc., Food City's parent company, has named Richard Gunn director of grocery operations.

Anthrax in the flour? Smallpox in the watermelon? We pray it won't happen, but we all know it can. Here's how food retailers are girding for the terrorist threat.

LONDON - Record numbers of customers helped the UK's Asda, the supermarket group owned by Wal-Mart, report double digit like-for-like sales growth over Christmas, the Financial Times reports.

LONDON - Britain's four biggest supermarket chains on Tuesday signed a code of practice intended to prevent them from abusing their power over suppliers, Reuters reports.

MINNEAPOLIS - Supervalu Inc. today announced record net earnings and earnings per share for the third quarter of fiscal 2002 which ended Dec. 1, 2001.

BOISE, Idaho - Albertson's Inc., saying its Acme food and drug stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland are seeing record market-share gains despite unprecedented competitive discount activity, today announced it will increase capital spending at Acme stores by 17% in 2002.