Nonfoods

CHICAGO -- The growing appeal of store brands, with their modest marketing and packaging, have been giving national players like Kraft a run for their money, reports Reuters.

NEW YORK - New York grocer Gristede's Foods said late last week it will pay $120 million for the upscale Kings Super Markets chain, contingent upon it selling $150 million in senior notes on the bond market, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.

LONDON -- The chief executives of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Safeway, and Asda, as well as the British Retail Consortium director general, met Wednesday with Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett to discuss their reservations about consumer faith in the safety of GM food.

NEW YORK -- Health concerns associated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT), like stroke and an increased risk of breast cancer, are causing many women consumers to try soy isolflavones as a natural and milder solution to relieve menopausal symptoms.

ATLANTA -- Federal prosecutors have begun a criminal investigation into fraud allegations against Coca-Cola Co., including claims that the beverage giant rigged a market test at Burger King outlets to inflate the popularity of its slush drink Frozen Coke.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Heartland Soups, based here, and South San Francisco-based Marsha's Marvelous have entered into a strategic alliance to combine sales, marketing, and distribution of their fresh soups in the San Francisco Bay area.

HOUSTON -- The Houston Business Journal reports that the Kroger Co. has chosen Houston as the test market for its new Kroger Dollar Store concept. The Cincinnati, Ohio-based retailer, which is the market leader in the Houston area, already has converted approximately 500 square feet of space into dollar store domains in two of its stores there.

SALINAS, Calif. -- The fresh-cut division of Performance Food Group (PFG), comprising three subsidiary companies -- Fresh Advantage, Redi-Cut Foods, and Fresh Express -- will operate under the corporate name of Fresh Express.