Retail & FoodService

Farmington Fresh, a leading supplier of fresh cut apples, recently inked a deal with Tajin International Corp. for a cross-merchandising opportunity to include single serve Tajin packs with single serve packs of fresh cut fruit for foodservice. …

Only five years ago, California enacted a pioneering law that required restaurants to put nutritional information on menus. For the first time, consumers were empowered to make informed decisions about what they ate. …

As distinctions between restaurants and retailers increasingly blur, foodservice suppliers and operators must increase their understanding of the needs, behaviors and attitudes of consumers sourcing ready-to-eat meals, regardless of the channel. To support these efforts, Technomic's online Consumer Brand Metrics (CBM) restaurant brand tracking tool has expanded to include ongoing consumer assessments and performance ratings for more than 40 retail chain brands. …

Driven by stronger same-store sales and customer traffic and a more optimistic outlook among restaurant operators, the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) rose to a 10-month high in March. The RPI – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry – stood at 101.4 in March, up 0.9 percent from February's level of 100.5. In addition, the RPI remained above 100 for the 13th consecutive month, which signifies expansion in the index of key industry indicators. …

McDonald's Corp. is setting new bars for everything from how it sources food to how much healthy food it serves as it tries to do a better job of connecting with socially conscious customers. …