Politics Rule The Roost As Another FDA Official Resigns
The director of the FDA’s Office of Women’s Health, Susan Wood, resigned Wednesday over the agency’s decision to postpone indefinitely a ruling on whether to allow the sale of the morning-after pill to be sold without a prescription. The pill, used as an emergency contraceptive device, was deemed safe and recommended for OTC sale, by […]
UNFI Posts Huge Growth for Fourth Quarter
United Natural Foods released strong figures for the fourth quarter that leaving analysts and others yelling the equivalent of “VA va va voom, baby, shake it!” UNFI sales increased 22% for the quarter and 23% for the fiscal year, with yearly earnings of $41.6. on over $2 billion in sales. UNFI cited increased sales from […]
Where Art Thou Cap’n Crunch?
In an announcement nearly as surprising as the fact that Starbuck’s opened a new store up this week, the Quaker Oats Company announced the results of a company sponsored study. Tufts University psychologists found that boys and girls did better on tests when they ate oatmeal than when they ate Cap’n Crunch. Furthermore the study […]
Feds Reverse Ban on Use of USDA Organic Seal—Let Them Eat Soap
The USDA announced that it would reverse a rule prohibiting the use of the USDA Organic seal on body care, pet food and all other non-food items. Last April the Agency decided that only food items could use the USDA seal. Previous to that, under advisory rulings the agency had allowed organic claims for non-food […]
Wild Oats Unveils Second Store in Stop & Shop NBN’s Mother Ship Sent to Investigate
While the new Wild Oats lifestyle boutique that is celebrating its grand opening today isn’t in my mother’s Stop & Shop store, it is in one just a few more miles from her house. The conversation below took place this morning: “Mom, I need you to be a stringer, to do some research for me.” […]
Hain At It Again-Spectrum Latest Acquisition By Ever Hungry Irwin Simon
Hain At It Again-Spectrum Latest Acquisition By Ever Hungry Irwin Simon The ever acquisition hungry Hain Food Group, led by our industry’s own Little Caesar, Irwin Simon, is reported to have reached terms to purchase Petaluma, California based Spectrum Organic Products for approximately $34.5 million, or 70 cents a share, about 5% over Spectrum’s current […]
Expo A No Go As More and More Vendors Just Say No to Expo East
We’ve heard from more and more names in the industry that Expo East is a waste of time and money. Promotion based deals don’t need to be done at the show, we’re told, and more importantly, the general feeling among many is that the cost for everything at the two Natural Products Expo are rising […]
Organic Valley Steps Up Beyond the Horizon
Fund Created to Assist Conventional Dairies Transition Organic Valley announced last week the creation of a transition fund to support conventional dairy farmers facing the challenging and initially costly steps in becoming certified organic. OV’s transition fund, created in partnership with Stonyfield Farm, will pay farmers a premium above the market rate cost of their […]
NBTY Revisits the Past In Effort To Bolster Solgar, Rand Skolnick To Consult
Good news for those concerned that new owners, Nature’s Bounty might muck up 58 years of quality. NBN has heard from our good friend, San Francisco natural foods retail pioneer, Rob Mitchell, that Nature’s Bounty has hired former President, and son of the Solgar’s founder, Rand Skolnick to serve as a consultant. While Skolnick’s tenure […]
Is Wild Oats All Mixed Up? Conventional Products To Be Added To Shelves
Wild Oats recent decision to add conventional food, household and OTC items to its product mix is a little bit like the girl who put her thumb in the dike. It always feels good to be doing something but it doesn’t necessarily solve the problem at hand. While we understand that the Oats insiders rightly […]