News from industry food companies.

Rockville, MD—According to the Private Label Food and Beverage in the U.S. report by market research publisher Packaged Facts, private-label food and beverage sales totaled $87 billion in 2009, to account for 17% of total food and beverage retail sales in the united States. Dollar sales rose 6% over the 2008 level of $82 billion, driven primarily by a 7% increase in the food market.

Bob Moore, founder and president of Bob’s Red Mill presented naturopathic medical students with $15,000 in scholarships, for expressing their take on a particular grain of their choosing on youTube. Students from seven accredited naturopathic programs in the united States and Canada were called to submit videos featuring the health benefits of grains on the popular site.

In light of the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, some consumers are concerned about the safety of seafood from the region.

Acquisitions, new launches, new partnerships, awards, new initiatives and more.

New York, NY—The 56th Summer Fancy Foods show was held here from June 27–29 at the Jacob K. Javits Center featuring 180,000 products, 2,500 exhibitors, 81 represented countries and 24,000 attendees with a total of 331,000 tasty square feet of show floor.

Sarasota, FL—Many people shopping at nutrition and wellness stores are vegetarian or vegan. However, one particular diet that might grab retailers’ attention is the raw foods diet, for which followers depend on stores selling organic and fresh raw foods and supplements. Jenna Norwood, a healthy living expert and speaker, stars in the documentary Supercharge Me! 30 Days Raw (released by Emporia Pictures in 2007), which follows Norwood as she begins a raw food diet.

Berkeley, CA—Clif Bar & Company sold its family-owned common stock to its employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Through the ESOP, employees own 20% of the company; owners Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford retain the remaining 80%.

New York, NY—New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and cooking show star Rachael Ray introduced a series of programs to promote healthy eating among the city’s youth.

San Diego, CA—As an example of Commissioner Margaret Hamburg’s efforts to make “swift, aggressive and effective enforcement” of its regulations, Lifesoy, Inc., a manufacturer of ready-to-eat soy products was cited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for preparing, packaging and holding articles of food in unsanitary conditions.