Filed under: Food

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Busch again in lead on Super Bowl commercials

Anheuser-Busch said Friday it will feature five commercials in the  broadcast of the 2011 Super Bowl.

The brewer also announced that it will be the exclusive beer advertiser for the Super Bowl for the 23rd consecutive year. Get the full story »

McDonald’s, Vermont settle syrup dispute

McDonald’s Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets are served the world over, but only in Vermont can diners at the fast-food giant now get pure maple syrup with their oatmeal.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin announced Thursday that McDonald’s USA has agreed to offer pure Vermont maple syrup or sugar with its Fruit and Maple Oatmeal menu item, beginning in February. Get the full story »

JBS is back in the hunt for Sara Lee, source says

A group of companies led by Brazilian beef processor JBS has arranged a financing package to bid for all or parts of Sara Lee Corp. , a source with direct knowledge of the situation told Reuters Thursday.

The group won commitments from international banks for loans and could tap equity markets to complete the funding package, said the source, who declined to be cited by name. Get the full story »

Wal-Mart announces plan to cut salt, sugar in food

Wal-Mart on Thursday  unveiled a five-year plan to sell more nutritional food at a Washington news conference that included First Lady Michelle Obama.

The plan includes reducing sodium by 25 percent in grain products, lunch meats, salad dressing and frozen food. Get the full story »

Arby’s to be put up for sale

Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc. plans to slice away the Arby’s sandwich chain by putting it up for sale, people familiar with the matter said.

The move represents a concession by activist investor Nelson Peltz that Arby’s, known for its roast beef sandwiches, is having trouble competing in an industry where the only viable ways to grow are to steal market share from rivals or expand overseas-two things Wendy’s is better positioned than Arby’s to accomplish. Get the full story »

Tortas Frontera opens at O’Hare

Crain’s Chicago Business | Chef Rick Bayless has opened his Frontera sandwich shop at O’Hare; a second Frontera offshoot is coming there soon.

Jimmy Johns checks out Florida to flee Illinois tax

The founder of Jimmy John’s sandwich shops says he’s considering moving his company’s headquarters from Champaign to Florida because of Illinois’ tax increase.

Jimmy John Liautaud  told The (Champaign) News-Gazette Tuesday that he’s gathering information on a potential move and will ask the company’s board to decide. Get the full story »

UK: Vitaminwater too sugary for its health claims

Vitaminwater has too much sugar to be accurately described as nutritious, Britain’s ad regulator ruled Wednesday, ordering brand owner Coca-Cola to stop running publicity carrying the claim. Get the full story »

Starbucks letting customers pay with cell phones

Starbucks Corp. will allow customers at U.S. company-operated stores to use some smartphones to pay for their purchases in an effort to drive sales.

Customers with Research in Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry or Apple Inc.’s iPhone or iPod touch will be able to pay using a Starbuck card mobile app at nearly 6,800 company-operated stores and 1,000 Starbucks in U.S. Target Corp. locations. Get the full story »

Sears picks supermarket veteran as grocery chief

Sears Holdings Corp. has named Robin Michel, formerly president of Giant Foods, as the retailer’s new grocery and pharmacy chief.

Michel, a veteran supermarket executive, joins the operator of Sears and Kmart stores at a time when mass merchandise chains are moving more aggressively into the food business. Get the full story »

Global-minded Yum to sell Long John Silver, A&W

Yum Brands Inc.  said it’s shopping for a buyer for its Long John Silver’s and A&W All-American Food Restaurants to focus on international expansion.

The company, which also operates Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC, said the chains don’t fit in with its long-term growth strategy, and it doesn’t expect the sale to have a material effect on its ongoing earnings or cash flow. Get the full story »

Estonia: McDonald’s prices hiked in currency change

Estonia’s Consumer Protection Board said U.S. fastfood franchise McDonald’s Corp. may have used the Estonian changeover from kroon to euro as a cover to raise prices, according to a report from the BNS news agency Monday. Get the full story »

Starbucks to add 31-ounce ‘Trenta’ size May 3

Starbucks Corp. will roll out its biggest drink size yet — the 31-ounce ”Trenta” — in all of its U.S. coffee shops by May 3, the company said Sunday

The new size will be available only for iced coffee, iced tea and iced tea lemonade drinks in the United States. The Trenta is 7 ounces larger than Starbucks’ “Venti” cup for iced drinks, which currently is its largest size on offer. Get the full story »

Food stamp, food pantry use increases in Illinois

New statistics from the Illinois food stamp program show an increase in those receiving assistance, and food pantries are reporting that more people are coming to them for help.

Numbers from the Illinois Department of Human Services show about 857,000 households enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in December. That’s 12.7 percent more than a year earlier, The Chicago Sun-Times reported Saturday. Get the full story »

Kuma’s to hold price on Lady Gaga’s fave burger

Lady Gaga’s favorite Judas Priest burger will still cost $12 at Kuma’s Corner as the trendy Chicago eatery is resisting raising prices though the cost of making that burger has gone up.

“You can’t pass it on, not in times like this,” Kuma’s manager Frank DeBoss said of beef prices that recently rose 10 percent. Get the full story »