Healthy eating appeared to be a key theme of the week on just-food’s pages, with coverage of US retailers plans to open more stores in so-called food deserts and analysis of the guidelines drawn up by the country’s manufacturers over how they market food to children. On this side of the pond, a clutch of food retailers pledged to help the Scottish government’s bid to get consumers to eat more fruit and veg. In other news, the receivers were called in at Irish retailer Superquinn – and they then lined up a sale of the business to local rival Musgrave Group. Click on the headlines for more.
“We can give people all the information and advice in the world about healthy eating and exercise but if parents can’t buy the food they need to prepare those meals because their only options for groceries are the gas station or the local minimart, then all that is just talk” – US First Lady Michelle Obama on why the Partnership for a Healthier America NGO has looked to get retailers to open stores in food deserts.
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“It opens up a huge loophole because simply by adding vitamins the company can say that a food is healthful even if it is not” – Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, explains the problems in the planned voluntary uniform guidelines for products marketed to children in the US.
“The obesity challenge facing Scotland is considerable and retailers are committed to helping the Scottish government put a long-term strategy for tackling the problem into action” – Scottish Retail Consortium director Ian Shearer on why a number of retailers have committed to help consumers more easily hit the recommended target of eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
“[It] is the only rational solution to ensure continuity of the Superquinn business” – The National Irish Bank, the Bank of Ireland and AIB explain why Superquinn has been put into receivership ahead of being possibly being sold to Musgrave Group.
“Brasil Foods management has pulled a rabbit out of the hat in our opinion” – Deutsche Bank analyst Jose Yordan on how Brasil Foods managed to rescue the merger that created the company after concerns that competition watchdog Cade would not approve the deal.
“Products that respect current EU legislation should all have access” – French Agriculture Minster Bruno Le Maire has threatened to boycott Anuga after he found out that foie gras producers have been prevented from attending the exhibition.
“Our ultimate aim is for the Port Elizabeth factory to become a consumer-driven chocolate manufacturing centre of excellence in the Southern Africa region. We believe we can achieve this through creating an environment that enables a performance-driven and values-led culture in which talented and committed people excel” – a Kraft Foods South Africa spokesperson outlines the company’s ambitions for its Port Elizabeth site as it made almost 300 people at the site redundant.
“While we are satisfied with the performance of our portfolio overall, the consumer in developed markets continues to be stressed, and the competitive environment in North America beverages has been particularly challenging” – PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi comments on the company’s performance over the first half of 2011.
“This store is the first Extra in Thailand and we are confident that others will soon follow. It is part of our philosophy in doing our best and being the first for our customers, to always innovate and create differential for our customers” – Tesco Lotus CEO Chris Bush opens the retailer’s first Extra store in Thailand.
“On the evidence we’ve gathered over the last six months, it seems most milk processors pay the same farmgate price to dairy farmers irrespective of whether it is intended to be sold as branded or house-brand milk” – The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission finds that Coles did not breach consumer law when it triggered a milk price war in Australia.
