Supermarket & Grocery Industry News

A solid connection to health, as well as an increased emphasis on specialty fruit, should help citrus turn in a strong peak season.

CHICAGO -- The second annual Hispanic Retail 360 Summit will be held August 2-4, 2006, at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in downtown Chicago.

WASHINGTON -- New Year's resolution for the FDA: Require food manufacturers to warn consumers, in plain English and on the label, about the presence of allergens in their products.

CINNCINNATTI -- In a move that will likely put its meat suppliers on notice, The Kroger Co. here selected OATSystems to provide middleware software for the pilot test of an RFID-based solution to track case-ready meats through its supply chain.

OMAHA, Neb. -- Packaged foods giant ConAgra Foods Inc. said yesterday it will combine its foodservice segment with its food ingredients business, to form one new commercial foods group. The goal is to improve accountability and reduce complexity, the company said.

BETHPAGE, N.Y -- King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc., based here, has spawned a foodservice arm, The Kullenary, a full-service café/deli offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner to eat in or take out.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Let the 2006 mergers begin. Spartan Stores, Inc. here said it plans to acquire D&W Food Centers, Inc., also based here, in a deal that could add $200 million a year to Spartan's sales revenue.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- AG Supermarkets, Inc., the retail subsidiary of Associated Grocers of New England here, said Friday it has opened a new upscale Harvest Market format in Hollis, N.H.