Industry News 2007

Mike Buzalka

Tyson Focuses on latino Hunger
Tyson Foods is teaming up with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and America's Second Harvest-The Nation's Food Bank Network to produce an in-depth study of the extent and root causes of hunger among Latinos. The company also pledged to donate one million pounds of food over a three-year period to America's Second Harvest foodbanks serving Latino and Hispanic populations.

To announce the collaboration and to kick-off the pledge, Tyson representatives made an initial donation of a truckload of more than 35,000 pounds of protein products to the Chicago Food Depository, whose member agencies serve Latino communities in the Chicago area.

Simplot Holds Healthcare Operator university
Recently, 21 leading healthcare segment operators attended the first Healthcare Operator University held at Simplot headquarters in Boise, ID. Operator University is an intensive biannual training conference certified by the American Culinary Federation that Simplot customizes to meet the needs of its target operator segments. This year the curriculum was designed to focus on nutrition and wellness, a key issue confronting healthcare foodservice operators.

Operator University included speakers like Marianne Smith Edge, president of MSE & Associates, LLC, and Eric Eisenberg, executive chef at Seattle's Swedish Medical Center. The event also included a tour of Simplot's potato processing facilities in Caldwell, ID; and a hands-on opportunity to prepare healthy meals incorporating value-added Simplot products.

"This was a great opportunity to network with peers from across the country," says Jim Warner, associate director at Ohio State University Medical Center. "The products were excellent, well thought out, and the speakers were relevant to all in attendance."

"Operator University brought forth an explosion of passion for food and being able to share with comrades and friends," added Mike Goodrich, executive chef at Oregon Health & Science University. "It was a foodie retreat of global proportions and perspectives."

J&J adds Veteran exec
J&J Snack Foods Corp. has named Vincent Melchiorre executive vice president and president of its Country Home Bakers unit. He will be responsible for sales and marketing of J&J's snack food businesses as well as overall management of Country Home Bakers. He will also assume the role of Chief Marketing Officer, replacing Michael Karaban, who had previously announced his retirement effective October 2007.

Melchiorre was most recently senior vice president of Weston Foods USA, responsible for leadership of the $1.2 billion Bread and Roll business. Prior to that he was senior vice president of sales and Chief Marketing Officer for the Tasty Baking Co.

He previously spent over 20 years at The Campbell Soup Co., where he held the positions of vice president of marketing for Pepperidge Farm's Biscuit & Cookie Division and, before that, business director of the company's flagship Red & White Soup business.

Coke to Distribute V8
Coca-Cola has signed an agreement with Campbell Soup Co. to distribute Campbell's vegetable juice drinks.

The agreement, which also was made with Coke's largest bottler, includes Campbell's V8, V8 V-Fusion, V8 Splash and tomato juice in containers of 24 ounces or less, and will expand the products' reach from supermarkets and large retailers into c-stores, delis and vending machines.

The deal also fills adds healthy juices to Coke's portfolio, which previously had largely been confined to fruit drinks, water and carbonated beverages. Analysts say the deal could double or triple Campbell's single-serve business.

Middleby Acquires Carter Hoffman
The Middleby Corp. has acquired commercial heated cabinet holding equipment maker Carter Hoffmann from Carrier Commercial Refrigeration, Inc., for $16 million in cash. Carter Hoffmann has annual revenues of around $20 million.

"This transaction broadens Middleby's portfolio of products in the foodservice equipment industry and provides an entry into the heating and holding equipment segment, a segment that is estimated to have annualized revenues of $150 million," says Chairman/CEO Selim Bassoul.

"Carter Hoffmann is a well recognized brand and long-standing industry leader that has been serving the foodservice industry for 60 years with a broad product portfolio of heated cabinets, rethermalizing equipment, and food serving equipment."

Got breakfast? Announces Grants
The "got breakfast?" Foundation has awarded grants to three Illinois schools and one Massachusetts school to help them implement Classroom Breakfast programs. The grants, totaling approximately $30,000, were awarded to Namaste Charter School in Chicago, Maple Elementary School in Loves Park, IL, Nokomis (IL) Junior and Senior High School and Woodland Primary and Claremont Academy Secondary of Worcester, MA.

The group says it chose Illinois schools because of the state's standing as the second-lowest in School Breakfast and Lunch Program participation among low-income students, according to a recent study by the Food Research & Action Center. The grant for the Massachusetts school was given to help them implement their first-ever Classroom Breakfast Program.

Lancaster Buys Biscuit Maker
Lancaster Colony Corp. has acquired Marshall Biscuit Company, Inc., a privately owned producer and marketer of frozen rolls and biscuits to retail and foodservice customers. The acquisition helps forward the company's efforts to focus on its food operations, says Bruce Rosa, president of Lancaster Colony's Specialty Foods Group.

"This acquisition provides us access to private-label accounts, new products and additional manufacturing flexibility," he notes. "Marshall's strength in the private-label channel nicely complements our Sister Schubert's branded rolls. We remain interested in growing our specialty foods business through further good-fitting acquisitions such as Marshall Biscuit." Marshall's net sales are over $11 million annually.