Center Store

SAN ANTONIO -- More than 7,000 people attended the first Healthy Baby & Child Expo, an event co-sponsored by H.E. Butt Grocery Co., here over the weekend.

OMAHA, Neb. -- Al Bolles, Ph.D., has joined ConAgra Foods based here as e.v.p. of research, development and quality. At ConAgra he replaces Pat Verduin, who announced a personal decision to leave the company last year and who will assist in the transition.

WASHINGTON -- The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has proposed a rule that would make public the lists of retail outlets that have received products that have subsequently been recalled.

BOSTON -- The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) here last week introduced a new certification program that will reward stores with regulatory relief if they voluntarily develop sustainable programs for reusing organics and other wastes, rather than discarding them.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Through a sourcing deal with a regional fish farm, Big Y Foods will buy 5,000 pounds a week of barramundi, a freshwater fish originally from Australia, while the farm, Montague, Mass.-based Australis Aquaculture, LLC will expand its capacity with a 19,400-square-foot addition.

CARTERET, N.J. -- Pathmark Stores, Inc. said Friday that Mark Barnett has been named s.v.p. of nonperishable merchandising. Barnett comes to the Northeast regional grocer from Chandler, Ariz.-based Bashas', Inc., where he served as s.v.p. of sales and merchandising.

PEMBROKE, N.H. -- Associated Grocers of New England, Inc. said yesterday it is moving its operations to a newly completed, state-of-the-art, 350,000-square-foot wholesale grocery distribution center here.

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. -- Associated Food Stores, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Supervalu, Unified Western Grocers, Wal-Mart, and Wegmans Food Markets combined their voices in a chorus to urge suppliers to adopt a number of strategic activities to expand data synchronization.