Nonfoods

WILMINGTON, Del. -- The Produce for Better Health Foundation is planning to spruce up the image of its stalwart 5 A Day program with a new name and logo, which it said should better reflect the increasingly important role fruits and vegetables play in promoting health.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas --As fall approaches, ushering in a major selling season for supermarkets, The Gambrinus Company here is kicking off "Touchdown Tiki 2005" to support Corona Extra and Corona Light, which it claims are the number one and number three import beers respectively. The promotion will run Aug. 15 -- Oct. 31.

Indianapolis -- Marsh Supermarkets is in the final stages of preparing to open its first location in Illinois on Aug. 22 with a new 66,000-square-foot Lifestyle format store in Naperville, a community that was recently ranked third on Money Magazine's list of the top, "100 Best Places to Live" for 2005.

NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Vitasti, Inc., based here, a food company specializing in the health-and-wellness sector, has developed a new line of vitamin-rich granola with an antioxidant supplement and a hip new featured ingredient -- the acai berry. Harvested in the Brazilian rainforest and touted by the media as "nature's perfect food," the acai (pronounced "AH-sci-EE") has been used for thousands of years by Brazil's indigenous peoples, who attribute various healing and nutritional properties to the fruit.

IRWINDALE, Calif. -- Ready Pac here said it has secured financing to upgrade and expand production capacity across its manufacturing network in the United States.

NATICK, Mass. -- BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. yesterday reported that sales for July grew 9.3 percent to $582.3 million from $532.6 million in the year-ago period, with grocery categories playing a significant roles in the gains.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- As dollar stores and other small-format value retailers continue to expand geographically in the next decade, the leading players among them will have to contend with growing pains, a new Industry Outlook report from Retail Forward suggests.

WASHINGTON -- The Food Products Association, a science-based food trade group here, said yesterday it has named Jenny Scott v.p. of food safety programs. In her new position, Scott will direct the association's food safety activities on issues including food inspections, HACCP, and crisis management.