Nonfoods

DALLAS - Dean Foods Company and Land O'Lakes, Inc., today announced an expanded strategic alliance and licensing arrangement that will allow Dean Foods to use the Land O' Lakes brand name nationally on a broad range of fluid milk and cultured dairy products.

CITY OF COMMERCE, Calif. - Net income for the quarter ended June 30 at 99 Cents Only Stores rose 23.7 percent to $13.5 million compared to the year-earlier period.

CHANDLER, Arizona - In an unusual venture for a food retailer, Arizona's Bashas' Inc. is partnering with Tucson-based El Charro restaurants to sell ready-to-eat Mexican food at Bashas' and Food City stores throughout the state, the Arizona Daily Star reports.

MINNEAPOLIS - Supervalu said Wednesday it anticipates $400 million in annualized revenues from its SuperTarget supply arrangement, expanded during the first quarter, which endedJune 15, 2002.

WASHINGTON - A draft report by the General Accounting Office suggests that the federal government's new science-based system of food inspections is severely flawed, Cox Newspapers reports.

WASHINGTON - U.S. health officials said Friday they approved a new sweetener, neotame, that is about 7,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar, Reuters reports.

WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration ruled Tuesday that water laced with nicotine is illegal, ending a California company's bid to begin selling bottles later this month, The Associated Press reports.

Inspired by the need to boost sales, manufacturers are introducing more new products than ever. For retailers, that's both a big opportunity and a major headache.