Frozen Foods

SECAUCUS, N.J. -- Goya Foods, Inc., the nation's largest Hispanic-owned food company, noted yesterday it has added more than 400 new products in recent years, reaching a milestone of 1,500-plus high-quality offerings during its 70th year of operations. The manufacturer also laid out its business plans for 2006, which include launching a Goya eStore and expanding its current facilities in high-growth Hispanic areas around the world.

JACKSON, Mich. -- Dawn Food Products, Inc. here has appointed Carrie Jones-Barber as its new c.e.o.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Aiming to take a bite out of the growing market for organic foods, Supervalu cut the ribbon on its first Sunflower Market here. The 12,000-square-foot, value-priced natural and organic foods retail outlet carries 8,000 to 12,000 SKUs, and will serve as the prototype for a Supervalu expansion plan that includes opening 50 Sunflower Market stores in five years.

FORT LEE, Va. -- The Defense Commissary Agency here is introducing a series of shelf signs featuring dietary tips, in time to meet shoppers New Year's resolutions to lose weight and eat healthier.

Some are painfully obvious, others will blindside you. But nontraditional competition means much more than Wal-Mart, and each grocer must decide which suspects most bear watching.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Let the 2006 mergers begin. Spartan Stores, Inc. here said it plans to acquire D&W Food Centers, Inc., also based here, in a deal that could add $200 million a year to Spartan's sales revenue.

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. -- Note to grocers courting Hispanics: Try to gauge how long your target market's been absorbing American culture. As they acculturate, Hispanics living in the United States develop progressively more Americanized eating habits, a study by the NPD Group here found.

CHICAGO -- A study conducted by research firm Promodata's Price-Trak Group projects a decade-high average promotion allowance of 15 percent by year's end. This high allowance level is being driven by consistent increases across all major product groups, with the exception of refrigerated foods, which peaked in 2002/03, according to the group.