Maxwell Farms LLC, the majority owner of Butterball, LLC, has announced a partnership with Seaboard Corporation to purchase the share of minority owner Murphy-Brown LLC. The purchase is expected to be finalized in early December. This action follows the execution of a buy/sell agreement initiated by Murphy-Brown LLC in March of this year.

“We are pleased to be partnering with Seaboard and moving forward as the buyer of Butterball, the strongest brand in the turkey industry,” said Walter Pelletier, president of Maxwell Farms, LLC. “Seaboard is a strong, diversified company with a great reputation in the agriculture and food industries, and we are confident the partnership will be mutually beneficial for both companies.”

“Butterball is an iconic brand name in the United States, representing superior quality, outstanding value and excellent customer service,” stated Steve Bresky, Seaboard’s President and CEO. “We look forward to our participation with the Butterball management team and the Maxwell group and bringing additional value to Butterball.”

Source: Butterball LLC

Japan not budging on beef export age restrictions

Japan and the United States are meeting next week to exchange opinions on U.S. beef, but Japanese officials have already states that the country will maintain its ban on beef from animals older than 20 months.

“Our stance is unchanged,” Farm Minister Masahiko Yamada was cited as saying to reporters earlier today by ministry spokesman Kenji Nakagawa, reports Bloomberg. “We would like to hold talks based on scientific knowledge as we consider food safety as a very important issue.”

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack agreed with then- farm minister Hirotaka Akamatsu to resume bilateral talks on normalizing beef trade, stalled since August 2007, when he visited Tokyo in April.

The World Organization for Animal Health, or OIE, voted in May 2007 to give the U.S. its “controlled-risk” rating for mad-cow disease, indicating controls are effective and meat from U.S. cattle of any age can be safely traded. The OIE standards are used to settle trade disputes at the World Trade Organization.

Source: Bloomberg

Sadler's Smokehouse introduces brisket for tailgating

Sadler's Smokehouse Ltd. announces the launch of the new Tailgate-Ready Beef Brisket featuring, a specially sized package and easy instructions for heating on the grill. Sadler's newly sized, easy open package offers a quick and convenient option for sports enthusiasts who want authentic barbecue hot off the grill, but don't want to spend all day cooking.

"Just in time for tailgating season, our new fully cooked Tailgate-Ready Beef Brisket offers everything a barbecue-loving tailgater wants - great taste, convenience and value," said Sadler's Executive VP of Marketing Greg Klein. "Sadler's pit-smoked beef brisket is perfect for tailgate parties or for a quick, delicious dinner any day of the week."

Each Tailgate-Ready Beef Brisket is carefully selected and seasoned, then slow-smoked for hours over hickory, and hard woods, using the same techniques established when the company was founded in 1948. The pre-sliced briskets are approximately 40 ounces.

Source: Sadler’s Smokehouse Ltd.

Kraft Foods makes Dow Jones Sustainability Index

Kraft Foods has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the sixth year in a row on the North America Index and fifth year running on the World Index. This honor recognizes the company's economic, environmental and social performance.

Kraft Foods achieved the food industry's leading scores in operational eco-efficiency for a third year in a row, and this year had leading scores in innovation management, codes of conduct/compliance and corporate citizenship/philanthropy.

"Making the Index for the sixth straight year is a fantastic accomplishment and is evidence that all our employees are contributing to our success," said Steve Yucknut, vice president, sustainability. "Business teams and functions around the world have fostered empowerment at the grass roots level, which is transforming behaviors and delivering change. And it is this focus, support and enthusiasm that will take us even farther."

Kraft Foods has made steady progress against its aggressive 2011 sustainability goals, using 2005 as a base year and measured against total production:
* 174 million pounds (nearly 80 million kg) of packaging material eliminated (exceeding 150 million pound goal two years early)
* 15 percent reduction in plant energy use (towards a goal of 25 percent)
* 17 percent reduction in plant energy-related carbon dioxide emissions (towards a goal of 25 percent)
* 32 percent reduction in plant water consumption (exceeding 15 percent goal two years early)
* 30 percent reduction in plant waste (doubling goal of 15 percent two years early)

Source: Kraft Foods

McAlister's Deli names new president/CEO

McAlister's Deli announced that it has named Frank G. Paci as its new president and CEO effective Sept. 27, 2010. McAlister's Deli is a quick-casual deli concept with more than 295 restaurants in over 20 states.

"We are delighted to welcome Frank as the new leader of McAlister's Deli. He brings with him a broad range of experience in strategic planning, operations, franchise development and finance," said Steve Romaniello, member of the board of directors of McAlister's. "We believe this combination of skills will enable Frank to bring a unique perspective to the leadership of McAlister's. We could not have hoped to find a better person than Frank to lead McAlister's Deli into the future."

Paci joins McAlister's from The Pantry Inc., a publicly traded convenience store chain where he was executive vice president, chief financial officer and corporate secretary. Paci has more than 25 years of experience working for leading foodservice and retail branded companies, including holding senior roles at Blockbuster, Burger King and Pizza Hut. Paci received his bachelor's degree in economics from Yale University and holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh's Katz School of Business.

"I am excited about joining McAlister's and the opportunity to lead this business," Paci said. "McAlister's is a great brand and I look forward to working with the management team and the franchise community to help the company reach new heights."

"We would like to thank Phil Friedman for all he has done for McAlister's over the years and we wish him well as he pursues his interests outside of the company," Romaniello said.

Source: McAlister’s Deli