Supermarket & Grocery Industry News

Despite consumers’ pronounced penchant for trading down to cheaper cuts of beef, pork and chicken, new data presented at the last month’s Annual Meat Conference in Denver on retail shopper behavior from October 2008 through January 2009 reveals that consumers are buying more meat -- including beef -- than they were a year ago.

Community-based independent Green Hills has turned its Syracuse, N.Y., store into a live technology lab -- called the Center for Advanced Retail Technology (CART) -- with the goal of enhancing industry learning through store visits featuring hands-on experience and behind-the-scenes views into technologies used in its operations.

Supermarket chain Delhaize will optimize its supply chain with the scheduling and collaboration functionality of the RedPrairie Transportation Management System.

In testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Mars Snackfood US supported legislation to revise school food nutrition standards so that more nutritious products are available to students nationwide. The current federal nutrition standards for foods sold outside of the school meals programs in vending machines have not been updated since the late 1970s.

Opterus, Inc., vendor of Web 2.0 retail portal solution Store Ops-Center, has formed a reseller partnership with Dalcom Consulting, Inc., a retail industry solutions provider.

Big Y has rolled out the Eating Right line, of better-for-you foods in its stores. The multi-category lifestyle brand, originally developed as a Safeway private label line, offers a wide assortment of foods tailored to support specific dietary needs, including heart health, digestive health, bone health, immunity and weight management.

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) last week threw its support and encouragement behind the Canadian and U.S. governments’ negotiations to reach an organic equivalency agreement.

OgilvyAction is highly involved in giving brands and retailers a leg up during these hard times through their experience and extensive shopper research.