Trading Partners

This holiday season will be a difficult one for many shoppers. Nielsen reports that U.S. consumers continue to make fewer shopping trips at packaged goods retailers.

Dole Fresh Vegetables, a division of Westlake Village, Calif.-based Dole Food Co., recently inked a new long-term contract with CHEP, a global pallet and container pooling leader, to continue shipping the majority of its products on CHEP pallets from its 12 facilities in California, Arizona, North Carolina and Ohio to major supermarket retailers, club stores, foodservice distributors and wholesalers in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

At a Senate panel last month, International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) chairman Paul Kruse testified that product innovation and higher worldwide demand have given rise to a potential for growth that will be beneficial for dairy farmers, dairy foods manufacturers and consumers, but that inadequate federal dairy policies are an obstacle to capitalizing on such opportunities.

There may be glimpses of recovery discernible amid all of the gloom and doom of the recession, but one clear winner of the economic downturn has been private brands, according to Stamford, Conn.-based private brand broker and consumer marketing firm Daymon Worldwide in its new report, “The Maturing U.S. Recession & Implications for Private Brands.”

The Kroger Co. and Nestlé Purina have teamed up for the second annual “Tales for the Pet Lover’s Heart” campaign, which celebrates the unique bond between people and their pets while simultaneously raising funds for animal welfare organizations nationwide.

The Bonise family of Liberty City in Miami has a brand-new home, thanks to the efforts of Winn-Dixie, the Kellogg Co. and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami.

Martha Stewart will be all over the grocery store this holiday season. The seemingly ever-present lifestyle doyenne’s company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc., (MSLO), has joined forces with The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. and its affiliate Hain Pure Protein Corp. on the national rollout of a Martha Stewart-branded food line at retail, including poultry from Plainville Farms, baking mixes from Arrowhead Mills and dried pastas from DeBoles, all employing natural ingredients.

Although economic recovery finally seems to be taking root in the United States, consumers remain cautious when it comes to spending their money.