NEWS WATCH: GIANT EAGLE ADDS KOSHER MEAT AT SELECT STORES...ANTI-TERRORISM EFFORT TO PROTECT FOOD SUPPLY

GIANT EAGLE ADDS KOSHER MEAT AT SELECT STORES

s added an extensive variety of kosher meat and poultry at select locations, most of them in the greater Pittsburgh area. The Aaron's Best brand of fresh beef and poultry lines include marrow bones, steaks, roasts, ground beef and beef patties, boneless chicken breasts, whole fryers, drumsticks, wings, whole cut-up birds, leg quarters, whole turkeys and ground turkey. In addition, packaged kosher meats including beef franks, corned beef and pastrami are available. The kosher items are integrated with non-kosher items in each category where point-of-sale materials call attention to them. Marketing efforts include local newspaper advertising. The retailer described the new offering on its Web site, along with a list of stores carrying the kosher lines.

ANTI-TERRORISM EFFORT TO PROTECT FOOD SUPPLY

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Department of Homeland Security and the FBI last week announced a collaboration with the states and private industry to protect the nation's food supply from terrorist threats. Over the next year, federal and state officials will travel the country, conducting meetings with all sectors of the food chain to discuss security issues from farm to table, and consider options to better protect the food supply, officials said, in announcing the Strategic Partnership Program Agroterrorism Initiative. In September and October, four pilot visits will be conducted to assess and identify vulnerabilities in the agriculture and food sectors, officials said. The visits will help federal agencies determine how states and industry can protect food and learn about the food industry's protection needs. Sites for the visits have not yet been determined, a spokeswoman for the USDA said last week.