Feed Editor 11 Aug 2008 19:29:11 GMT Produced with a rigorous editorial process and delivered to the inboxes of food manufacturers, distributors, brokers and other industry professionals, the Food Institute's Daily Update keeps professionals informed of topics that impact the daily operation of their business. www.foodinstitute.com en Restaurant industry performance remained sluggish in July, as the National Restaurant Association's comprehensive index of restaurant activity stood below 100 for the ninth consecutive month. The Association's Restaurant Performance Index stood at 98.3 in July, unchanged from its June level. 2 Sep 2008 19:29:33 GMT http://www.restaurant.org/pressroom/pressrelease.cfm?ID=1672 52001244-1ECD-482B-8236-2E8A0FB65B78 Although products from cloned animals cannot be sold directly to consumers, products from their offspring are entering the U.S. food supply, albeit in very small quantities, reported The Wall Street Journal. FDA stated that such products are safe to eat; however, the agency reportedly received some 150,000 letters opposing doing so without some label requirements. 2 Sep 2008 19:29:32 GMT http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122031044800588585.html 00DCC81D-22FC-4227-B7CF-193C001E3EE7 CKE Restaurants, Inc. sold 29 Hardee's restaurants as part of its ongoing strategic refranchising program that was originally announced in April 2007. To date, CKE sold 224 restaurants to franchisees and secured commitments for 105 new franchise restaurants under development agreements for those markets. CKE most recently completed the sale of 23 restaurants in Indiana and Ohio to Midwest First Star Inc., which also committed to build a minimum of seven new Hardee's restaurant locations over the next seven years in these markets. 2 Sep 2008 19:29:32 GMT http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080902/latu038.html?.v=101 A24ED1E1-5D4D-4740-9209-3E70DD590CF6 Many school foodservice operators are exceeding local and federal nutrition requirements. For example, the New York City Department of Education, which serves more than 860,000 meals each day, reformulates products constantly to boost their nutritional value, reported Restaurants & Institutions. 2 Sep 2008 19:29:32 GMT http://www.rimag.com/article/CA6590526.html 24305FB9-D957-46A1-9B61-28610FAD3D45 With food prices rising and packages shrinking, parents are changing their food-buying habits to keep costs down. For example, some children will receive baggies full of snacks like home-packed chips and crackers instead of prepackaged ones, reported CBSNEWS.com. 2 Sep 2008 19:29:31 GMT http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/01/ap/business/main4405105.shtml 994A044B-7EED-4113-8558-825E8E605F4D The proposed EU regulation on food labeling is too complicated, makes unrealistic demands on font size, and will be burdensome for SMEs, according to a Brussels hearing on food information regulation. The different sides of the industry generally agreed that the proposal makes food labeling more complicated rather than simpler, reported Food Navigator Europe. 2 Sep 2008 19:29:31 GMT http://www.foodnavigator.com/Legislation/Industry-decries-too-complex-labelling-proposal DEAC1B99-6105-467B-A8F2-08BBD7A2F8CE Britian imports poultry, lamb, and beef at the same rate as it exports the products. Part of the explanation lies in different national tastes, as British consumers prefer the white meat of chickens to the darker legs and wings, so the latter are exported to parts of Europe, while white meat is imported from as far away as Thailand, reported Financial Times. 2 Sep 2008 18:58:53 GMT http://www.ft.com/cms/s/6576db4e-77b2-11dd-be24-0000779fd18c,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2F6576db4e-77b2-11dd-be24-0000779fd18c.html&_i_referer= F7B336AF-06EA-40BC-8DE9-0F37A8B89D1A Food price increases are being acutely felt by people trying to fight serious illnesses, as healthier foods, like whole-wheat bread and fresh fruits, are already more expensive than white bread and processed foods, reported The Wall Street Journal. 2 Sep 2008 19:29:30 GMT http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122031231793288817.html?mod=2_1566_leftbox 37AEAB57-7E2F-4172-ABF5-32F55BE67C6A The government can prohibit meat packers from testing their animals for mad cow disease, according to a ruling from a federal appeals court, reported The Wichita Eagle. Creekstone Farms Premium Beef sued USDA for the right to do the testing. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned a lower court ruling that would have cleared the way for the testing. 2 Sep 2008 19:29:30 GMT http://www.kansas.com/business/updates/story/511350.html 476CE2FF-2298-41C6-9C21-284F8723C226 Trans-Ocean Products, Inc. initiated a voluntary recall of its 4-oz. Cracked Pepper Style Smoked Salmon as it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. 2 Sep 2008 19:29:30 GMT http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/transocean08_08.html 97437789-3030-4467-9A3E-D06395227D7B Del Monte Fresh Produce NA Inc. acquired two Guatemalan melon growing operations. The two operations provide Del Monte with a combined five million boxes of cantaloupes and honeydews during the upcoming offshore melon season, which normally starts in late November and runs through May, reported Progressive Grocer. 2 Sep 2008 19:29:29 GMT http://www.progressivegrocer.com/progressivegrocer/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003844062&imw=Y 15E64FB3-C39D-4935-ADE3-CED232D6741A California's contracted processing tomato production is forecast at 11.6 million tons, down 1% from the May forecast and 3% below the 2007 season. This year's processing tomato crop is about a week behind schedule, and frosty weather in mid-April caused spot damage in tomato plants in some growing areas. Dry conditions and high winds during the spring delayed fruit setting. 2 Sep 2008 19:29:29 GMT http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/California/Publications/Vegetables/200808ptom.pdf CA0E2B32-9A2A-4C42-BC88-368215A1DE63 11 Aug 2008 19:29:11 GMT