Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/62387
SPECIALTY FOOD THE NEWS UPDATE FOR SPECIALTY FOOD PROFESSIONALS NEWS CALIFORNIA STORE EARNS TOP GREEN REFRIGERATION CERTIFICATE Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market has received the platinum-level store cer- tification award from EPA's GreenChill Partnership for green refrigeration technol- ogy at its new store in Folsom, Calif. This achievement makes it the second store in California, and one of only four grocery stores in the nation, to achieve the chal- lenging certification. A typical supermar- ket in the U.S. uses approximately 3,500 pounds of refrigerant, while the Folsom Fresh & Easy store uses just 70 pounds, a 98 percent reduction. St. Louis French Cooking School Gets a Food Truck Culinary school L'Ecole Culinaire has launched Le Food Truck in St. Louis. At $5 per entree, the initial menu will include such items as Raspberry Barbecue Pulled Pork with a Sweet Potato Brioche Roll, Duck Confit Quesadillas and Seared Salmon with Parsley Jus. 24-HOUR CUPCAKE MACHINE Sprinkles Cupcakes, Beverly Hills, Calif., has opened a 24-hour cupcake "ATM," an automated machine that sells fresh cupcakes and cupcake mixes, dispensing up to 1,000 cupcakes per day. A new Sprinkles Ice Cream store is also slated to open next door. New Hybrid Market- Restaurant in Pennsylvania Newly opened 5,000-square-foot Merante Brothers Market in Canonsburg, Pa., is divided into three business segments: Caffe 10 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com d'Antonio, a European-style coffee shop; a specialty grocery, offering a deli and gelato bar along with imported and domestic food products; and Cucina di Domenica, an Italian kitchen offering gourmet prepared meals and made-to-order lunches featuring long tables for family-style seating. SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD POLICY FOR BJ'S WHOLESALE BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. has implemented a new sustainable seafood policy. It seeks ® BY ROBYN PFORR RYAN A look at industry happenings, store and restaurant openings, legislative and regulatory updates and more to ensure that all seafood products are identified as sustainable or on track to meet sustainability standards by 2014. Hispanic-Focused Super- market to Open in New Jersey A 16,000-square-foot Fine Fare Super- market, catering primarily to Hispanic con- sumers, will open this spring in East Camden, N.J., a city labeled by the USDA as a food desert. LEGISLATIVE REGULATORY NEWS Act. FDA is not giving a date for the publication of its proposed rules, and the details of its thinking about preventive controls, traceability, high-risk foods, record-keeping and access, importers' responsibility and several other issues are still unknown. A public comment period about record-keeping by businesses and FDA's access to those records is open until late May. NASFT will submit comments on behalf of its members. & USDA Grants for Farmers Markets…USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has about $10 million available to fund its 2012 Farmers Market Promotion Program, which helps to support farmers markets, community-supported agriculture and roadside stands. The program is designed to increase the availability of local agricultural products and to strengthen farmer-to-consumer marketing efforts. Applications and instructions are available at grants.gov. The deadline is May 21, 2012. Revenue-based Financing…A new form of business financing, called pay-as-you-go or revenue-based financing, is gaining ground with some food companies. The financer must be convinced of the potential sales success of the borrower's product because financing will be repaid from the business' monthly earnings. There are benefits and drawbacks to investigate, but this type of financing could offer another means of funding a small business. Marsha Echols, NASFT's legal advisor in Washington, D.C., is available to counsel members. Reach her at 202.625.1451 or echols@marshaechols.com. FSMA Update…The FDA is still working in- house to develop the long-awaited draft reg- ulations to implement most parts of the Food Safety Modernization