Nonfoods

STELLARTON, NOVA SCOTIA and TORONTO, ONTARIO - Sobeys Inc., Canada's second largest retail grocer and distributor, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell substantially all of the assets of its SERCA foodservice operations to SYSCO Corporation, the largest foodservice marketing and distribution company in North America.

NORCROSS, Ga. - Tyco International said today its health care division is buying Paragon Trade Brands Inc., the largest generic maker of disposable diapers in the United States and Canada, for $565 million, The Associated Press reports.

CHICAGO - Transora, the business-to-business online exchange that links manufacturers, suppliers and retailers in food, beverage and packaged goods industries among others, has laid off about 15 percent of its work force, and its CEO says a merger with another exchange is a possibility, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

ATLANTA - Winn-Dixie may turn at least some of its 40 metro Atlanta locations into Save Rite warehouse stores as Cub Foods closes its Georgia stores, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently reported.

WASHINGTON - American consumers believe that the food they eat can make a significant difference in their health, but many admit that their own diet needs improvement, according to Shopping for Health 2001, just released by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Prevention magazine.

ROME - Countries should be extremely cautious over pig imports due to a new deadly pig disease that has the potential to spread across the world, an animal health officer with the United Nations food body said today, Reuters reported.

California grocery chain Trader Joe's has agreed to ban genetically modified ingredients from its thousands of private-label products in response to consumer pressure, the Los Angeles Times reported today.

WASHINGTON - Congress is considering restoring food stamps to legal immigrants who stopped receiving benefits in the 1996 welfare overhaul, The Associated Press reported today.