Supermarket & Grocery Industry News

LONDON - U.S. regulators are examining whether some of the supplier rebates booked by the U.S. Foodservice unit of Dutch retailer Ahold NV were deliberately inflated, people familiar with the situation told The Wall StreetJournal.

WASHINGTON - The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) has filed comments estimating that the record-keeping costs to implement the country-of-origin labeling law will be substantially more than the $2 billion estimate by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

AMSTERDAM -- Longtime Royal Ahold chief executive officer Cees van der Hoeven resigned today as the Dutch retail giant revealed it overstated earnings by more than $500 million over the past two years.

NEW YORK - As the food industry gears up for FMI's Marketechnics Show taking place Feb. 23-25 in Dallas, several supermarkets have announced plans to sign on with technology providers to address business challenges and beef up their competitive advantage.

SHELTON, Conn. - National frozen dough supplier Country Home Bakers Inc. on Wednesday announced that it has filed a petition in New Haven, Conn., to reorganize under Chapter 11.

NEW YORK - Six chief executive officers are among the 14 retailer speakers who will address "The Changing Consumer Landscape" at Retail Merchandiser's 4th annual Store-Specific Merchandising & Marketing Conference, March 31-April 1 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - General Mills Inc. has raised the price it charges wholesalers for its cold cereals by 2 percent, The Associated Press reports. Rival Kellogg Co. recently introduced a similar price increase.

Consolidation has extended to the private label industry, and the number of manufacturers is expected to shrink, perhaps dramatically.