Newswatch 2010-11-15

RALEY'S LAUNCHES NEW MEALS LINE

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Raley's Supermarkets here has launched “Raley's To Go Fresh Meals,” a new line of 23 different entrees and side dishes available in the fresh deli departments at all Raley's, Bel Air and Nob Hill Foods stores. “As a mom, I understand the need to have quick and easy dinner solutions that I can rely on,” Raley's corporate chef, Evelyn Miliate, said in a company announcement. “With Raley's To Go, I can feel good about feeding my family food that I know they will love — and at a great value.” Available in both single-serve and family-size portions for $5 to $10, the company is positioning the new line as a convenient solution to a variety of dinnertime scenarios. Current options include Five Cheese Macaroni and Cheese, Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl, Classic Beef Lasagna, Beef Shiitake Mushroom Noodle Bowl, Tuscan Style Pasta Toss and the Verde Chicken Enchiladas.

WEGMANS: ‘EVERYTHING THANKSGIVING’

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Helping its customers get a jump on the upcoming holiday, Wegmans Food Markets here hosted a four-hour in-store event called “Everything Thanksgiving” on Saturday, Nov. 13. Shoppers who arrived at a Wegmans location between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. were given a “passport” guide to stations throughout the store where they could sample food or receive cooking tips, according to a weekly column by Mary Ellen Burris, Wegmans' senior vice president of consumer affairs. “These stations include the Meat Department where you can review the attributes of the different turkeys offered. To make veggies easy, check out fresh produce ideas for Brussels Sprouts and Frozen Food's Wegmans brand Special Blends,” Burris suggested. Other demos were hosted in Wegmans' cheese shops, as well as the bakery, seafood and floral departments, and a chef demonstrated the best way to carve a turkey at 1 p.m. in each store. Kids who were tagging along could get their passports stamped at each station.

WHOLE FOODS SPOTLIGHTS SHRIMP

AUSTIN, Texas — Whole Foods Market last week encouraged its shoppers to stock up on shrimp prior to Thanksgiving with a one-day sale featuring its 31/40 count shrimp for $5.99 per pound. “It's time to throw a party and show off just a little. Cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp makes it fast and easy, and this sale makes it super economical,” Whole Foods' Global Seafood Director David Pilat wrote on the company's official blog. In an earlier post, Pilat explained that Whole Foods sources from only three farmed shrimp producers that meet the company's standards for eco-friendly facilities management.

FOOD GROUPS SUE EPA ON ETHANOL

WASHINGTON — A coalition of farm and food trade associations last week filed a suit against the Environmental Protection Agency in an effort to overturn the agency's decision to allow gasoline containing 15% ethanol to be sold for cars manufactured in 2007 or later. The coalition included Grocery Manufacturers Association, the American Meat Institute, the National Council of Chain Restaurants, the National Meat Association, the National Turkey Federation, the National Chicken Council, the National Pork Producers Council, the Snack Food Association and the American Frozen Food Institute. These groups have protested federal mandates for ethanol in the past, arguing that these mandates have led to higher corn prices, higher input costs for food producers and ultimately higher food prices for U.S. consumers. “The EPA has clearly exceeded its authority under the Clean Air Act,” the coalition argued in a prepared statement. “The EPA has unlawfully interpreted the statute to achieve a particular outcome. … We are confident that the Court will agree and require the EPA to reverse course.”