Nonfoods

Getting category management programs off the ground can benefit independently owned supermarkets and their shoppers alike.

In its 15 years of existence, category management has become indispensable to the industry, yet its glory days may still lie ahead. Experts in a 'virtual roundtable' assembled by Progressive Grocer analyze the current state of the art and look to its future.

WASHINGTON - McDonald's has shut its 24-hour vending machines that were being tested in Washington, D.C., The Associated Press reports. Only the DVD rental service offered by the kiosks remained active.

WILMINGTON, Del. - The Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) and the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) will organize and host a 5 A Day Foodservice Summit on July 23, 2004, immediately prior to the PMA Foodservice Conference, Tours, and Expo in Monterey, Calif.

NORTHFIELD, Ill. - Kraft Foods is teaming up with Curves International, the world's largest fitness center franchise, to provide women with an opportunity to combine healthy eating and convenient fitness, while aligning itself with a healthy new image.

CHICAGO and QUINCY, Mass. - Leading Internet grocer Peapod, Inc., and Stop & Shop, New England's largest supermarket chain, has announced the expansion of service to the New Haven, Conn. metropolitan area.

ATLANTA - After a successful yearlong test in select markets throughout the nation, Kash 4 Gas will be available in Kroger grocery stores throughout Georgia, including Atlanta, Rome, Macon, and Dalton, among other locations. Kash 4 Gas is a customer loyalty program produced by Dallas, Texas-based Centego Marketing, Inc., in which shoppers earn free gasoline for purchasing specified grocery items.

WASHINGTON - American shoppers are increasingly aware of the role food and nutrition play in managing and maintaining health, and they're taking a variety of actions to meet their self-care objectives, according to a new study by the Food Marketing Institute and Prevention magazine, "Shopping for Health 2003: Whole Health for the Whole Family."