State’s Food Stamp Program Gets Bonus Bucks As One Of Nation’s Best
Florida is set to receive $9.1 million from the federal government as a reward for accuracy and speed in administering its food stamp program.
The Florida program, which is run by the Department of Children and Families, was ranked second in the nation behind only Alaska, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports. This is the fifth straight year the Florida program has received bonus dollars from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, amassing a total of $40 million since 2008.
There are 3.4 million food stamp recipients in the state.
BI-LO Recalls Two Southern Home Brand Salad Mixes
BI-LO has announced an immediate Class II voluntary recall of two store brand products, the Southern Home® Bacon Ranch Salad Mix and the Southern Home Creamy Parmesan Salad Mix. According to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the reason for the recall is the potential for the product to contain small metal fragments.
Out of an abundance of caution for customers, BI-LO is immediately recalling the Southern Home Bacon Ranch Salad Mix and Southern Home Creamy Parmesan Salad Mix from shelves in all stores, including those in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee:
BI-LO has received no reports of any issues associated with Southern Home Bacon Ranch Salad Mix or Southern Home Creamy Parmesan Salad Mix consumption.
“We encourage consumers in possession of any of the recalled items to immediately discard the product or bring it back to their local BI-LO,” said Allen Reavis, BI-LO’s VP of grocery. “As part of the company’s Satisfaction Guarantee, customers who have purchased the product may visit their neighborhood store to request a full refund.”
To receive the refund, individuals must present proof of purchase through a receipt or the product packaging label.
Any questions about the recalled products may be answered through BI-LO’s consumer relations number, 1-800-862-9293.
Dole Fresh Vegetables Recalls Some Bagged Salads
Dole Fresh Vegetables is voluntarily recalling 2,598 cases of bagged salad. The product being recalled is Dole Hearts of Romaine coded 0540N165112A or B, with a use-by date of June 26 and UPC 7143000956 due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes. Dole Fresh Vegetables is coordinating closely with regulatory officials. No illnesses have been reported in association with the recall.
The product code and use-by date are in the upper right-hand corner of the package; the UPC code is on the back of the package, below the barcode. The salads were distributed in nine U.S. states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia).
No illnesses have been reported in association with the recall. This precautionary recall notification is being issued due to an isolated instance in which a sample of Dole Hearts of Romaine salad yielded a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes in a random sample test conducted by the FDA.
No other salads are included in the recall. Only the specific product codes, UPC codes and June 26 use-by date identified above are included in the recall. Consumers who have any remaining product with these product codes should not consume it, but rather discard it. Retailers and consumers with questions may call the Dole Food Co. Consumer Response Center at 800-356-3111, which is open 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (Pacific time) Monday-Friday.
Although the product is several days past its use-by date and it is highly unlikely that any product is still available at retail, retailers should check their inventories and store shelves to confirm that none of the product is mistakenly present or available for purchase by consumers or in warehouse inventories. Dole Fresh Vegetables customer service representatives are already contacting retailers and are in the process of confirming that the recalled product is not in the stream of commerce.
Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause foodborne illness in a person who eats a food item contaminated with it. Symptoms of infection may include fever, muscle aches, gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. The illness primarily impacts pregnant women and adults with weakened immune systems. Most healthy adults and children rarely become seriously ill.
Kroger Celebrates Grand Opening of Marketplace in West Knoxville
The new 117,000-s.f. Kroger Marketplace at the Shops at Cedar Bluff in West Knoxville, Tenn., opened Wednesday, bringing an estimated 200 jobs to the Knoxville area. The Marketplace showcases an array of quality products, amenities and services to create a superior one-stop-shopping experience for the west Knoxville community.
Located at 9225 Kingston Pike, the Kroger Marketplace introduces new specialty retail sections, such as Fred Meyers Jewelers; Ashley Furniture; expanded bed and bath items; home decorative goods; office and school supplies; toys; and seasonal items.
The Marketplace also features: Starbucks, Kroger Fuel Center, fresh sushi bar, full-service meat and seafood department, and health and beauty sections.
“The amenities offered by the Kroger Marketplace will provide residents with a variety of new options and a convenient shopping experience,” says Glynn Jenkins, director of communications and public relations for Kroger’s Atlanta Division. “In addition to its convenience, the store will employee 300 Kroger associates, creating 200 new jobs in Knoxville, and we are proud to be a part of this community.”
Grand opening celebrations included appearances from the Bearden High School ensemble and the color guard from the National Reserve in Knoxville.
As local high school students entertained the crowd, the grocer marked its commitment to the Knox County School System with a donation of approximately $45,000 in school supplies to the local Teacher Supply Depot. Kroger also donated $32,000 to the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, as part of its “Bringing Hope to the Table” promotion that focuses on ending hunger in its local communities.
“In my 31 years of service to Kroger, the excitement expressed from the west Knoxville community and Kroger associates as we open this new store surpasses anything I’ve experienced before,” says Denise McDonald, store manager of the Shops at Cedar Bluff Kroger. “We look forward to serving this wonderful community.”
The Shops at Cedar Bluff Marketplace—open 24 hours a day, seven days a week—is the second Marketplace store in the Kroger’s Atlanta Division. The first opened in 2008 in Farragut, Tenn.
Winn-Dixie Recalls Store Brand Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet Dinner
Winn-Dixie has issued an immediate Class II voluntary recall of Winn-Dixie Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet Dinners sold in the 5.8-oz. package with a UPC code of 2114018080, and a sell-by date of May 14, 2013. According to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the reason for the recall is the potential for the product to contain small metal fragments.
Winn-Dixie is immediately recalling the Winn-Dixie Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet Dinner from shelves in all stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
Recalled Winn-Dixie Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet Dinner product was shipped to stores on or after May 14, 2012, and has a sell-by date of May 14, 2013. Winn-Dixie has received no reports of any issues associated with Winn-Dixie Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet Dinner consumption.
“We encourage guests in possession of any of the recalled item to immediately discard the product or bring it back to their store,” said Brian Wright, senior director of Winn-Dixie’s corporate communications. “Guests who have purchased the product may visit their neighborhood Winn-Dixie to request a full refund, no questions asked.”
To receive the refund, guests may present proof of purchase through a receipt or the product packaging label.
Bullard Succeeds Stewart As President Of Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distributing Co.
David Bullard is the new president and CEO of Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distributing Co. (PWADC)following the retirement of the organization’s longtime leader Dennis Stewart on June 1.
Dennis Stewart
Bullard, who has been with Bessemer-based PWADC since December 1996 according to his LinkedIn profile, previously served as the company’s director of human resources and earned an MBA from Auburn University in Montgomery.
Story developing: check back here for more on this story and in the upcoming print edition of The Shelby Report of the Southeast.
Costco to Open in August in Sarasota
A Costco superstore at Sarasota Mall will open in late August., and is expected to bring 200 new jobs to the Sarasota, Fla., area.
The Tampa Bay Business Journal reports that the discount retailer will open in a new 145,000-s.f. building on the mall property. The space was previously home to a Dillard’s, although the building was torn down after the department store left in 2009.
The newly constructed building has an estimated value of $8.7 million, according to news outlets, which received conflicting reports of the exact opening date. The Costco website reports the store will open on Aug. 17 while an earnings report lists Aug. 24.
Kellie Pickler Teams With ConAgra Foods Foundation’s Hunger-Free Summer Program
This summer, country music artist Kellie Pickler joins the fight against child hunger in the United States by serving as the national spokesperson for the ConAgra Foods Foundation Hunger-Free Summer program. The joint effort between the ConAgra Foods Foundation and Feeding America helps provide children with access to nutritious meals, especially in the summer. Pickler will kick off the third year of the program by visiting Nashville’s Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee where she will assist in food fulfillment activities as a volunteer and unveil a downloadable activity booklet that offers families a way to donate meals to Feeding America while teaching children about the issue of hunger. For each booklet downloaded from https://www.facebook.com/ConAgraFoods through Sept. 3, the ConAgra Foods Foundation will donate the monetary equivalent of one meal to Feeding America, up to 500,000 meals this summer. The organization also will donate the monetary equivalent of one meal for every “Share” on Facebook.
During the school year, nearly 21 million children in the United States depend on free or reduced-priced school meals to help keep them from going hungry. Sadly, millions of these same children do not participate in summer meal programs due, in part, to a lack of awareness of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Summer Food Service Program,” which provides children from low-income families with free, nutritious meals during the summer months. The ConAgra Foods Foundation Hunger-Free Summer campaign helps raise awareness and additional meals to support food banks and reach children who would otherwise go hungry when school is out.
“At some point, all of us have encountered hungry children in our own community, but I was shocked to learn that millions of kids may go hungry during the summer,” said Pickler. “That is why I am honored to be working with the ConAgra Foods Foundation and Feeding America to raise awareness of this problem and show there’s help through programs like Hunger-Free Summer.”
Pickler is kicking off this year’s Hunger-Free Summer initiative today, June 26, with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, where she will fill backpacks alongside local volunteers. In addition, she will launch “The Hunger Avengers” downloadable activity booklet, created by the ConAgra Foods Foundation, which tells the story of a band of kids who fight the menacing Hunger Monster. The activity booklet is designed to bring families together to better understand the hidden issue of child hunger in America, in a way that’s approachable, as well as provide a turnkey way for consumers to get involved in the campaign.
The goal of the Hunger-Free Summer campaign is to help participating Feeding America network food banks serve an additional one million meals through its unique and innovative, community-based programs. This summer, 23 food banks in 15 states have received grants from Feeding America, thanks to $5 million in funding provided by the ConAgra Foods Foundation.
“Summer is supposed to be an exciting time for children,” said Ann Rindone, director of cause and foundation at ConAgra Foods. “But, for millions of children in the United States, summer can be an uncertain time. It can mean there aren’t meals on the table or food in their bellies. This is why the Hunger-Free Summer program was developed, and we’re proud that, since its launch, the program has provided more than one million meals to these children in need.”
As Feeding America’s Leadership Partner in the fight to end child hunger, ConAgra Foods and the ConAgra Foods Foundation have collectively donated more than 290 million pounds of food and invested more than $37 million dollars to combat child hunger since 1993. The foundation, the philanthropic organization primarily funded by ConAgra Foods, is in the midst of a $10 million, five-year commitment to Feeding America, the largest donation ever made to Feeding America specifically to fight child hunger.
