Nonfoods

CINCINNATI -- The Kroger Co. here cut the ribbon a 101,000-square-foot Marketplace format store in Dublin, Ohio, which marks the third such unit in the central part of the state. Kroger's other area Marketplace stores, which combine general merchandise with grocery, are located in Clintonville and Columbus.

CHICAGO -- In preparing its most recent forecast on foodservice industry growth, Technomic here said it found growing evidence that gas prices are taking a bigger cut out of some restaurants' business.

NEWARK, Del. -- A recent survey conducted by the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) here shows that consumers are confident about the safety of fresh-cut produce, and expect to purchase more fresh-cut in the coming year.

PHILADELPHIA -- Acme Markets here will raise funds for the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia as part of its participation in Produce for Kids, the program that promotes the importance of adding more fruits and vegetables to children's daily diets.

NEW YORK -- Given their current momentum natural/organic foods ought to grow 63 percent to surpass the $46 billion mark by 2010, according to "Natural and Organic Food and Beverage Industry Trends: Current and Future Patterns in Production, Marketing, Retailing, and Consumer Usage," a new report from market research publisher Packaged Facts here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Food/beverage/grocery online sales are expected to reach $6.2 billion this year -- a 17 percent increase from 2005, according to The 2006 State of Retailing Online, the ninth annual Shop.org study of online retailing conducted by Forrester Research, Inc. That gain is part of a larger trend that will see online sales will top $200 billion this year, Forrester said yesterday.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Private label sodas from two supermarket chains were among the soft drink products tested over a number of months by the FDA that were found to contain the cancer-causing chemical benzene in some soft drinks, but not at high enough levels to cause harm, the U.S. agency said last Friday.

WASHINGTON D.C. -- A task force comprised of the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute plans for a fall launch of a new multi-year, in-store promotion campaign to promote the USDA's new food pyramid dietary guidelines, and it has picked Pittsburgh-based retail marketing firm MatchPoint Marketing here to create the campaign.