Retail
From strategic placement of fresh flowers to ice and water around vegetables and faux stacks of cartons, Whole Foods, others prime us to shop, says author of "Brandwashed"
By Martin Lindstrom
Fast Company 2011-09-15
New proposed rule would criminalize water dumping - practice of discarding contents of beverages bought with food stamps to collect cash from water tank deposits
By Monica Eng
Chicago Tribune 2011-06-17
Ice appreciation follows resurgence of classic cocktails; size matters as do shapes, density and clarity - goal is to match spears, crushed, cubes, spheres and big blocks to libation
By Kimberly Chou
The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2011-04-23
Illinois attorney general sues four packaged ice companies, charging they conspired to set prices, leaving supermarkets, convenience stores and liquor stores little choice in ice suppliers
By Gregory Karp and Alejandra Cancino
Chicago Tribune 2011-03-10
Texas lawmakers introduce bills on Gulf Coast oysters, venison sales, soda in schools, winery sales and tours, raw milk sales and home delivery, naming hamburger the state sandwich
By Aman Batheja
Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, TX) 2011-02-28
New versions of all-American favorite - pie - popping up at bakeries and restaurants, with pie replacing cake at some weddings; there are pie happy hours, pie shooters
By Sharon Bernstein
Los Angeles Times 2011-01-15
New law letting USDA set standards for vending machine fare sold in schools could boost demand for healthy offerings, aiding small companies in that vending-machine niche
By Nick Leiber
Bloomberg Businessweek 2011-01-13
In Asia's upscale restaurants, smaller is better because the simplicity allows focus on the craft, chefs say when aiming for a ratio of close to 1:1, customers to employees
By Amy Ma
The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2011-01-06
Flush with cash, more than 300,000 monthly visitors and 550,000 iPhone app users, Foodspotting, an online platform, hopes to become a Pandora of food
By Ariel Schwartz
Fast Company 2011-01-07
At school near Philadelphia, pupils don't recognize fresh food - possibly because there are only two stores that sell fresh foods and supermarkets are absent in town of 30,000
By Alfred Lubrano
The Philadelphia Inquirer 2010-12-23
In food deserts, Walgreens drugstore chain sees opportunity since urban neighborhoods don't have supermarkets, but pharmacies are well established; CVS, Duane Reade follow
By Rob Walker
The New York Times 2010-11-14
Love affair under way between fashion, food, since chefs now have fan bases as big as rock stars and beef labels can be party conversation; next up: gardening
By Katherine Wheelock
The Wall Street Journal 2010-11-13
Restaurants see business boom with new breed of vegetable lover who appreciates flavor of fresh, seasonal choices lavished with butter, cheese, bread crumbs and deep-fryer
By Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite
New York magazine 2010-11-07
A look inside Trader Joe's, a hot retailer whose presence in town brings with it good jobs and affirmation that you and neighbors are worldly, smart
By Beth Kowitt
Fortune; CNN 2010-08-23
Researchers see 102 percent increase in produce purchases after dividing shopping cart space in half, with one side for fruits/vegetables, other for everything else
By Justin Bannister
New Mexico State University 2010-07-19
UK department store, noting childhood obesity, launches line of school uniforms that includes clothes for preschoolers with waistlines usually the size of 8-year-olds
BBC 2010-07-25
Wal-Mart, other chains simplify by removing or replacing all but top-selling food staples, other items with house brands
By Parija Kavilanz
CNN 2010-02-15
Longer waits boost food sales at airports
By Leigh Remizowski
Daily News (NY) 2010-01-26
John Mackey and the pursuit of profits and higher purpose simultaneously
By Nick Paumgarten
The New Yorker 2010-01-04
Retailers rethink practices as formerly middle class customers expand food-stamp economy
By Nicole Maestri and Lisa Baertlein
Reuters 2009-12-18
Moving away from the vegetable-free 'kids' meal' model
Children's tastes have become more sophisticated, yet at most restaurants, kids' menus are the same, plus they're often high in fat, sodium, and sugar - with no vegetable. Then there's lack of shared experience, what eating is all about. Two most important predictors after innate sweets preference are exposure and role modeling, says expert. Then there's reinforcement of giving children the same menu items over and over, with toys, crayons, games, which forms foundation of what they come to expect when going out for meals.
By Devra First
The Boston Globe 2009-11-04
In switch, warehouse chain agrees to accept food stamps
In policy switch, Costco decides to accept food stamps at all its stores. Decision comes several months after country's third-largest retailer began food-stamp test at stores in Queens and Brooklyn. At least half its roughly 410 U.S. stores will accept stamps by Thanksgiving. And: U.S. unemployment rate is 9.5 percent (click 'See also').
By Melissa Allison
The Seattle Times 2009-10-27
Essay: Failed co-op members slip between cracks of organic ideals
Park Slope Food Coop
Like any place that wears its ideals on its sleeve, New York's Park Slope Coop (click 'See also'), with its stiff work requirements and great bargains, evokes rage, adoration and all emotions in between. But there's little public attention paid to co-op failures and near-failures who have struggled to stay in good standing and have stumbled in cramped aisles. Like me, says writer.
By Alana Joblin Ain
The New York Times 2009-10-25
Luring supermarkets to underserved areas of New York
With blend of zoning and tax incentives, New York officials hope to lure new supermarkets to areas where fresh produce is scarce and where poverty, obesity and diabetes run high. Plan, adapted from successful Pennsylvania program (click 'See also'), targets large swaths of northern Manhattan, central Brooklyn and the South Bronx, as well as downtown Jamaica in Queens.
By Diane Cardwell
The New York Times 2009-09-24
White House farmers' market begins this fall
New open-air farmers' market near White House will sell food raised by about 17 farms in Chesapeake Bay watershed. Organizers say market will underscore value of good nutrition espoused by president, first lady. A fresh produce market last stood nearby during administration of Thomas Jefferson. Vermont Avenue block, which carries 4,600 cars on average day, will be closed to traffic each Thursday afternoon and evening through Oct. 29.
By Jane Black and Ashley Halsey III
The Washington Post 2009-09-11
Grocer, activist chef join forces for better school lunches
chefann.com
Whole Foods Market joins Ann Cooper, chef, to improve school lunches. 'This is the social justice issue of our time, and schools have no money to help solve the problem,' says Renegade Lunch Lady. Co-president of upscale grocery store, chef plan to go to Washington to try to persuade lawmakers to improve the federal school meals programs in Child Nutrition Act, up for renewal this fall.
By Mary MacVean
Los Angeles Times 2009-08-13
Whole Foods will test private label foods for genetic modifications
Whole Foods says it plans to test its private label products for genetically engineered organisms and begin labeling before end of year. Nonprofit Non-GMO Project is designed to test whether a product has met defined standards for presence of genetically engineered or modified organisms. FDA says as much as 75 percent of processed food in U.S. may contain components from GM crops. And: GMO sugar beet farmer uses solar power to aid in lifting 210-pound kegs of Monsanto's weedkiller, Roundup (click 'See also').
Pacific Business News (bizjournals) 2009-07-07
Health begins with good diets for families at home, nutritious school meals
For healthier America, help families follow healthy diets and feed children only nutritious foods in schools, says Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report. Other goals: Fully fund federal supplemental nutrition programs, and design them to meet needs with nutritious foods; create public-private partnerships to open grocery stores in urban, rural 'food deserts;' ensure early childhood education for all; give children K-12 half-hour recess.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2009-04-02
Food deserts must bloom along with Obamas' new White House garden
It's not enough for Michelle Obama to laud the fresh vegetable, and plant a backyard garden. She must use her considerable influence to help bring fresh food to poor, urban neighborhoods, those "food deserts" where there's nary an unfried potato to be found. And: Cities take on their own grocery gaps (click 'See also').
The editors
The New York Times 2009-03-21
Old-fashioned English soda now available via Pennsylvania
The latest British-U.S. invasion is retro-pop - old-fashioned English-style soda. Fentimans, a century-old UK brand revitalized in the 1990s, is now produced in Pennsylvania. Flavors include Curiosity Cola, Dandelion and Burdick, Ginger Beer and Shandy. The last two start life as alcoholic beverages but are processed into soft drinks.
By Jon Bonné
San Francisco Chronicle 2009-03-15
Best buys are past best-by dates at this company
The weak economy has sent sales sharply higher for English company that sells outdated food at bargain prices. Expiration dates more indicative of quality than safety, agency says. And: Primer on food expiration dates (click 'See also').
UPI 2009-01-10
Food processors keen to recoup high grain, oil prices paid earlier
Though produce and dairy prices have fallen, processed items, including meat, likely to remain high. Manufacturing firms, restaurants, livestock farms will pass on price hikes of corn, soy, wheat they absorbed earlier. Linking oil prices to agricultural commodities also a game changer for food producers, analysts say.
By Andrew Martin
The New York Times 2008-11-27
Espresso lane at the motorcycle repair shop
In Dallas, entrepreneurial mechanic blends 'CNN and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' with inspiration from stay-all-day coffee shops in Mexico City and London, but adds wine, beer and chain-link curtains.
The Dallas Morning News 2008-08-01
Coffee, soda, tea may, may not be free on US Airways
Some flight attendants balk at collecting $1 and $2 for coffee and sodas on US Airways; assertive passengers likely to still score free non-alcoholic drinks. New policy is expected to make $500 million yearly and help offset rising fuel prices, spokesperson says.
Bloomberg News; The New York Times 2008-08-01
Impurities in some granite countertops radioactive
Some granite countertops - mostly from Brazil and Namibia - emit radon, and calls to EPA on matter are increasing. Trade group says that amounts of uranium, thorium, potassium don't pose health threat; EPA recommends taking action if levels exceed 4 picocuries per liter of air - about the same risk for cancer as smoking a half a pack of cigarettes per day. to find a radon inspector, click 'See also.'
By Kate Murphy
The New York Times 2008-07-24
Fast-food chain may hike prices of dollar menu
McDonald's likely to raise prices on dollar menu items, which are 14 percent of U.S. sales. Franchisees bear the rising costs of commodities; dollar menu limits revenues. One target: double cheeseburger (cheese prices to rise 21 percent). And: double cheeseburger holds 440 calories, 210 from fat; 34 grams of carbohydrates and 1,150 milligrams of sodium (click 'See also').
By Mike Hughlett
Chicago Tribune 2008-07-24
Debate over paring EU produce quality standards
EU debates produce grading - cucumber's maximum arc, refractive ability of a peach, 29 pages on quality standards for onions. Some favor stringency since shoppers aren't allowed to touch merchandise, but agriculture commissioner wants regulations pared, citing waste, food prices and bureaucracy.
By John Ward Anderson
The Washington Post 2008-07-08
Starbucks coffee cafes to go
Starbucks reveals the 600 stores that will be closed after information begins to leak out. Stores targeted are across the country and in diverse locales - inside malls, near beaches, in college towns. Seattle is scheduled to lose seven cafes. For list, click 'See also.'
By Janet Adamy
The Wall Street Journal. (may require subscription) 2008-07-18
Grocers ride sustainability wave on seafood products
As customers demand environmentally friendly foods, grocers respond. Most comprehensive guidelines are at Whole Foods. They include prohibitions on preservatives, antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals, as well as farming in wetlands and mangroves. They limit amount of wild fish in farmed fish food.
By Ylan Q. Mui
The Washington Post 2008-07-16
Grocers resist paying fees for food-stamp cards
Iowa struggles to shift responsibility of electronic food stamp card fees to grocers. At seven cents per transaction, state pays retailers $1 million a year for processing the cards, half in state dollars and half in federal spending. More than 250,000 Iowans use the program, and they will spend about $290 million on groceries this year.
By Mike Glover
The Associated Press; Chicago Tribune 2008-06-10
Food staples adequate, industry says
Despite Sam's Club, Costco decisions to limit quantities of some staples, most grocery chains eschew rationing. Industry representatives say that tight supplies aren't the same thing as shortages, and that those stocking up at wholesale outlets simply might be seeing a bargain.
By Rebecca Townsend and Ian Berry
Dow Jones Newswires 2008-04-25
Run on staples at big-box stores in U.S.
As restaurants and smaller retailers begin stocking up on staples in response to global food crisis, Sam's Club limits rice purchases to four 20-pound bags a person; restrictions don't extend to Wal-Mart. Costco reports that sales of flour, rice and some cooking oils leap; chain doesn't plan to limit sales nationwide. Worldwide, shortages of basic commodities have prompted riots, prompting concern about food security in many poor countries.
By Jerry Hirsch and Tiffany Hsu
Los Angeles Times 2008-04-23
Opinion: Greenwashed design
Pasadena's new Whole Foods Market is Vegas with organic, gluten-free scones. First rule of sustainable architecture is keeping new buildings small and efficient. With 30-foot ceilings, endless aisles, 280 subterranean parking spots and TVs always on, this place is neither. Forget about doing more with less. This green-tinged cornucopia is about doing more with more.
By Christopher Hawthorne
Los Angeles Times 2008-04-06
Organics, a supermarket special
Supermarkets pump millions into improving their organic selections and developing store brands. Though they make up only two or three percent of food sales, organics keep growing, despite weak economy. From 1997 to 2006, sales of organic food have increased by nearly five times to $17.7 billion; boost is driven by perception that organic food is healthier, safer and better for the environment.
By Sue Stock
The News & Observer (NC); freshplaza.com 2008-04-02
Warning: Labels ahead
Target, Cargill and Hormel tell Congressional panel that they will add labels to meat products gassed with carbon monoxide to force retention of bright red color representative of fresh meat. The label will say: 'Color is not an accurate indicator of freshness. Refer to use or freeze by [date].'
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal 2008-03-14
Global food standards
Wal-Mart, McDonalds and Wegmans Food Markets look beyond USDA and to Europe for tough standards and accreditation for inspections of produce, meat and seafood. Global guidelines for prospective vendors in Europe were created after food scares, including mad cow. Standards increase food prices, but surveys and sales show that consumers will pay more for promise of quality.
By John W. Miller
The Wall Street Journal (may require subscription) 2008-03-11
Opinion/Blog: Seeking sustainable solutions
After reading 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' and 'In Defense of Food,' Wal-Mart's sustainability blogger quotes the author, Michael Pollan, then asks readers for suggestions on short-term solutions for making the industrialized food chain better, which products the retail giant should carry and what one item should be removed from Wal-Mart stores.
By Rand Waddoups
checkoutblog.com; Community Food Security (Tufts University) 2008-02-26
Wheat leads food price hike
Prices of some wheats rise more than 90 percent in a month; variety used for pasta, pizza and bagels is in short supply. King Arthur Flour raised prices by 12 percent last fall; new hike of 46 percent for retailers on its way. Dairy is up 12.8 percent; fruits and vegetables, 6.1 percent. Still, only 12.6 percent of household spending in U.S. goes to food.
By Ron Scherer
The Christian Science Monitor 2008-02-27
Recalled beef at restaurants, supermarkets
As beef recall continues, Wal-Mart and others remove products containing Hallmark/Westland meat. Burger King orders suspect beef patties destroyed. Costco has pulled about 400,000 pounds of frozen beef items from circulation; spokesman declares the items safe, and their destruction 'morally and ethically wrong.' Industry officials say recall could cost food makers hundreds of millions of dollars.
By Janet Adamy
The Wall Street Journal (may require subscription) 2008-02-26
Beef recall grows
Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., recall widens to soups, sauces, burritos and bouillon cubes as USDA instructs companies to pull products commingled with even tiny amounts of suspect beef. Critics decry massive waste of food and call government action 'overkill,' considering remote chance that meat was infected with mad cow disease.
By Julie Schmit
USA Today 2008-02-24
Safe sells
Trader Joe's will switch to non-China suppliers for garlic, frozen organic spinach, ginger, edamame and other items, but chain will continue to carry products with Chinese ingredients. Wegmans Food Markets dropped Chinese garlic last year but has retained its frozen tilapia.
By Julie Schmit
USA Today 2008-02-10
Market forces
Trendy grocery stores supply boutique-style groupings, warm lighting, tasting bars and restaurant seating. In exchange, upscale customers seek out fair-trade products, foods with health claims, heritage whole grains, humanely raised meat and eggs, products without additives, and easy-to-read labels.
By Stacy Finz
San Francisco Chronicle 2008-01-27
McProfile, UK-style
McDonald's is on the brink of its best year ever in UK, but linking such success to obesity epidemic is simplistic, says head of burger chain. He lists education, balanced diet and sedentary lifestyles as other factors. Critics point to ads for free Big Macs on New Year's Day, when many evaluate their diets, and advertising on children's report cards in the U.S.
By Steve Hawkes
The Times (UK) 2008-01-07
Butts out
Wegmans Food Markets, an upscale grocery chain with 71 stores, announces decision to stop selling cigarettes and tobacco products. Though sales are lucrative, founder tells employees in letter that "there are few of us who would introduce our children to smoking."
Newsday 2008-01-04
Opinion: Whole paycheck?
With more space devoted to prepared foods and other goodies than to fresh fruits and vegetables, new Whole Foods in Pasadena commands a premium but provides a sense of self-satisfaction for patronizing such an ostensibly "green" business.
By David Lazarus
Los Angeles Times 2007-12-02
Taste of generosity
As Americans reduce overall spending on holiday gifts, sales of edible presents grow almost 50 percent over two years. Gift-givers say it's the universal appeal of food, plus the attraction of treating friends and family.
By M.L. Johnson
The Associated Press 2007-11-22
New in town
Tesco's first Fresh & Easy markets open in Los Angeles area. Early shoppers liked the British grocer's wide aisles and bright lighting; its product selection; its packaging and neatness and its answer to Trader Joe's Two Buck Chuck, a Big Kahuna Cabernet Shiraz, for $1.99.
By Alana Semuels
Los Angeles Times 2007-11-09
Opinion: Food access
To combat "food deserts," where low-income residents have no full-service grocery store within a half-mile of home, apply the same policies some cities use to create affordable housing - as part of any development or expansion, a company must build in underserved areas or pay into a fund to subsidize retailers that will.
By Amanda Shaffer and Robert Gottlieb
Los Angeles Times 2007-11-05
Co-opting shoppers
In suburban Philadelphia, key to co-ops' survival is adapting with the times in competitive markets - increasing awareness of natural, organic and locally grown food - and connecting communities by making themselves the town centers.
By Ed Mahon
The Philadelphia Inquirer 2007-11-04
Shop around
Families find that one-stop, big-box shopping doesn't provide us best variety, prices or healthful options, so we're spending more time traveling and buying - paper towels at Sam's Club, chicken breasts, soy burgers, frozen vegetables and microwaveable brown rice at the natural foods store, and milk on the way home at the 7-Eleven.
By Janice Podsada
The Hartford Courant 2007-11-04
OK to eat?
Under new rule before governor in Arkansas, food distributors and retailers, not state, will pay costs of testing imported foods for safety; the state health director can order testing according to USDA standards and violators can be fined.
By Peggy Harris
The Associated Press; Houston Chronicle (TX) 2007-11-01
Buyout snag
Citing higher grocery prices and decreased choices for shoppers, Federal Trade Commission opposes Whole Foods' move to dismiss appeal of decision allowing its purchase of Wild Oats, a smaller natural foods store and rival.
Bloomberg News 2007-10-25
Jam's up:
Couple, new to northern France a decade ago, discover a talent for making jam that eschews the modern formula, finds a niche for intensely fragrant, gooey and bright jams, and now they're much desired tastes of summer in a jar.
By Anita Chaudhuri
The Guardian (UK) 0000-00-00
Growing lessons:
Austin-based non-profit group adds school gardens and farm-to-fork program to agenda that includes teaching low-income residents garden programs and how to sell produce they grow at farmers' markets.
By Paul Brown
News8Austin (TX) 0000-00-00
Grocery bill:
Food prices squeezing family budgets; experts blame high prices for corn, planted over more acreage for animal feed and to feed ethanol craze, as well as fuel costs for transportation.
By Brad Hem
Houston Chronicle (TX) 0000-00-00
Call for change:
In groundbreaking presidential report, cancer panel calls down governmental polices that have made fruits and vegetables more expensive and less available, have limited physical education in schools and created an environment that discourages physical activity; food industry with its unhealthy food sales implicated as well.
MSNBC; Reuters 2007-08-16
Mangosteen madness
After years-long import ban for fear of exotic pests, first commercial crop of luscious purple-red tropical fruit has reached New York and is being snapped up at $12 to $15 per piece; more shipments expected from Thailand, Puerto Rico.
By Andrea Hu
National Public Radio 2007-05-07
Tasting tomatoes:
In search of past glory, team of top-level scientists from Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station aim for the return of the tasty tomato, one that is nirvana with salt on a piece of crusty bread, one that isn't necessarily a good keeper.
By Dianna Marder
Philadelphia Inquirer 2007-08-14
Greening caffeine
Starbucks, learning early on that carbon emissions would affect rainfall and temperatures, thus affecting price, quantity and quality of coffee beans (and its bottom line), calculated its carbon footprint and is working to lower the number; other companies are coy.
Sonia Narang
Forbes magazine