Nonfoods

Working closely with charitable products not only helps a good cause, but also has a positive effect on the bottom line.

Manufacturers looking to create organic standards for personal care products are locked in a debate over the role of water.

CLEVELAND -- Supermarket competitors Giant Eagle and Tops Friendly Markets launched a price war this week, but many customers failed to notice, according to a story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

ST. LOUIS -- Employees represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655 from Schnuck Markets, Shop n' Save, and Dierbergs today are expected to announce whether they'll accept a tentative contract with the chains, according to a report that aired on NewsChannel 5 KSDK-TV.

CHICAGO - Food makers have an opportunity to fatten up their profits by offering leaner products to capitalize on the growing market for healthier diets, according to a new Merrill Lynch investment analysis.

HOMER, Alaska - In an effort to appease local government officials, Fred Meyer plans on building a 45,000-square-foot store here that will be limited to groceries and liquor.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. - Sears Grand, a new freestanding supercenter-type format being tested by Sears, Roebuck and Co., will sell convenience groceries, including milk, frozen pizza, canned goods, pet food and laundry detergent, along with items found in a conventional Sears department store.

AMSTERDAM -- Ahold will publish its restated 2002 annual figures next week after it meets the Sept. 30 deadline of delivering its audited accounts to its syndicate of banks, Dow Jones reports.