Perimeter

WASHINGTON - Representatives from the food industry were on hand here late last week to offer their views on how the food pyramid might be improved -- or, at the least, better communicated to consumers -- as the Aug. 27 deadline nears for written comments on the issue.

MADISON, Wis. ¿ The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, based here, is looking to boost cheese consumption and sales this fall with a pair of heavily marketed promotions.

CAMDEN, N.J. - Campbell Soup Sales Co., based here, on Friday appointed Mike Salzberg s.v.p. - U.S. Sales. Salzberg was previously s.v.p., sales and distribution of the Pepperidge Farm sales organization. Pepperidge Farm, headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., is a business unit of Campbell.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The tainted Roma tomatoes believed to have sickened more than 416 people in five states who ate at Sheetz convenience stores in early July have reportedly been traced to farms in Florida and possibly South Carolina.

PITTSBURGH ¿ On the heels of reports that Pennsylvania health department officials suspect that a third, rare strain of salmonella bacteria may be linked to tomatoes served at Sheetz convenience stores, the Altoona, Pa.-based chain ran full-page advertisements in the Sunday editions of leading daily newspapers in its core Pittsburgh market.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Natural food supermarket chain Earth Fare has said that it will remove all products containing high-fructose corn syrup from its shelves by Dec. 31. "As far as we know, we are the first chain to do a ban," the company's director of sales and marketing, Troy DeGroff, told Progressive Grocer.

NEW YORK - Grocers' cross-channel competitors offered a mixed bag of July sales reports, with warehouse clubs riding fuel price hikes to the stronger results, while other discounters delivered softer performances in the month.

NEW YORK - Product innovations, convenience, and healthy lifestyles may juice up fruit product sales, according to a new report from market research publisher Packaged Facts.