Trading Partners

Like famished diners restlessly awaiting their meal, industry stakeholders and consumer groups are getting itchy for the Senate to pass the long-awaited FDA Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, which will provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with heightened resources and authority to help make prevention the focus of food safety strategies.

In advance of the prime Lenten seafood selling season, two of the nation’s leading retailers have set a new sourcing course for the seafood they sell in their stores.

Associated Grocers of New England said this week it has reallocated responsibilities related to its merchandising and advertising departments, and promoted two executives.

To help observant Jewish shoppers get ready for the Passover and Purim holidays, the annual Kosher Fair will be held on Sunday, Feb. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its longtime venue, the Pathmark store in Monsey, N.Y. The fair has been offered for over 15 years.

With a goal of raising $40,000 for the Lincoln Community Playhouse, Lincoln, Neb.-based, employee-owned B&R Stores will host the Lincoln Wine & Food Experience, which gives participants an opportunity to sample exquisite food and wines from around the world.

The economic slump took its toll on U.S. food and drink manufacturers in 2009, according to a recent review of Mintel’s Global New Product Database (GNPD). Food and drink product launches showed a substantial decline of nearly 30 percent from 2008.

Independent retailer-owned wholesaler Associated Food Stores, Inc. and Premier Retail Networks, Inc. (PRN), a San Francisco-based provider of digital out-of-home media solutions, have signed a multiyear agreement to continue the operation of PRN’s Checkout TV Network in Associated Food’s newly acquired Fresh Market stores.

The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) this week hosted the first-ever joint Supply Chain Conference under the banner of the GMA-FMI Trading Partner Alliance.