More than 12 million pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products were recalled as part of a nationwide Listeria outbreak.
1. Listeria Contamination Leads to Recalls Across U.S. Grocery Industry
News broke last week that more than 12 million pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products were recalled in the United States following a Listeria monocytogenes contamination found during routine tests by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The recall was initiated by BrucePac of Durant, Okla., for products produced between June 19 and Oct. 8, then shipped to other establishments and distributors nationwide.
While no confirmed illnesses or deaths have been reported as a result of the contamination, a very lengthy list of products affected was released by FSIS. For its part, Albertsons Cos. issued a recall for 12 types of ReadyMeals and store-made deli items, while several H-E-B prepared meal products have also been taken off store shelves. Nine products from Trader Joe’s have been recalled, ranging from ready-made salads and wraps to frozen chicken chow mein.
Kroger salad kits, Home Chef meals, ready-to-eat salads from Meijer and Raley’s, ready-to-heat chicken alfredo from Save Mart, and myriad other frozen and fresh CPG products are also among those being recalled.
In a statement on its website, BrucePac said: “We are working closely with USDA to ensure that all necessary actions are taken to ensure a safe food supply. We will not resume production until we are confident the issue has been resolved.”
2. SpartanNash, Hy-Vee Make Store Acquisitions
M&A news made waves this week as SpartanNash announced that it plans to buy Fresh Encounter, a 49-store supermarket chain with locations in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The grocer has been a food distribution customer of SpartanNash for 58 years, and SpartanNash will continue to employ its 2,500 associates.
The move will grow SpartanNash’s retail footprint by 33% and is the company’s second retail acquisition of 2024, following the purchase of Metcalfe’s Market this past April.
“This acquisition is an exciting milestone in our company’s strategic growth plans," noted SpartanNash CEO Tony Sarsam. "Not only will we welcome 2,500 new associates to the SpartanNash family, we will also begin serving shoppers in Kentucky and grow our existing footprint across Ohio and Indiana. Retail is a critical component of our business model and long-term strategic plan, as we meet consumer needs and leverage insights from our stores to continuously innovate our products and operations across our wholesale business.”
In other M&A news, it was revealed this week that effective Nov. 2, Midwest retailer Hy-Vee will be the new owner of Webster’s Marketplace in Ripon, Wis. While not initially for sale, Webster’s received "a very nice, unsolicited offer from Hy-Vee" that it chose to accept, according to second-generation owner Candie Webster.
"We are very excited to have the Webster's Marketplace team join the Hy-Vee family," shared a spokesperson for Hy-Vee. "We know that their shared commitment to both customer and community service makes them a strong addition to our company, and we're proud to welcome each Webster's Marketplace team member to Hy-Vee."
Readers were also interested in the news that Wakefern Food Corp. acquired the Di Bruno Bros. portfolio of specialty products, which are currently distributed nationally to wholesale and retail customers. Di Bruno Bros.’ five retail locations, along with a bottle shop, were acquired this past April by DB Gourmet Markets LLC and are now being operated by Philadelphia-area Wakefern member Brown’s Super Stores.