Nonfoods

AUSTIN, Texas -- Leading natural and organic foods retailer Whole Foods Market opened its inaugural Baton Rouge store yesterday, its third in the state of Louisiana. The nearly 50,000-square-foot location is at 7529 Corporate Blvd. at Jefferson Highway.

CONCORD, Calif. -- San Francisco-based Del Monte Foods has tapped Pacer International, Inc., a logistics and freight transportation provider here, to provide comprehensive logistics services for the producer, distributor, and marketer of branded and private label food and pet products.

VANCOUVER, B.C. -- For the second straight year, the cost of unsaleable products has declined for CPG manufacturers, according to the 2005 Unsaleables Benchmark Report, which was released yesterday at the Joint Unsaleables Management Conference here, which is produced by GMA in conjunction with FMI, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.

PHOENIX -- Samples from the home of the Surprise, Ariz. man, who claimed last week to be making salmonella and tampering with food products -- especially Gerber Baby Juice -- were negative for salmonella bacteria, the Arizona Department of Health's (ADHS) State Public Health Lab said yesterday.

BOULDER, Colo. -- With the start of a new school year just weeks away, Wild Oats Markets, based here, is seeking to offer inspiration and information on lunchbox staples, to keep kids healthy and happy.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart's newest supercenter, in McKinney, Texas, which opens today, will also serve as an experimental store, according to the world's largest retailer, which adds that the location "could profoundly change the way the retail industry designs, constructs, and manages facilities as it relates to the environment."

HARLEYSVILLE, Pa. -- The Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), based here, has released expanded details on fiber, functionality, and fat as a second key trend having a significant impact on the health and wellness marketplace.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., based here, deemed yesterday's auction a success, as the retailer reached an agreement to sell 102 stores to 30 purchasers.