Newswatch 2010-02-08 (1)

ALDI ADOPTS NEW SEAFOOD STANDARDS

BATAVIA, Ill. — ALDI USA here has adopted the Global Aquaculture Alliance's Best Aquaculture Practices certification for farmed seafood. The company recently launched its first set of private-label aquaculture products certified to BAP standards. “ALDI is actively engaged in industry initiatives on sustainable seafood. We support the BAP certification standard and are pleased to begin using it on a number of our private-label products,” Daniel Malechuk, director for corporate purchasing of seafood, said in a release. GAA is a non-profit standard-setting organization for aquaculture. Their BAP guidelines currently set standards for farmed shrimp, tilapia and domestic catfish, and encompass issues such as effluent management, worker safety and conservation of mangrove swamps, coastal wetlands and other delicate ecosystems.

BRISTOL FARMS, JETBLUE PAIR FOR V-DAY

CARSON, Calif. — Bristol Farms here has partnered with JetBlue Airways to promote its Valentine's Day Dinner for Two. Customers purchasing the upscale supermarket's Valentine's Day Dinner for Two, at $49.99, will automatically be entered into a drawing for two round-trip tickets to any non-stop destination JetBlue serves. The dinner-for-two promotion offers three entree options: two filet mignons topped with pate, two salmon filets topped with sauteed spinach, or one filet mignon and one salmon filet, with respective toppings. Each entree is wrapped in a heart-shaped puff pastry. Accoutrements include twice-baked potatoes stuffed with grilled artichokes, black truffle butter, oven-roasted tomatoes and fresh herbs, Italian sugar snap peas amandine, and two Bristol Farms-made chocolate cupcakes. The dinners, fully cooked and ready for reheating, are available at all 15 of the Southern California chain's units.

DOCTORS ENDORSE NUVAL SYSTEM

BRAINTREE, Mass. — NuVal, a nutritional scoring system currently used in more than 500 supermarkets in 18 states, has received official endorsement from The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) here. This marks the first time an independent medical/public health organization with national stature has endorsed a non-federal nutrition guidance system, according to Dr. David Katz, director and co-founder of the Yale Prevention Research Center. Price Chopper, Schenectady, N.Y.; Hy-Vee Stores, West Des Moines, Iowa; and Meijer, Ann Arbor, Mich., are among grocery chains using the NuVal system in all of their stores. United Supermarkets, Lubbock, Texas, is set to launch the system in selected stores in March, and then roll it out to all its stores later in the year. The NuVal system was developed in 2008 by scientists and doctors as part of a joint venture between Topco Associates and Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn.

OBAMA'S ANTI-OBESITY EFFORT PRAISED

WILMINGTON, Del. — The Produce for Better Health Foundation here has applauded first lady Michelle Obama's plans to launch a major initiative to reverse the trend toward obesity in children. “Michelle Obama has called obesity in this country a public health crisis that is threatening our children, our families and our future, and I couldn't agree more,” said Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., president and CEO of PBH. When they attempt to eat a healthier diet, fruits and vegetables are the one area in which most Americans fall short, Pivonka pointed out. PBH works with Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and other partners to reverse the obesity trend by helping parents, schools and communities raise healthy, well-nourished children. The organization's goal is to encourage all Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables.