Nonfoods

HOMEWOOD, Ill. - Carl Buddig & Co., based here, one of the country's leading suppliers of private label, thin-sliced meats, has been named Supervalu's 2004 "Supplier of the Year." The Minneapolis-based supermarket retailer presents the award annually for outstanding performance.

PHILADELPHIA - The Marketing Task Force, based here, yesterday unveiled its 10 recommendations to attract more supermarkets to the City of Brotherly Love, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported.

WASHINGTON - Jennifer Tong will join the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association (UFFVA) here July 1 as director of food safety and nutrition outreach. She brings an extensive background in food safety and nutrition within the restaurant industry.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - The on-again, off-again sale of Kings Super Markets may be on again, as turmoil hits British owner Marks & Spencer, according to a report in the Newark Star-Ledger newspaper.

ST. LOUIS - Deal$-Nothing Over A Dollar is expanding its grocery selection at 21 of its area stores, according to a report in the St. Louis Business Journal.

WASHINGTON - Food retailers and wholesalers across the United States are requesting that Congress replace what they call a costly and unworkable mandatory country-of-origin labeling law with a voluntary program proposed in bipartisan legislation introduced today by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and Ranking Member Charles Stenholm, D-Texas.

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. - Joseph A. Pichler, who will retire later this month as chairman of The Kroger Co., was the recipient of the 2004 Hall of Achievement Award by the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA).

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. - The CPG industry's financial performance in 2003 continued to rebound as median net sales rose nearly two percentage points to 6.5 percent from 4.6 percent in 2002, and returns on sales and assets continued to climb for most companies, according to a study released during GMA's Executive Conference here.