Report: Private labels continue to thrive
Food Product Design
During the past 20 years, private label food products have grown steadily in sales and often directly compete for market share with national brands, which results in lower prices and increased product choices for consumers, according to a new report released by USDA's Economic Research Service.More

Groceries hire companies to score foods' nutritional value
USA Today
Walk into one of 143 King Soopers supermarkets in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, and you'll find nutritional rating numbers on the shelves, right next to the prices. Since October, the grocery store chain, a division of Kroger, has included nutrition ratings by NuVal, one of the nation's largest rating companies.More

New Hampshire voters make their choice after long campaign
The Washington Post
New Hampshire voters are notoriously independent, engaged and awfully flirty, kicking the tires of candidate after candidate before finally making a decision. They reserve their right to change their minds until the very last minute; some 25 percent remained undecided headed into primary day, a fact that rankled morning radio hosts. More

Obama fundraising picks up steam as 2012 campaign looms
The Washington Post
White House aides continue to insist President Barack Obama isn't campaigning yet. But this week, he is attending at least five fundraisers. More

Obamney's indie blues
POLITICO
Barack Obama is supposed to be the guy who can't win independent voters in 2012. But a funny thing happened on the way to Mitt Romney's hoped-for coronation as king of the indies, the man who can lure the all-important swing voters from Obama. More

Huntsman looks for the independent vote
USA Today
Jon Huntsman says he may not win the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, but he hopes to prove how he can win in November. The key: independent voters who are eligible to vote in today's Republican contest.More

FDA hails 'significant progress' under year-old food safety law
Food Navigator-USA
The Food and Drug Administration claims it has made significant progress with regulatory developments related to the Food Safety Modernization Act since the bill was signed into law a year ago, according to its one-year progress report.

Editor's note: The American Frozen Food Institute is organizing a series of instructional food safety webinars with leading experts to examine topics and issues related to implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act. The next webinar takes place Feb. 8. To register, or for more information, please click here. More

NLRB swears in 3 new members
The Wall Street Journal
The National Labor Relations Board swore in three new members Monday amid continued wrangling over the legality of their appointments and the direction of the agency's agenda.More

Obama panel to watch Beijing
The Wall Street Journal
President Barack Obama plans to create a U.S. government task force designed to monitor China for possible trade and other commercial violations as part of a larger White House effort to get more assertive with Beijing during this election year, people familiar with the matter said.More

China import growth slide deepens global growth risk
Bloomberg via The Washington Post
China's import growth fell to a two-year low in December, underscoring a slowdown in the fastest-growing major economy that deepens risks for the global outlook.More

Department of Transportation marks $1.6 billion for repairs
Truckinginfo
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood announced Monday that almost $1.6 billion in funding will go toward the repair of U.S. roads and bridges that were damaged by natural disasters.More

Raw chicken study to get underway
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
The Food Safety and Inspection Service soon will begin collecting samples from poultry slaughter facilities as part of a study of raw chicken processing. FSIS expects to establish pathogen reduction performance standards for chicken parts based on the results of this survey.More

Farm bill roundtable highlights budget woes
Agweek
Agricultural leaders are worried the safety net for farm income will be trampled by federal budget warriors in what one official described a "sprint that has turned into a marathon" in the political effort to replace the 2008 farm bill.More

Court rules for genetically modified seed
UPI
A federal judge has dismissed the Center for Food Safety's claims the U.S. government broke the law by completely deregulating a company's genetically engineered alfalfa seeds. More

FDA steps up testing for fungicide in orange juice
The Associated Press via USA Today
The Food and Drug Administration says it will step up testing for a fungicide that has been found in low levels in orange juice.More

New York City offers supersized warnings about food, diet
The New York Times
The latest ads from New York City's health department warning against the dangers of sodas and fast food may not be as arresting as its previous public service admonitions, but they are not too subtle.More

India loosens rules on some foreign retailers
The Associated Press via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Indian government formally agreed Tuesday to allow foreign companies to own 100 percent of stores dedicated to selling products under a single brand name.More

Canadians want food laws to combat obesity
Ottawa Citizen
Canadians believe obesity is by far the most important health issue facing children and youth. And they want the federal government to do much more to help them deal with it, says a survey done for the Public Health Agency of Canada.More

Orange juice futures surge
The Wall Street Journal
Futures of frozen orange juice concentrate in New York surged on concerns that the presence of the fungicide could crimp supplies. More

Kraft names leadership teams for snacks, grocery businesses
Chicago Tribune
Irene Rosenfeld will stay on as chairman and CEO of Kraft Foods' global snacks company, and Tony Vernon will serve as CEO of the North American grocery business when Kraft Foods splits later this year, the company announced Monday in a regulatory filing.More

Children prefer more choices, colors on their plates
Chronicle Online
Children are most attracted to food plates with seven different items and six different colors. Adults, on the other hand, tend to prefer only three items and three colors, reports a new Cornell study.More

US report: Russian food processing recovery offers 'ample' foreign investment opportunities
Food Production Daily
Increasing disposable income and growing food expenditure are helping to creating an opening for foreign investment in the Russian food processing sector, according to a U.S. government report. More

AiroCide story: NASA contributes to food safety
Fresh Plaza
NASA has developed a unique air sanitation technology that will support becoming more compliant with food safety preventive controls.More

Listeria-busting discovery could adapt for processing plants
Food Production Daily
Scientists from Cornell University have discovered a compound that stops Listeria from transforming itself from a harmless microbe into a potentially lethal human pathogen. The breakthrough could lead to innovations in food processing plants.More

McDonald's, International Olympic Committee to renew contract
Bettor.com
The marketing chief of the International Olympic Committee recently said the fast food chain McDonald's will be signing a deal with the IOC to extend its sponsorship agreement.More

Scientist: Probiotics pill could prevent foodborne illness
Purdue University News Service
Modified probiotics, the beneficial bacteria touted for their role in digestive health, one day could decrease the risk of Listeria infection in people with susceptible immune systems, according to Purdue University research.More

Meat pie company to double staff, boost output by factor of 50
Buffalo News
The English Pork Pie Co., which had been on the verge of moving to Ohio, is staying in New York's Buffalo-Niagara region as it expands, looking to double its workforce within two years while new equipment is expected to lead to 50 times more production.More

Global warming boosts China's corn production
CO2 Science
An analysis of crop yields and climatological data in northeast China — which produces almost 30 percent of the nation's corn — shows rising temperatures likely will lead to longer growing seasons and higher production.More

Study: Refined grain consumption poses no health risk
Food Navigator
Consuming up to 50 percent of all grain foods as refined grains will not lead to any increased disease risk, according to a study reviewing all relevant literature from the Noughties. More

Australia: Beefing up new markets
ABC Rural
Demand for Australian beef in emerging markets has made up for a slump in sales to the country's two biggest markets, Japan and the U.S.More