Filed under: Food

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Whole Foods to rate impact of seafood

Whole Foods Market Inc. is trying to clear some murky waters for seafood shoppers.

The grocery chain on Monday launched a new color-coded rating program — with the help of Monterey Bay Aquarium and Blue Ocean Institute — that measures the environmental impact of its wild-caught seafood. Get the full story »

Kraft Foods to expand China presence

Oreo products packaged for distribution in China. (Lane Christiansen /Tribune)

Kraft Foods, North America’s largest food company, is looking to double the number of Chinese cities in which it distributes Cadbury products within the next two years, its China head said on Monday.

The number of cities in China in which Cadbury confectionary is sold would rise to about 40 by tapping Kraft’s distribution network, Lorna Davis, president and chairman of Kraft’s China operations told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in China. Get the full story »

USDA sued over genetically altered sugar beets

Groups opposed to genetically modified foods have sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture Thursday over the agency’s recent decision to allow limited plantings of altered sugar beets. Get the full story »

Brown’s to go to auction in Chapter 11 move

From Crain’s Chicago Business | Brown’s Chicken and Pasta has agreed to be sold at auction as a going concern to speed its contentious bankruptcy proceedings.

Moody’s may raise McDonald’s ratings

(Reuters/Molly Riley/Files)

Moody’s Investors Service said on Friday it may raise its ratings on McDonald’s Corp. due to solid operating performance and growth prospects.

Moody’s placed McDonald’s A3 senior unsecured rating, the seventh-highest rating, and Prime-2 short-term commercial paper rating on review for possible upgrade.

“The review for possible upgrade reflects McDonald’s solid operating performance achieved through various strategic initiatives such as new product innovation, cost savings, re-imaging and new restaurant growth,” Moody’s analyst Bill Fahy said in a statement. Get the full story »

MillerCoors grooms Tom Long, its No. 2

From The Wall Street Journal | MillerCoors LLC’s No. 2 executive, Tom Long, will share an office with Chief Executive Leo Kiely, the brewer told employees, in the latest sign that the company is grooming Mr. Long to lead the second-largest U.S. beer maker by sales.

Higher coffee prices ahead, futures up 44%

A trifecta of bad news has sent coffee futures soaring 44 percent since June, and companies like Dunkin’ Donuts, Green Mountain and Maxwell House are passing on those costs. Bad weather in South America is threatening crops. Brazil and top exporter Vietnam are talking about hoarding their stocks. And U.S. stockpiles are reportedly at 10-year lows. Get the full story »

Worker kills 2, injures 1 at Kraft cookie plant

Employees talk outside the scene of a workplace shooting at the Kraft facility in Philadelphia. (For the Daily News/ Joseph Kaczmarek)

Minutes after a woman was suspended from her job at a Kraft Foods Inc. plant and was escorted out, she returned with a handgun and opened fire, killing two people and critically injuring a third before being taken into custody, police said.

The shootings occurred shortly after 8:30 p.m. Thursday inside a northeast Philadelphia plant where workers for the nation’s largest food manufacturer, headquartered in Northfield, makes cookies and crackers. Get the full story »

Starbucks drops small ‘tall’ from drive-through menu

Starbucks Corp. said it isn’t just dropping its small-sized drink from its drive-through locations throughout the country, it’s preparing for the future.

In addition to removing the 12-ounce “tall” from its drive-through menus, the Seattle-based coffee chain has added images of some newer items. Starbucks maintains the changes are in response to consumer confusion over its many offerings, from hot chocolate to oatmeal, as well as highly customizable coffee beverages. Get the full story »

Ex-RR executive tapped to head Burger King

Burger King’s soon-to-be new owners have named a former Latin American railroad executive to be CEO of the fast-food chain after the $3.26 billion deal goes through.

The appointment of Bernardo Hees by 3G Capital is a signal that the investment firm is serious about expanding the Burger King brand further into Latin America and elsewhere abroad. Get the full story »

McDonald’s U.S. sales climb 4.6% in August

Fast-food giant McDonald’s says a key revenue figure rose 4.6 percent in the U.S. in August, as customers continued to come in for its frappes and smoothies. The world’s largest hamburger chain says overall its August sales at restaurants open at least 13 months climbed 4.9 percent.

Kraft signs chocolate deal with Barry Callebaut

Barry Callebaut AG said Thursday it has signed a supply contract with Kraft Foods Inc., a deal that will increase the Zurich-based chocolate company’s global reach and spark heavy investment. Get the full story »

Consumers starting to see coffee price jolt

Americans are getting more than just a jolt of caffeine with their coffee these days — the price is jumping, too.

Coffee for December delivery settled up 2.25 cents at $1.9455 a pound Wednesday after hitting a 13-year high of $1.9865 per pound earlier in the day. Get the full story »

Groupon files infringement suit against Australian businesses

Groupon has filed a trademark and copyright infringement case against two Australian businesses that it claims use “confusingly similar terms” while providing “identical services” to the Chicago-based daily deal site. Get the full story »

Groupon rival VillageVines moves into Chicago

A New York-based Web start-up specializing in restaurant discounts and reservations is expanding into Chicago, hoping to give restaurateurs and diners an alternative to daily deal sites such as Groupon.

VillageVines officially launches in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington D.C. on Sept. 15. In the meantime, Chicagoans can sign up for the site starting today. When the site goes live, members will be able to log in and book a reservation through an online calendar that lists available restaurants and dates. VillageVines charges $10 per reservation and typically offers 30 percent off the check. Get the full story »