Market Trends

TORONTO - Canadian food processing company Maple Leaf Foods Inc. has expanded its artisan bread product line with the acquisition of San Francisco-based Grace Baking Company.

DALLAS - Fleming has appointed industry veteran Jim Thatcher to serve as president of Fleming IGA. In this new role, Thatcher will be responsible for leading Fleming's support of more than 600 IGA retail locations supplied by the company.

NORRISTOWN, Pa. - Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway has sold three of the Zagara's Specialty & Natural Foods stores that were part of its acquisition of Genuardi's Family Markets to three former Genuardi's employees.

WASHINGTON, DC - The nation's top wholesale grocery cooperatives earned more than $29 billion in revenue during 2001, according to this year's NCB Co-op 100, an annual report issued by the National Cooperative Bank (NBC) on the nation's 100 highest revenue-earning cooperatives.

LONDON/ZURICH - Associated British Foods Plc has agreed to buy Novartis AG's food and beverage business for 272.5 million euros ($267.2 million), including the drink brands Ovomaltime and Ovaltine, Reuters reports.

NEW YORK - Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. on Friday began a voluntary recall of some fresh ground beef products after learning that an earlier recall by Emmpak Foods Inc.'s Peck Meats had been expanded to its stores. A day earlier, Publix also announced a recall of similar beef products supplied by Emmpak Foods.

ST. LOUIS and ATLANTA - The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company has entered into an agreement with Emerson Climate Technologies, a business of Emerson, to improve energy efficiency at 200 grocery stores in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland and Delaware.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - The biggest stir at a two-day Wal-Mart stock analysts meeting held here this week came at a breakout session discussing the retailer's global procurement strategy.