Tyson Foods Inc. and Food Lion LLC have announced an arrangement to reintroduce Holly Farms fresh chicken at more than 1,200 Food Lion, Bloom and Bottom Dollar Food grocery stores throughout the eastern United States.

"Food Lion has a unique opportunity to reintroduce one of the most well-respected brands of fresh chicken at our stores," said Hans Lefebvre, vice president of meat and seafood merchandising at Food Lion. "In an economy where consumers are always searching for premium products at great prices, we are able to provide both to our customers through this arrangement. This is a fantastic opportunity to provide a unique product offering exclusive to our customers, while delivering on our commitment of quality products at great prices. The Holly Farms brand has a strong heritage in many markets in which we operate as a provider of quality, premium fresh chicken at a great price. The reintroduction of this brand enables us to provide a differentiated product to our customers at or below current store brand fresh chicken prices."

Consumers will begin seeing packages of Holly Farms fresh chicken in stores this week. As part of the arrangement, Food Lion LLC will replace all store brand fresh chicken with Holly Farms premium brand chicken at Food Lion, Bloom and Bottom Dollar Food stores.

"We're excited about working with Food Lion LLC to offer Holly Farms-branded chicken to consumers again," said Tim Price, vice president of business development for Tyson Foods' retail fresh poultry business. "We plan to produce a wide variety of tray-packed chicken products with the same freshness, safety and quality people have historically expected from products bearing the Holly Farms name."

The Holly Farms poultry company was founded in Wilkesboro, N.C., in 1958 and over the years built a reputation for high-quality, fresh, tray-packed chicken. The company and its operations were bought by Tyson Foods in 1989. By the late 1990s, Holly Farms was phased out as a national brand. The reintroduced line of chicken will primarily be produced at the same Wilkesboro poultry complex where Holly Farms began. In addition, plant locations in Monroe, N.C.; Temperanceville, Va., and Shelbyville, Tenn., will also be involved in the production of this product.

"We believe this initiative will help ensure continued economic stability for our plant," said Mark Welborn, manager of Tyson's Wilkesboro Complex. "In fact, we expect it will actually lead to an incremental increase in the volume of fresh chicken we produce in Wilkesboro."

Source: Food Lion LLC

Japan to buy local pork

Japan, the world's largest importer of pork, will purchase approximately 70,000 carcasses from local herds to boost prices. The country is allocating about 292.9 million yen ($3.3 million) in the support program, which includes assisting farmer groups and local companies to buy meat from Japanese wholesale markets.

The economic slump has cut pork consumption and sent stockpiles in Japan to a 20-year high, according to Bloomberg reports. Some analysts believe that the program could end up helping exporters line the United States and Canada, as the move may widen the gap between exported product and premium domestic pork.

“The government’s action could increase the price advantage for imported pork as a stronger yen is already making it more affordable to consumers,” said Susumu Harada, senior director at the Tokyo office of the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

Source: Bloomberg

Dietz & Watson to celebrate 70th anniversary with free lunch

A third-generation family owned business since 1939, Dietz & Watson of Philadelphia and its friends in the community will celebrate the company's 70th anniversary on Oct. 1 in Center City, at City Hall's Dilworth Plaza. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend and enjoy a free lunch. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

On the menu will be Dietz & Watson wraps featuring their premium deli line, including Buffalo Chicken with Roasted Garlic Cheddar, London Broil Roast Beef with Horseradish Cheddar and Gourmet Lite Turkey Breast with Muenster. Attendees will also be treated to dessert by another iconic Philadelphia food purveyor - Tastykake. In addition to the lunch, attendees will be encouraged to take the "Deli Challenge" and sample Dietz & Watson products head-to-head against the competition and decide for themselves which ones are truly the best. Sportsradio 610 WIP Hoagie expert Glen Macnow and his partner Anthony Gargano will join in the 70th anniversary celebration by broadcasting live from the event.

Macnow recently sampled 60 Italian hoagies during WIP's Great Hoagie Hunt determined to find the greatest sandwich in the Delaware Valley - many prepared using Dietz & Watson premium deli meats.

For 70 years, Dietz & Watson has been offering a wide variety of products, which today include premium deli meats, including healthful and low-sodium delicacies, gourmet franks and sausages, artisan cheeses, and deli complements.

"To us, the customer has always been paramount, and I think that is the philosophy that has made us successful for seven decades," said Louis Eni, company president and CEO. "And we owe most of our success to our hometown and the people of Philadelphia.

"When my grandfather started Dietz & Watson 70 years ago this year, the people of Philly were ALL of our customers, and they and their families are still our customers and we thank them for that," added Eni.

The company now offers more than 400 items, most of them prepared at Dietz & Watson's headquarters on Tacony Street in Philadelphia. Dietz & Watson's products are sold in more than 40 states and are shipped internationally. They employ more than 650 people at their Philadelphia headquarters and more than a thousand company-wide. As the company continues to thrive and grow, it is actively hiring Philadelphia-area residents for a variety of open positions. Dietz & Watson has been and will always be committed to its hometown.

Dietz & Watson was founded in 1939 by Gottlieb Dietz, a talented young German sausage maker. His primary goal was to produce the most flavorful, highest quality deli meats in the marketplace, to please even the most discriminating palate, using his old-world recipes and commitment to "quality above all." Today at Dietz & Watson, the third generation of the family continues Gottlieb Dietz's dedication and commitment in preparing Premium Deli Meats and Artisan Cheeses.

Dietz & Watson is still a private, family-owned company with daughter of company founder Gottlieb Dietz, Ruth Eni, serving as chairman of the company. Ruth's children run the business day-to-day, and include Louis Eni, president and CEO, Cindy Eni Yingling, CFO and Chris Eni, COO.

Source: Dietz & Watson

Bull escapes slaughterhouse, takes N.J. police for a ride

A 1,400-pound bull escaped from a New Jersey slaughterhouse and dragged local police officers down a street before being sedated. The bull was being unloaded at ENA Meat Packing Inc., in Paterson, N.J., when it broke loose on Monday morning. Police tried to lasso a rope around the animal's neck, but it dragged the officers down the street. The animal was eventually sedated and returned to the slaughterhouse.

Source: Associated Press