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WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday released a new Food and Drug Administration report calling on food makers to make several changes to help consumers count their calories easier.

WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted this week to block frivolous obesity lawsuits against the restaurant and food manufacturing industries.

WASHINGTON - The House Education and the Workforce Committee today voted to reauthorize the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program for the next four years with reforms long sought by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) to benefit both consumers in the program and the retailers that serve them.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Kings Super Markets here has named Dan Portnoy its new president and c.e.o.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. - Point-of-sale (POS) technology shipments jumped by 8 percent in 2003 and are poised for double-digit growth moving forward, reports a new research study conducted by IHL Consulting Group.

BOISE, Idaho - Albertsons Inc. announced on Friday that it is launching a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) program and will be using the technology to improve efficiencies in consumer demand chain management. The company expects its top 100 suppliers to be participating in the program at the case and pallet level by April 2005.

SAN FRANCISCO - The following announcements were presented at FMI Marketechnics this week:

SHENZHEN, China - Wal-Mart announced here today that it would hold its annual worldwide board of directors' meeting in the Chinese mainland for the first time, the Xinhua News Agency reports. Shenzhen City in southern China's Guandong Province will be the location of the meeting. The first Wal-Mart in the Chinese Mainland opened in 1996.