Kroger Board of Directors Raises Quarterly Dividend by 24%

The Kroger Co's Board of Directors approved a dividend increase from $0.84 to $1.04 per year. The next quarterly dividend of 26 cents per share will be paid on September 1, 2022, to shareholders of record as of close of business on August 15, 2022.

Kroger's quarterly dividend has grown at a 14% compounded annual growth rate since it was reinstated in 2006. This marks the 16th consecutive year of dividend increases. The company continues to expect, subject to board approval, an increasing dividend over time...

Meijer Redirects More Than 1M Pounds of Food Waste Through Flashfood Program

Meijer announced today its customers have diverted more than 1 million pounds of potential food waste through its Flashfood sustainability initiative.

Since the program's expansion across the Meijer footprint in 2021, customers have purchased more than 1 million pounds of food nearing its sell-by date at a discount, preventing it from potentially entering landfills. The initiative represents the retailer's commitment to offering both sustainability and value to its customers.

"We're pleased to see that customers are taking advantage of the Flashfood program," said Todd Weer...

Mark Irby Joins Publix Board of Directors

During Publix’s annual stockholders’ meeting today, Mark Irby, retired Publix vice president of marketing, was elected to the company’s board of directors.

“We congratulate Mark on his election to the board,” said Chairman Ed Crenshaw. “His extensive experience in helping build and promote our Publix brand will bring a valuable perspective.”

Irby began his Publix career in 1973 in the sign shop in Lakeland, Florida. After working in various capacities within that department, in 1983, he transferred into the advertising department as a marketing and research manager. In 1988, he...

eGrowcery and DoorDash Partner To Provide On-Demand Delivery for Supermarkets and Other Retailers

eGrowcery, developer of the leading retail food industry eCommerce platform, announces a partnership with DoorDash Drive, DoorDash's white label fulfillment platform that powers direct delivery for businesses, to provide supermarkets with access to an expansive delivery fleet and a flexible delivery solution directly from the eCommerce experience. With the new DoorDash Drive integration, retailers using the eGrowcery platform can now benefit from the scale of DoorDash’s logistics network, all while retaining full autonomy around the eCommerce experience and, critically, owning their own shopper data...

Natural Grocers® Invites the Cañon City Community to Celebrate its Grand Opening on April 13, 2022

Natural Grocers®, the largest family-operated organic and natural grocery retailer in the U.S., is pleased to announce the opening of its Cañon City, CO store on Wednesday, April 13th, with doors opening at 8:30 AM. The store, located in the downtown area, at 121 N. 16th St. will be Natural Grocers' 42nd location in its home state of "Colorful Colorado". The community and Natural Grocers' good4u® Crew will celebrate the Grand Opening with discounts, gift card giveaways, prize sweepstakes...

Albertsons Companies Helps Expand Affordable Access to Fresh Food and Wellness Products

Albertsons Companies announced today that customers can now use supplemental benefits to purchase over-the-counter medications and fresh produce in the company’s stores. The new program provides convenient access to customers using pre-paid cards funded by Medicare Advantage plans, employer incentives, healthcare providers, or local governments, furthering the company’s commitment to support the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

“We are committed to offering solutions that deliver access to healthy produce and meals, reduce food insecurity and provide solutions for..."

The Save Mart Companies Announces Acquisition by Kingswood Capital Management

Today, The Save Mart Companies announced that Kingswood Capital Management LP ("Kingswood") has acquired the company. Kingswood is an operationally-focused private equity firm based in Los Angeles, with significant experience in the retail sector. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Modesto, California, The Save Mart Companies is committed to sourcing a wide variety of local products across approximately 200 stores and serves communities throughout California and Northern Nevada. The company operates stores under the banners of Save Mart, Lucky California, and FoodMaxx. In addition to...

BJ’s Wholesale Club Partners with DoorDash

BJ’s Wholesale Club, a leading membership warehouse club in the Eastern United States, today announced a partnership with DoorDash, the local commerce platform, to offer on-demand grocery delivery from 226 BJ’s locations across 17 states. BJ’s is the first wholesale club available on the DoorDash marketplace, providing consumers with access to home essentials and grocery needs on-demand. BJ’s products can be purchased directly on the DoorDash app, offering members and non-members alike access to thousands of BJ’s items on-demand. BJ’s members can also link their wholesale club card to receive...

Giant Eagle Extends Its Leadership in Food Safety With Adoption of SmartSense IoT Framework

SmartSense by Digi®, part of Digi International – a leading global provider of Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity solutions – today announced it has expanded its relationship with Giant Eagle, Inc., one of the nation’s leading food, fuel and pharmacy retailers. SmartSense protects Giant Eagle’s 215 pharmacies and provides digital task management for its 175 grocery properties and 92 convenience stores. With the latest phase of IoT deployment including 32,000 new SmartSense digital temperature monitoring devices to remotely, automatically and continuously monitor its critical food assets...

Amazon Partners with Universities and Colleges to Fully Fund Tuition for Hourly Employees

Amazon announced today that it is further expanding the career advancement opportunities it offers its 750,000 hourly employees in the U.S. by partnering with more than 140 national and local universities to provide fully-funded college tuition. The announcement is part of the company’s ongoing enhancements to Career Choice—an Amazon upskilling program designed to help frontline employees grow their skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere.

Today’s announcement brings into the program dozens of local colleges and universities and four new national nonprofit education providers...

CHKN Not Chicken Launches Plant-Based Chicken Across Sprouts Farmers Market Stores Nationwide

CHKN Not Chicken, the delicious plant-based chicken alternative that makes it easy to eat less meat, live healthier, and be kinder to the planet, announced today its launch into all 370+ Sprouts Farmers Market stores nationwide. Shoppers can now find the delicious and healthy plant-based chicken products in the frozen plant-based meat section.

Sprouts will offer customers 4 delicious flavors of CHKN Not Chicken that replicate all the juiciness, texture, and flavor of chicken. Flavors available include: Naked CHKN (original), Zen CHKN...

Protein Association Taps Officers and Newly Appointed Board Members

The National Protein and Food Distributors Association Board of Directors met on Monday, January 24, 2022, in Atlanta, GA.

Jeff Paschall, VP of Sales at Fieldale Farms Corporate in Baldwin, GA succeeded Tammy Vige, Director Marketing of Pacific Agri-Products of South San Francisco, CA, as the chairperson of NPFDA. Judson “Jud” Guest moved into the Vice Chair role after serving as Treasurer. Newly elected to the NPFDA Executive Committee is Laure Pate as treasurer. She is President of Foodlinx in Brentwood, CA.

As chair, Paschall will lead the board of...

Ghost Kitchen Brands Opens U.S.-Based Wow Bao to Locations Across Canada

Albertsons Companies Selects Afresh Technologies AI Platform

Albertsons Companies will enhance its fresh offering with Afresh Technologies' AI-powered predictive ordering and inventory solutions to reduce waste and offer the freshest product for customers. Afresh will help Albertsons Cos.' optimize fresh forecasting, inventory, ordering, merchandising and operations.

Afresh Technologies enables Albertsons Cos. to deploy a state-of-the-art AI technology platform in all its stores to further differentiate its fresh offering to customers while helping to reduce food waste, ultimately reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and saving water.

"By partnering with Afresh, we are now able to improve our..."

KPOP Foods Acquired by Leading Korean Food Retailer Wooltari USA

KPOP Foods, a vibrant Korean food startup that launched out of UCLA Anderson and debuted through Kickstarter in 2017, announced today its acquisition by Wooltari USA, a leading retail and online grocer of premium Korean food products. KPOP Foods will continue as a wholly owned subsidiary and will have enhanced capabilities through Wooltari USA in product development, sourcing, and operations to expand its distribution and services.

Since its founding, KPOP Foods has significantly grown thanks to adding celebrity chef Chris Oh as its Head of Product, becoming a top seller...

Sahlen's® Grilled For You® Pork & Beef Smokehouse Hot Dogs Now Available for Foodservice Operators

Sahlen Packing Co., a family-owned and operated food production company founded in Buffalo, New York, in 1869, announces the launch of Sahlen's® Grilled For You® Pork & Beef Smokehouse Hot Dogs.

Sahlen leverages cutting-edge food manufacturing capabilities to provide foodservice operators, retailers, and consumers with a Smokehouse Hot Dog that comes pre-grilled with real char marks and authentic grill flavor — no grill required. The innovative product provides retailers and foodservice operators at restaurants, resorts, recreation, arenas, stadiums, carts, stands, and...

Albertsons Companies, Inc. Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2021 Results

Albertsons Companies, Inc. today reported results for the third quarter of fiscal 2021, which ended December 4, 2021.

Third Quarter of Fiscal 2021 Highlights

- Identical sales increased 5.2%; on a two-year stacked basis identical sales growth was 17.5%
- Digital sales increased 9%; on a two-year stacked basis digital sales growth was 234%
- Net income of $425 million, or $0.74 per Class A common share
- Adjusted net income of $457 million, or $0.79 per Class A common share
- Adjusted EBITDA of $1,051 million..

Smithfield Foods Commits to Reduce Food Loss and Waste 50% by 2030

Smithfield Foods, Inc. today announced a new goal to halve overall food loss and waste in its U.S. company-owned operations by 2030. The new commitment aligns with various resource conservation and waste reduction initiatives the company has underway in its operations, including efforts to reduce overall waste sent to landfills by 75% and achieve zero-waste-to-landfill certification at three-quarters of its U.S. facilities by 2025.

With the implementation of its new food loss and waste target, Smithfield joins the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)...

MamaMancini’s Announces Acquisition of Two Premier Gourmet Food Manufacturers

MamaMancini's Holdings, Inc., a marketer of specialty pre-prepared, frozen and refrigerated food products, today announced the signing of definitive agreements for two acquisitions – T&L Creative Salads, Inc. (“T&L”) and Olive Branch, LLC, which are related premier gourmet food manufacturers based in New York. Closing is expected to occur on or about December 29, 2021, subject to closing conditions.

Over several decades, brothers Anthony, Michael, and Joseph Morello have owned and operated T&L Creative Salads, offering a full line of foods for retail food chains and club stores...

Pure Prairie Farms Breathes New Life Into Midwestern Chicken Plant

New premium chicken integrator, Pure Prairie Farms Inc., completed its long-anticipated purchase of a former Simply Essentials chicken processing plant last week. The former plant, which previously closed in August of 2019, is a state-of-the-art retail tray-packaging facility and features air-chill technology, an under-represented and underserved attribute in the market. In addition to organic offerings, additional product features include all natural, highly trimmed products, made from chicken flocks in which antibiotics have never, ever been used, and that have been fed a...

UNFI Appoints Mark Bushway as Its New Chief Supply Chain Officer

United Natural Foods, Inc., today announced that it has appointed Mark Bushway as its new Chief Supply Chain Officer effective January 3, 2022. Bushway, who currently serves as President of UNFI’s Atlantic Region, will take on leadership of the Company’s fulfillment network across North America, consisting of 56 distributions centers serving more than 30,000 customer locations.

Bushway’s immediate focus will be on UNFI's existing fulfillment network strategy, while continuing to build out cross-selling capabilities, identifying distribution center expansions and accelerating network optimization & automation initiatives...

Jackson & Partners Innovative Food Products Scoring Big with Retailers, Consumers and Inves

Jackson & Partners, a U.S.-based multinational food and beverage manufacturing and marketing company with nine distinct brands that include beef, seafood, appetizers and plant-based products, announced today that sales for 4th Quarter 2021 are expected to exceed forecasts by 40% due to a large influx in retail and food service contracts, according to Alexander Cook, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.

Founded by former MLB and NFL superstar and longtime food entrepreneur Vincent “Bo” Jackson in July 2020, Jackson & Partners’ explosive growth during the pandemic, when...

Publix Announces Two Officer Promotions

Today Publix CEO Todd Jones announced two officer promotions, effective Jan. 1, 2022, to support the company’s growth.

Chris Mesa, Director of Tax and Treasury, will be promoted to Vice President and Controller. Mesa, 51, began his career in 1986 in Tampa, Florida, as a front service clerk. In 1993, he transferred to support as a clerk in the treasury department. He worked in various positions within tax and treasury before being promoted to senior tax manager in 2004, director of tax in 2015 and to his current position in 2018...

The Honey Baked Ham Company® Has You Covered this Thanksgiving (and Friendsgiving)

Calling all out-of-practice hosts, The Honey Baked Ham Company® has you covered for all your holiday gatherings with simple ways to serve, gift and shop during the festive season. From delicious holiday meals with convenient ordering options to unique host gifts, HoneyBaked® is dedicated to helping everyone spend less time in the kitchen and more time reuniting with their loved ones this Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving.

HoneyBaked's holiday meals, complete with a brand-new brunch option, are fully-cooked and undeniably delicious. They include...

Sonny Perdue to be Guest Speaker at the NPFDA’S Member Breakfast

The National Protein and Food Distributors Association (NPFDA), a non-profit trade association comprised of protein and food suppliers, retailers, processors, transportation companies and marketers, has confirmed that The Honorable Sonny Perdue, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, and former Georgia Governor will speak at the NPFDA’s Member Breakfast on Wednesday, January 26, 2022.

“We are so honored to have Sonny Perdue for NPFDA’s breakfast speaker. You will definitely want to gain Sonny’s insight on the protein industries volatile business climate,” remarked Tammy Vige...

New Korean BBQ Chicken Taquito Rolls Into 7-Eleven® Stores

New this fall: bold flavors to a roller grill near you—because that's how 7-Eleven, Inc. rolls. Inspired by the awesome flavors of Korean BBQ, America's largest convenience retailer is putting a new, Asian fusion spin on its popular taquitos. The Korean BBQ Taquito features crispy flour tortillas filled with a juicy, all-white meat chicken tossed in a sweet but tangy Korean BBQ sauce and is wrapped in the crispy shell customers know and love.

Great for a quick lunch on the run or as a snack...

Albertsons Sees More Inflation

Albertsons Cos. projected higher inflation for the rest of the year, driven by higher supply-chain and labor costs across the food industry.

The Boise, Idaho-based supermarket chain is passing through some price increases to shoppers but said it is also offering cheaper alternatives. Executives said consumers are still spending heavily on groceries as they stay at home and cook more than they did before the pandemic.

"We have not seen material change in customer behavior," Chief Executive Officer Vivek Sankaran said Monday during a call with analysts.

Food companies say they have been...

Walmart Selects Spartanburg County for New High-Tech Grocery Distribution Center

Today, Walmart announced plans to build a new, high-tech distribution center for fresh and frozen groceries in Spartanburg County, set to open in 2024. The new 720,000+ square-foot facility will create more than 400 full-time regional jobs and will rely on the combination of Walmart associates, automation technology, robotics and machine learning to process grocery perishables – such as produce, eggs, dairy, flowers and frozen goods – and deliver them to nearby stores. The high-tech facility marks Walmart’s largest grocery distribution center to date and...

Publix Announces Three Officer Promotions

Today Publix CEO Todd Jones announced three officer promotions, effective Jan. 1, 2022, to support the company’s growth and expanding initiatives.

Kyle Davis, Director of Warehousing, will be promoted to Vice President of Distribution. Davis, 59, began his career in 1988 at the Miami warehouse. He worked in various positions before being promoted to Boynton Beach warehouse superintendent in 1994, Jacksonville produce warehouse superintendent and Jacksonville distribution manager in 1997 and Deerfield Beach distribution manager in 2004. He was promoted to his current position in 2007 overseeing various warehousing locations across Publix’s operating area...

Asia’s Leading Plant-Based Pork Brand OmniFoods Launch at Sainsbury’s

OmniFoods announced that its 100% plant-based pork-style proteins are now on store shelves in the chilled aisles at Sainsbury’s Stores. Great Taste Award-winning OmniPork Mince and newly available OmniPork Strips are now available at 119 Sainsbury’s stores nationwide.

OmniPork Mince is made using a proprietary blend of plant-based protein from non-GMO soy, peas, shiitake mushrooms, and rice, OmniPork’s products contain less saturated fat, less calories, and zero cholesterol compared to animal-based pork products.

The innovative OmniFoods has brought its highly versatile 100%...

The Kroger Family of Companies to Hire 20,000 Associates

The Kroger Co. today announced its Family of Companies' second nationwide hybrid hiring event, including virtual and on-site interviews, will take place from 2-5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 13. The organization's mission is to hire 20,000 associates by finding talent for retail, e-commerce, manufacturing, supply chain, merchandising, logistics, corporate, and pharmacy and healthcare roles.

"The Kroger Family of Companies is eager to welcome 20,000 associates to our organization as we prepare for an incredible holiday season where customers are planning to return to larger family gatherings and..."

Do Good Foods Launches Infrastructure Platform That Combats Climate Change 

The Kamine Family, an established pioneer with a 40-year history of building large-scale infrastructure projects nationwide, today announced the launch of Do Good Foods. Backed by a $169M investment from Nuveen, Do Good Foods is the first scalable solution to eliminating the 48 billion pounds of food waste generated by grocery stores each year. The company’s closed loop system collects foods such as fruits, vegetables, and meats after human donations can occur, and upcycles them into a nutrient-dense animal feed to create sustainable animal protein...

Publix to Hire 30,000 Associates in Fourth Quarter of 2021

Publix plans to hire approximately 30,000 associates across the company’s seven-state operating area through the remainder of the year. The company will hire associates to work in stores, distribution centers and manufacturing facilities for nonseasonal positions.

“As we continue to grow, having a dedicated team ready to meet our needs is vitally important,” said Publix Vice President of Human Resources Marcy Benton. “Whether associates are new to the workforce or making a career change, Publix provides great benefits and a strong culture in which its associates build long..."

Hofmann Sausage Company Launches Oktoberfest Limited Edition Beer Bratwurst

Hofmann Sausage Company announces the production release of a special infused seasonal sausage for the month of October. The Hofmann Oktoberfest Beer Bratwurst is a limited-edition product made with a New York created lager.

"This beer brat is just the start of Hofmann making seasonal items that consumers will love," said Pat Favalo, National Sales Manager for Hofmann. "It is handcrafted, full of flavor, and has the texture of a traditional bratwurst. Many generations have boiled bratwurst in beer which started in Germany, but our brats are infused with..."