Newswire
Three servings of dairy a day are recommended as part of the new federal dietary guidelines, released by the USDA shortly before press time. More details will follow next month.
The Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has issued a temporary permit to Le Mars, Iowa-based Wells’
Dairy Inc., to test market cottage cheese that deviates from the U.S.
standard of identity for the product by using fluid ultrafiltered (UF) skim
milk. The UF milk will be declared in the ingredient statement as
“ultrafiltered skim milk.” The test product meets all other
requirements of the standard. The temporary permit will allow the company
to measure consumer acceptance and manufacturing concerns, and assess
commercial feasibility.
In other Wells’ Dairy news, the company and
Minneapolis-based Kemps LLC have settled a legal battle over the names
of the companies’ nonfat yogurt products. A federal lawsuit claimed
Kemps Light 80 yogurt infringed on the trademarked name for Wells’
nonfat yogurt, Lite 85. Wells’ also took issue with Kemps’
claim that its Light 80 was the lowest-calorie, 6-ounce product on the
market.
The American Dairy
Products Institute (ADPI) has invited the submission of nominees for
its Award of Merit in 2005. The award was established in 1991 to recognize
individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the dairy products
industry in fields such as processed dairy products, equipment, technology
and domestic and international marketing and/or product promotion. The
winner of this year’s award will be honored at the 2005 Annual
Conference of the American Dairy Products Institute and American Butter
Institute, May 1 to 3 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago. For more
information, visit www.adpi.org.
Toronto-based CoolBrands
International Inc. has announced plans to acquire Northfield,
Ill.-based Kraft Foods Inc.’s yogurt business for about $59 million.
The purchase, to be made by CoolBrands’ wholly owned subsidiary
Integrated Brands Inc., includes the licensing for the Breyers,
Crème Savers and Light ‘n Lively brands — products that
had a combined 2004 net revenue of $90 million. The deal also
includes Kraft’s yogurt processing facility in North Lawrence, N.Y.
The transaction, subject to regulatory approval, is expected to be
completed in the first quarter of 2005.
New York, N.Y.-based Lactalis
American Group Inc. has acquired Merrill, Wis.-based Rondelé
Specialty Foods. The Rondelé line of gourmet spreadable cheeses
joins the Lactalis USA line of specialty cheeses, including President brie,
camembert and feta. Lactalis USA is a subsidiary of France-based Groupe
Lactalis. As the retail specialty cheese division of Lactalis American
Group, Lactalis USA markets cheeses through its domestic and import
divisions. The domestic division markets President-branded cheeses from the
company’s Belmont, Wis., and Turlock, Calif., plants.
Dreyer’s Grand Ice
Cream Holdings Inc. Oakland, Calif., will triple the capacity of its
Laurel, Md., frozen novelty processing facility with a $180 million
expansion project that broke ground in November. Due for completion in
2007, the expansion will add nearly 600,000 square feet of production and
warehouse space, 10 frozen snack production lines and two packaged ice
cream lines. Also, a 200,000-square-foot ice cream warehouse will hold up
to 23,000 pallets of ice cream and frozen snacks to serve the eastern half
of the United States.
Tillamook County Creamery
Association (TCCA), Tillamook, Ore., has approved a $50 million
expansion plan that will nearly triple the capacity of its Boardman, Ore.,
facility upon the project’s completion in 2006. The company plans to
add 65,000 square feet to the existing 85,000-square-foot Columbia River
Processing Inc. plant, which opened in 2001 and makes medium-sharp cheddar,
Monterey jack, pepper jack, colby jack and mozzarella.
Arden Hills, Minn.-based Land
O’Lakes Inc., has announced that its president and chief executive
officer, Jack Gherty, will retire from the company at the end of 2005.
Gherty has contributed significantly to Land O’Lakes overall sales
growth and guided the company through many profitable acquisitions.
$OMN_arttitle="Newswire";?>