Nonfoods

Now more than ever, opportunity knocks in the inner city for both independent and chain food retailers.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. today announced four new directors in its restructured marketing department: Joanne Gage, Larry Beck, Judy L. Holland, and John Opasinski.

HOUSTON - Albertson's is closing five stores in the Houston area and is expected to sell another five stores to Safeway in the final step of its exit from that market, the Houston Chronicle reports.

YAKIMA COUNTY, Wash. - Wal-Mart plans to spend $40 million to build a more than 800,000-square-foot food-distribution center in Grandview, Wash., the Yakima Herald-Republic reports.

STOCKHOLM - Sweden's National Food Administration today reported scientists' findings that some carbohydrate-rich foods contain alarmingly high quantities of a substance believed to cause cancer, Reuters reports.

MEMPHIS - ACH Food Companies Inc. today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Unilever's Mazola branded cooking oil and corn products business in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico for $360 million

WINDSOR, Conn. - A new survey measuring shoppers' preferences for grocery circular advertising was revealed today at the FMI Advertising/Marketing Executive Conference in Miami Beach, Fla.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Harris Teeter is introducing Harris Teeter Naturals, a line of natural and organic private label products, in celebration of Earth Day.

DALLAS - Fleming today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire seven Dallas-area Super1Foods stores.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Kansas City-based Associated Wholesale Grocers, which owns Food 4 Less, has said it will buy five Albertson's stores in Kansas, The Wichita Eagle reports.

NEW YORK - A woman is suing Robert's American Gourmet Food Inc. for $50 million saying its label on Pirate's Booty corn and rice puffs ruined her diet, the Associated Press reports.

AUSTIN, Texas - Whole Foods Market will receive a Regional Excellence award from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), The WILD Foundation and the host sponsor Animal Planet for its 2001 "Fish for Our Future" educational awareness campaign.