Briefs.

Florida Crop Estimate Remains About the Same

Except for boosting the Florida tangerine estimate by 300,000 boxes, federal forecasters left the Florida crop forecast unchanged for January, said Florida Citrus Mutual Executive Vice President Andy LaVigne recently.

However, U.S.

Department of Agriculture forecasters estimated that California's Christmas week freeze would reduce that state's total orange crop by 39% to 38 million boxes, the first official estimate of the damage caused by last month's cold weather. That translates into a 44% decline to 19 million boxes for Navel oranges and a 32% reduction to 19 million boxes for Valencia oranges.

Though Florida's frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ) yield estimate remained unchanged at 1.57 gallons per 90-pound box of oranges, Florida processors are expected to pack 2.7% less or 164.5 million gallons of FCOJ vs. 169.1 million gallons of FCOJ in an earlier estimate, according to a Mutual calculation. More Florida oranges are expected to be used for the fresh market and for chilled juice than originally anticipated.

"The void left by the freeze in California will mean an increase in demand for fresh Florida oranges until the end of our season in June," said LaVigne. "The California citrus industry is still evaluating how much fruit will be salvaged and how much will be used for juice so it's difficult to say how Florida's orange juice market will be impacted right now."

Meanwhile, Florida's total orange crop forecast remained unchanged at 190 million boxes. A reduction of 400,000 boxes in the state's early-mid-season orange crop estimate was offset by a gain of 400,000 boxes in the state's Navel orange crop forecast.

The state's grapefruit crop stayed the same at 50 million boxes.

The Florida tangerine estimate rose to 4.5 million boxes. The Temple, tangelo and K-Early forecasts remained the same at 2 million, 2.5 million and 60,000 boxes, respectively. Lakeland-based Florida Citrus Mutual is the state's largest citrus growers' organization with nearly 12,000 members.

For more information, contact Andy LaVigne or Lisa Backman at 941-682-1111.

ConAgra Frozen Foods Appoints Two In Sales Department

ConAgra Frozen Foods has named Kevin Little to the newly created position of Vice President, Business Development and Steven Mull to Vice President, Eastern Sales Division. Both will report to David Britt, Vice President Retail Sales.

Little will have responsibility for sales systems/operations, sales training, customer development and sales planning/communication.

Mull comes to ConAgra with a 20 year sales background beginning with Quaker Oats Company in 1978. In his new position he will be responsible for all sales activities in the eastern division.

Total Logistic Control Is Cool With Beatrice Cheese

Food Processor Gains Efficiency Through TLC's Rochelle Pool Distribution Program

Officials at Total Logistic Control (TLC), a provider of third party logistics, have announced that the company has added Beatrice Cheese, Waukesha, Wisconsin to its growing list of national logistics clients.

TLC was selected for its unique ability to consolidate chilled products for more efficient transportation, warehousing and administration across multiple product lines. Chilled products require a greater degree of handling precision than frozen or dry products, due to the narrow temperature window and shorter cycle times.

TLC is consolidating a variety of Beatrice brands, including ReddiWip, Healthy Choice and Treasure Cave, from remote manufacturing facilities. The company's 14,000,000 cu. ft. Rochelle, Illinois Logistics Center is the consolidation center. TLC's refrigerated truck fleet assists with inbound and outbound transportation.

TLC is the nation's only third party provider offering a full array of logistics services, warehousing, trucking, freight forwarding and carrier management across all temperature ranges, both dry and refrigerated-frozen. The company was recently cited as a Top Ten Provider of Logistics Excellence.

For further information call Brian Fox at 1800-333-5599.

Sales `Dream Team'

Theresa Alterbaum and Mark Smith have joined Total Logistic Control, L.L.C. (TLC) as Directors of Sales. Alterbaum brings to the company a proven track record in business development, spanning 17 years of progressive responsibility in the food, healthcare and electronics segments of the logistics industry.

Mark Smith brings to Total Logistic Control nearly 20 years of sales and marketing experience in the grocery industry, working with retailers, wholesalers and private label manufacturers throughout the United States.

Brain Fox, TLC Vice President of Sales and Marketing commented, "Both Theresa and Mark bring to our sales team a tremendous level of expertise in industry segments that we have identified as key areas of growth for Total Logistic Control. I am confident that our new dream team will help build even greater success for TLC and our clients."

Joint Venture

Hormel Foods International Corporation (HFIC), Austin, MN, has announced a joint venture with Pure Foods Corporation, a major consumer foods company based in Manila, Philippines.

The joint venture, effective Dec. 26, 1998, will be known as The Purefoods-Hormel Company. It will produce and market a variety of canned foods and refrigerated meats under both the Pure Foods and Hormel brands. The processed meat division of Pure Foods will be spun off to the new enterprise, with Pure Foods retaining 60% ownership and HFIC owning the 40% balance.

"Expanding our successful relationship with Pure Foods will enable us to increase our branded food business in the Philippines and Southeast Asia," said V. Allan Krejci, director of public relations for Hormel Foods.

The agreement was signed by Ronald W. Fielding, HFIC president, and Renato R. Montemayor, president of Pure Foods Corporation.

Geneva Distribution Center

Millard Refrigerated Services announces it is opening its first addition of its Geneva distribution center. The 160,000 square foot addition to Geneva expands the facility to 320,000 square feet with over 9.5 million cubic feet. With the completion of this phase, Millard has over 600,000 square feet of distribution space in the Chicago area with the buildout capability of 1.1 million cubic feet.

The Geneva distribution center provides coverage for the midwest United States and is one of the cornerstones of Millard's national network of distribution centers. The network is designed to meet the demands of major markets served by national retail and foodservice companies throughout the United States.

Including its facilities currently under construction, Millard operates 24 refrigerated warehouse, distribution, and processing facilities throughout the United States. These facilities account for over 165 million cubic feet.

For information call Tom Dolfay at 402-896-6600.

December Crop Estimate Remains Unchanged

Federal forecasters didn't change their original estimate for Florida's citrus crop for the 1998-99 season when they released the December forecast recently.

Florida growers are still expected to harvest 190 million boxes of oranges, 22% lower than the 244 million boxes they picked last season, and 50 million boxes of grapefruit, slightly higher than the 49.55 million boxes they harvested last season.

"Even with the unique weather challenges we have experienced this season, it's not a surprise that U.S. Department of Agriculture officials didn't change the estimate. They have only changed the December forecast three times in the last 20 years," said Florida Citrus Mutual Executive Vice President Andy LaVigne. "The 1998-99 season got off to a good start and continues to progress well despite a delay in harvesting caused by fruit that has been slow to size up because of the wet and dry weather extremes we've been experiencing this year with El Nino and La Nina."

The estimate stayed the same at 107.5 million boxes for early-midseason oranges and 4.5 million boxes for Navel oranges. It didn't change for seedless grapefruit at 31.5 million boxes for colored varieties and 18 million boxes for white varieties. Oranges are measured in 90-pound boxes and grapefruit in 85-pound boxes.

Florida's frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ) yield remained unchanged at 1.57 gallons per 90-pound box of oranges. Mutual still expects Florida processors to pack 174 million gallons of FCOJ, which is unchanged from the October estimated level.

The specialty citrus forecast stayed the same at 4.2 million boxes of tangerines, 2.5 million boxes of tangelos, 2 million boxes of Temples and 60,000 boxes of K-Earlies.

Lakeland-based Florida Citrus Mutual is the state's largest citrus growers' organization with nearly 12,000 members.

For more information, contact Andy La Vigne or Lisa Backman at 941-682-1111.

Luigino's Acquires `Howlin Coyote' Brand; Plans Southwestern Cuisine Expansion

Luigino's, Inc., which built its Michelina's[R] brand of frozen entrees to international prominence on a reputation of quality, taste and value, has announced the purchase of the "Howlin' Coyote" brand and plans to expand its frozen chili and shelf-stable salsa offerings to a broader range of quality Southwestern cuisine. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Announcing the acquisition, Luigino's Chairman/CEO Jeno F. Paulucci said "the Howlin' Coyote brand has established a strong quality identity and has achieved good progress in its early years. Market trends indicate a significant opportunity to expand the product line and we plan to specialize in Southwestern cuisine under that name. This acquisition is part of our five-year plan to more than double the Luigino's presence in the frozen foods industry by meeting consumer demands in this microwave age," Paulucci said. "Other acquisitions are being investigated."

Thermo King Container Division Has Largest Sales Year On Record

Thermo King Corporation announces its largest container refrigeration unit sales year on record. Recent orders from Costa Container Lines, Crowley, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk Line, Naverias Puerto Rico (NPR), Inc. and Sea-Land Services, and have helped Thermo King's Container Division double its sales in the last two years.

"Sales this year have been exceptional. We are very pleased that our customers continue to see the benefits our container units can bring to their bottom line," said Bob Johnson, Thermo King vice president, managing director, container division. "Our customers continue to choose Thermo King units because of their superior temperature control, energy savings and low maintenance and repair costs. Not to mention, Thermo King's extensive worldwide dealer organization."

Ecolab and BOC Gases Announce Strategic Alliance

Plans improve food safety by controlling microbial growth In recycled process water

Ecolab Food & Beverage Division and BOC Gases, Murray Hill, N.J., have announced a strategic alliance designed to bring unique complementary new technologies to the poultry industry with the objective of enhancing producers' food safety initiatives. These technologies combine process water management and reuse, as well as microbial control, throughout each facility. This move furthers both companies' efforts to promote food safety in the poultry industry.

BOC Gases' Macron[TM] Loop system filters water used in poultry processing chiller baths and other plant operations, such as scalding and evisceration. Ozone, generated by BOC's on-site ozone system, and Ecolab's antimicrobials, such as chlorine dioxide, are used to disinfect the water.

"BOC Gases has specific expertise in process water reuse and treatment with the patented Macron Loop System," says Denny Smithyman, BOC Gases Vice President, Food Markets. "This system disinfects process water to allow for maximum water reuse and create a better environment for Ecolab's antimicrobial treatments to function."

"This alliance is another step forward in our efforts to help processors ensure their product safety," says Tom Arata, Ecolab Vice President, Marketing. "Our alliance addresses the key food safety intervention steps: sanitation, antimicrobials, temperature control and extensive water washing through process water reuse and treatment."

For information call 651-293-2549 or 612-831-9080.

The Western Rail Crisis: One Year Later

Rail service in the western U.S. appears to have improved substantially following a series of service failures which snarled traffic beginning in the summer of 1997. Steps taken by Union Pacific Railroad in response to last year's crisis, although slowing recovery in the short term, will add to overall rail capacity in the region for many years to come. Recent improvements should allow carriers to handle the 1998 grain and soybean harvest, which promises to be the largest in history.

Bumper crops of grain and soybeans have combined with large carryin stocks to push grain storage capacity beyond its limits in many regions, but this fall's ground piles of grain are not the result of transportation snags. The large crops, worldwide economic problems, and increased competition have reduced demand for U.S. grain, particularly at Pacific Northwest ports.

Tree Top and Seneca Move Toward Acquisition Agreement

Tree Top, Inc. has entered into an agreement with Seneca Foods Corporation to purchase Seneca's processing facility in Prosser, WA. Also included in the intended purchase is Seneca's non-branded specialty fruit concentrates business and the exclusive license to Tree Top of the Seneca brand for all applesauce products.

Target date to finalize the acquisition was January 31. The parties did not disclose the purchase price. The transaction is subject to due diligence and regulatory approval. Until the acquisition is final, Tree Top has arranged with Seneca to toll process member tonnage generated by this year's large crop.

"The acquisition comes at a time when the volume of processing apples is at a near-record high," Tom Stokes, Tree Top's chief operating officer, stated. "This move will assist Tree Top in accommodating the continued large volume of member tons projected for the future."

McCain Sales Top $5 Billion

The McCain Group of companies has posted a $1 billion, 23% increase in international consolidated sales, registering $5.1 billion in sales for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1998.

The sales figures are, in part, a reflection of the successful integration of the Ore-Ida foodservice business purchased by McCain Foods in the United States more than a year ago for $500 million (US). The increase in international consolidated sales represents an annualized 30 year compound growth rate of more than 19%.

Total consolidated assets of the McCain Group at the end of the 1998 fiscal year stood at $3.5 billion.

The McCain Group includes more than 55 manufacturing operations in 11 countries on four continents, including a plant under construction near Wroclaw Poland. A new plant has recently been announced for southern Alberta in Canada, as well as a $70.8 million (US) expansion in Easton, ME.

McCain Foods is the world's largest processor of French fried potatoes and also produces potato specialties, green vegetables, des-serts, pizzas, juices and beverages, oven meals, entrees and other food products. McCain subsidiaries include companies engaged in transportation services and equipment manufacturing.

Matador Gives Awards

Matador Processors, Inc. is an Oklahoma based Mexican food processing company. Along with many Mexican specialty items, Matador is the proud creator of the only patented Chile Relleno (Stuffed Anaheim Pepper). Over one billion have been manufactured and distributed nationwide in Matadors 23 years of business.

Each year, Betty Wood, President of Matador, has a Christmas banquet to introduce new employees and give awards to outstanding employees. The following is a list of these employees and their awards.

Penny Dickenson-3 year Anniversary, Rick Clark-5 year Anniversary, Beth Fowler-5 year Anniversary, Brenda Putney-5 year Anniversary, Debbie Funderburk-10 Year Anniversary, Rena McHugh-Perfect attendance award, Nora Welchel-Employee of the year, $100.

For further information on Matador's Mexican specialty items, call Betty Wood at 1-800-

Merchants Terminal Joins The World Group

In November, Merchants Terminal Corp., Baltimore, MD, with a total of more than 12 million cubic feet of space in three facilities, strengthened The World Group customers service offerings in the middle Atlantic area.

"We have successfully evolved over 71 years by providing exceptional customer service," says Merchants President Roy L. Johnson.

"We see membership in The World Group as another way to provide service."

BOC Gases Spiral Freezers Offer Food Processors Versatility and Capacity

Food processors, especially those who freeze larger products such as value added poultry products, cooked meat products, and cookie dough, have found BOC Gases cryogenic spiral freezers to be effective in handling their processing requirements.

"Designed for flexibility, our high-performance spiral freezers offer reliability, simple operation, easy maintenance and large freezing capacity in a compact unit that integrates easily into a customer's process," said Bill Baker, Director, Food Industry Marketing, BOC Gases. "Food processors worldwide use BOC Gases spiral freezers for freezing meat, seafood, poultry, fruits, vegetables, baked goods and specialty products. Foods are frozen at their peak of flavor, texture and appearance. The low temperature cryogenic freezing process significantly reduces dehydration losses attributed with mechanical freezers which operate at much higher temperatures."

BOC Gases spiral freezers are available in sizes ranging from compact (8'4"x12") to high production (20'x20') models. All are built to USDA standards using 304 stainless steel construction.

For information circle reader reply #156.

ConAgra Frozen Foods Appoints Two In Sales Department

ConAgra Frozen Foods has named Kevin Little to the newly created position of Vice President, Business Development and Steven Mull to Vice President, Eastern Sales Division. Both will report to David Britt, Vice President Retail Sales.

Little will have responsibility for sales systems/operations, sales training, customer development and sales planning/communication.

Mull comes to ConAgra with a 20 year sales background beginning with Quaker Oats Company in 1978. In his new position he will be responsible for all sales activities in the eastern division.

1998 Crystal Apple Award Winners

The National Frozen Food Association (NFFA) has announced the winners in the 1998 Cool Food For Kids Crystal Apple Awards competition, according to Nevin M. Montgomery, NFFA president. Twelve Crystal Apple winners were selected during the judging earlier this month.

The 1998 Crystal Apple Award winners are:

Brokers:

Advantage Sales & Marketing Portland, Portland, OR.

Co-Sales Company, Phoenix, AZ.

Kelley-Clarke, Cameron Park, CA.

Foodservice Operator:

Sherwood Forest Elementary School, Norfolk, VA.

Local Associations:

Frozen Food Council of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC.

Frozen Food Council of Northern California, San Ramon, CA.

Frozen Food Council of Oregon and Southwest Washington, Tualatin, OR.

North Florida Frozen Food Association, Jacksonville, FL.

Retailers:

Albertson's Southwest Division, Tolleson, AZ.

Harris Teeter, Inc., Matthews, NC.

Winn-Dixie Charlotte, Charlotte, NC.

Winn-Dixie Orlando, Orlando, FL.

Entries were required to follow specific criteria, and were submitted to NFFA headquarters for judging no later than Dec. 31, 1998. Days before the deadline, numerous colorful and creative entries were received at NFFA headquarters, each showing various Kool Food For Kids theme activities, special tie-ins, employee involvement, community involvement, ad coverage, special displays and educational activities.

Agrilink Foods Acquires Erin's Gourmet Popcorn

Agrilink Foods, Inc., Rochester, NY, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pro-Fac Cooperative (Nasdaq: PFACP, has announced that it has acquired the assets Erin's Gourmet Popcorn, a Seattle-based ready-to-eat popcorn manufacturer.

Erin's, a regional brand distributed in the Greater Seattle area, has annual sale of $500,000. Agrilink purchased it from owner Mic Mayer. The business will be merged to Agrilink's Auburn, WA snack company, Tim's Cascade Chips. Terms were not announced.

Agrilink has been in an acquisition mode recently, including its largest acquisition in September, 1998, of the Dean Foods Vegetable Company, which effectively doubled the size of the company. Included in that transaction was the national Bird's Eye brand.

Agrilink Foods processes and markets a variety of product lines of branded, private label and foodservice products in facilities located throughout the United States. Pro-Fac Cooperative, an agricultural marketing cooperative which consists of more than 600 members, processes fruits, vegetables and popcorn through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Agrilink Foods (www.agrilinkfoods.com).

Merkert American Corporation Acquires Sell, Inc.

Merkert American Corporation (NASDAQ: MERK), a leading food broker in the United States, has acquired Sell, Inc. ("Sell"). The consideration paid was in the form of cash and notes. Sell, a full-service food brokerage firm, operates in the Midwest region of the United States with offices in Cincinnati (headquarters) and Columbus, OH; Louisville, KY; and Evansville, IN. Sell has operated under an alliance known as "The Sell Group" with affiliates located throughout the Midwest.

Gerald R. Leonard, Chairman and CEO of Merkert American, stated, "The acquisition of Sell establishes an additional link in our geographical retail coverage and we believe it enhances our access to The Kroger Company, one of the largest food retail chains in the United States, also headquartered in Cincinnati.

Merkert American, based in Canton, MA, provides outsourced sales, marketing and merchandising services to manufacturers of food and other consumer products.

Thermo King Launches www.thermoking.com

Thermo King Corporation announces the launch of www.thermoking.com, a web site featuring a comprehensive Thermo King dealer directory, the latest in product information and company career opportunities.

Site visitors can access seven different regions on the web site including Dealers; Extranet (a secured area devoted to dealers); Products; Features (company newsletter stories); About Us (a detailed company history); Contact Us and Career Opportunities.

"Before developing our web site, it was important for us to understand exactly what information would be helpful to our customers," explains Paul Vierow, Thermo King's Director of Worldwide Dealer Systems. "We wanted our web site to provide a value added service to our customers - something that would offer useful information at the touch of a button, rather than only a forum for showcasing our products. That's where features like our dealer directory for customers and our Extranet region for dealers, really become helpful."

The Dealer region allows visitors to simply point and click on a geographical location for a directory of dealer addresses, telephone numbers and hours of operation, making buying a new Thermo King equipment and servicing and maintaining existing units even easier than before.

For information call Michael Komar at 612-887-2532.

Bigger Just Got Better

More than 100 local business representatives and employees attended the opening of CS Integrated LLC's new Lancaster addition during ribbon-cutting ceremonies on December 11. The festive event celebrated the official opening of the newly expanded 7 million cu. ft. distribution center.

"There are two immediate upsides to our expansion," said Greg Minnich, CSI-Lancaster general manager. "We are better able to serve local area ice cream and food processing manufacturers, and we are opening new jobs for area residents."

The multi-million dollar project on Hempland Road, in Mountville, Pa., was completed in six months. This facility with 27,000 pallet positions provides refrigerated and frozen warehouse storage space and consolidated frozen and refrigerated logistics utilizing CSI's equipment from Maine to Virginia. Truckload and LTL service can also be arranged coast-to-coast. In addition blast freezing is available to serve food processors and manufacturers, with a daily capacity of 120 tons per day. Other value-added services include, but are not limited to cross-docking, 24-hour Loading/Unloading, Re-Packing, Case Picking, Product Tempering, as well as being an approved facility for poultry export to Russia. Railcar siding, capable of accommodating Cryogenic railcars was built with the help of a $100,000 grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, providing an additional value-added service. Further information may be obtained by calling the site direct at 717-285-4444.

CS Integrated, LLC (CSI), of Secaucus, N.J., is one of the nation's largest networks of refrigerated warehousing and distribution centers with 25 facilities throughout the United States, totaling 114.6 million cubic feet.

J&J Soft Pretzel Brands Win `Best of Show' At the American Tasting Institute Awards

Soft pretzel products sweep awards of excellence

J&J Snack Foods Corp. was recently awarded with The American Taste Award Of Excellence "Best Of Show" by the American Tasting Institute for a number of it's soft pretzel products under the Superpretzel[R] and Pretzel Gourmet Express[R] brands. J&J was the only soft pretzel producer to win these coveted awards. The products which were bestowed this high honor include Superpretzel[R] King Size Soft Pretzels, Superpretzel[R] Big Cheese Soft Pretzels, Pretzel Gourmet Express[R] Cinnamon Raisin Soft Pretzels and Pretzel Gourmet Express[R] Roasted Garlic Soft Pretzels.

The American Tasting Institute's "blind" judgings were conducted by a panel of professional chefs in San Francisco. The products were judged primarily for taste, however appearance and freshness were also factors. All of the products which received the Award were judged "excellent" in all categories.

"It's gratifying to be honored with this award by an independent panel of culinary experts," said Michael Karaban, Vice President of Marketing, J&J Snack Foods Corp. "We work very hard to establish and maintain superior product quality."

For further information contact Maureen Loughead at 609-665-9534, ext 234.

Golden Tiger[R] Introduces Battered Egg Rolls

Presenting a new twist on a Chinese classic. Golden Tiger is now offering delicious 3 oz. egg rolls dipped in a golden tempura batter. Available with and without a stick, these Battered Egg Rolls are ideal for fairs, schools, amusement parks and a quick lunch-to-go.

Battered Egg Rolls are made with the same quality ingredients as the regular Golden Tiger egg rolls and are fully cooked and flash frozen to seal the flavors. The tempura batter contributes to a longer holding time under heat lamps or warmers and extends the fresh taste. The batter provides a crispy coating that also helps hold their shape. And they are easy to prepare -- just heat and serve.

Two flavors are available -- Vegetarian Egg Roll and Chicken Egg Roll (both available with and without a stick).

Windsor Frozen Foods, with headquarters in Houston, Texas, is the parent company for Golden Tiger (Los Angeles, CA), The Original Chili Bowl (Tulsa, OK) and Bernardi Italian Foods (Toluca, IL).

For further information or to place an order, call 800-437-6936.

Millard Louisville Distribution Center Opens

Millard Refrigerated Services (Millard) has announced the opening of its distribution center in Louisville, KY. The first phase of this Millard facility is 156,000 square feet with 4.7 million cubic feet, Build-out for the Louisville distribution center will be 465,000 square feet with 14 million cubic feet. The facility is another extension of Millard's expanding network of distribution centers targeted for major population centers throughout the United States.

The Louisville facility's General Manager will be Paul Kasinski. Including its facilities currently under construction, Millard operates 24 refrigerated warehouse and distribution facilities throughout the United States. The facilities account for 165 million cubic feet.

For further information call Tom Dolfay at 402-896-6600.

WNY Company Changes Name to Arctic Fisheries Ltd.

Western New York is home to one of the nation's largest independent importers and distributors of seafood from the North Atlantic.

Arctic Fisheries Ltd., formerly known as X-SEA-LNT International Corp. is taking the Icelandic groundfish industry by storm. Within a little more than a decade, what once was a small, start-up trading company operating out of a tiny, upstairs flat on Main Street in Williamsville, NY, has transformed itself into a multi-million dollar enterprise that imports, markets and distributes frozen fresh fish to customers in all 50 states.

The transformation occurred, inpart, as a result of combining innovate production processes with an aggressive sales and marketing campaign.

Arctic Fisheries' expertise in the fish marketplace also enables the company to import from Norway, Canada, China and Alaska. The company's products include cod, haddock, pollock, sole, ocean perch, flounder and catfish. It also sells a surimi seafood line known as Crabmeat Classics.

For further information call Mark Kotok at 1-800-973-2568 or 716-632-3633.

National Frozen Food Association Announces Release of New Consumer Research Study

The National Frozen Food Association (NFFA) has announced the release of a new consumer research study entitled, Understanding the Frozen Food Consumer. The study, coordinated by NFFA working in cooperation with The Alcott Group, a Chicago-based consulting firm, provides an overall cross-category and consumer review that focuses the industry on the significant opportunities available within the frozen food department.

All NFFA members receive one copy of the new research study, Understanding the Frozen Food Consumer, free as a benefit of membership. Members may order additional copies at the following prices: 1-25 copies, $25 each, 26-50 copies, $20 each; over 50 copies, $15 each. Non-members may order copies at the following prices: 1-25 copies $50 each; 26-50 copies, $45 each; over 50 copies $40 each.

For information call 717-657-8601.

IEFP 2000 To Be Located With Pack Expo

The Food Processing Machinery & Supplies Association, sponsors of the International Exposition for Food Processors (IEFP) announced that IEFP 2000 would be held at McCormick Place in Chicago, November 5-9, 2000. The IEFP will be co-located with Pack Expo 2000 following the successful IEFP and PACK EXPO in November 1998.

For more information contact Cheryl Clark, Director of Meetings/Membership Services at 703-684-1080.

WHERE THE JOBS ARE

Eating-and-drinking-place-employment growth on a year-to-date basis through September 1998

                   EMPLOYMENT         1998
STATE                LEVEL(*)       GROWTH(**)

Texas                587,578           4.3%
Massachusetts        197,200           3.8
Alaska                16,433           3.3
Nevada                53,011           3.2
Delaware              24,911           3.1
New Jersey           174,278           2.7
Arizona              142,267           2.6
Louisiana            122,122           2.6
Colorado             154,333           2.6
Oregon               106,867           2.6

(*) Average employment level, January-September 1998

(**) On a year-to-date basis through September

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

The 1998 Pack of Frozen
Green Peas--Preliminary Data

TOTAL UNITED STATES PACK

YEAR   THOUSANDS OF POUNDS

1986         373,605
1987         400,231
1988         358,779
1989         469,404
1990         482,910
1991         488,467
1992         465,375
1993         391,943
1994         499,744
1995         505,350
1996         369,390
1997         468,074
1998         466,138(*)

(*) Preliminary

PACK OF RECENT YEAR BY REGION

                          PRELIMINARY

REGION   1996      1997       1998
            Thousands of Pounds

East       60,020    75,155    84,257
Midwest    96,844   116,554    99,750
West      212,526   276,365   282,131

TOTALS    369,390   468,074   466,138

Source: Reports of individual packers and compiled by the American Frozen Food Institute

MARKET MAKEUP

Percent of adults who were foodservice patrons by meal period, 1997

                    AFRICAN-
            WHITE   AMERICAN   HISPANIC   Asian

Breakfast     7%        6%         5%       6%
Lunch        24        26         30       21
Dinner       24        25         27       26
Snacks        5         6          5        4

Source: National Restaurant Association, Foodservice Market Measure