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NEWSWATCH

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market has kicked off the back-to-school season with a selection of healthy, balanced lunches for children called Smart Boxes. The lunches, which retail for $2.98 each, include servings of baby carrots, dried fruit, crackers, a cheese stick and organic apple juice, milk, fruit punch or grape juice. Parents can feel good

FRESH & EASY LAUNCHES BTS LUNCHES

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market has kicked off the back-to-school season with a selection of healthy, balanced lunches for children called Smart Boxes. The lunches, which retail for $2.98 each, include servings of baby carrots, dried fruit, crackers, a cheese stick and organic apple juice, milk, fruit punch or grape juice. “Parents can feel good about what they are feeding their kids from Fresh & Easy. We offer fresh, wholesome food options at affordable prices and a range of creative meal ideas for any age,” Simon Uwins, Fresh & Easy chief marketing officer, said in a release. Citing a recent ACNielsen study, the release noted that an overall drop in back-to-school sales is not expected this year, but there may be changes in where consumers shop, and what they are willing to pay for certain items. The Smart Boxes line was developed for consumers who “are looking for ways to save money during this back-to-school season, but are not willing to sacrifice what they are feeding their children.”

AMI INTRODUCES EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS

WASHINGTON — The American Meat Institute last week launched a new educational video series called “Ask the Meat Science Guy,” which will provide answers to many frequently asked questions about meat and meat safety. Hosted by Randy Huffman, president of the AMI Foundation, the nine-part short video series will debut with three videos: “Cooking Steaks and Burgers Safely,” “Cured Meats and Nitrites” and “Processed Meats and Pregnancy.” All videos are currently featured on AMI's Meat News Network at www.youtube.com/meatnewsnetwork and are available as B-roll video for use by broadcast media. Additional videos in the safety series will be added in the coming weeks.

NEW LEAF LAUNCHES ‘NEVER EVER’ BEEF

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — New Leaf Community Markets has announced a partnership with Harris Ranch, a family-owned ranch in California's Central Valley, to offer “New Leaf's Natural Choice Never Ever Beef,” a new, sustainably raised line of Black Angus beef produced without artificial hormones, antibiotics or chemical additives. Cattle raised in the program are all age- and source-verified, and are humanely handled throughout all aspects of production, according to an announcement on New Leaf's website.

DNA TRACEBACK PROGRAM ANNOUNCED

NORTHFIELD, Ill. — Nature's Premium Brand pork has announced it will use IdentiGEN's DNA TraceBack system, a U.S. Department of Agriculture Process Verified traceability system that uses DNA testing to ensure that their pork products can be indisputably traced back to the farm where the animals were raised. “We take samples of the actual DNA of every animal in the program to assure that we are delivering the premium quality assurances customers expect,” said John D. Stewart, founder and chief executive officer of Nature's Premium Brand. The products are currently being offered at Kowalski's Markets, Minneapolis; Sendik's Food Markets, Milwaukee; Dave's Marketplace stores, Rhode Island; Donelan's Supermarkets, in the Boston area; and Bogopa, a food distributor serving international groceries in metropolitan New York. “DNA is a uniquely accurate, permanent and tamper-proof tool,” said IdentiGEN CEO Donald Marvin. “DNA traceback is the ultimate proof of product integrity.”

TAGS: Meat