News Briefs

The Paleo Diet LLC has partnered with Where Food Comes From Inc. to provide third-party verification of food certification for Paleo nutrition.

The Paleo Diet revealed earlier in May that it had developed a new food certification program so that retailers and CPGs can easily show consumers which foods adhere to the regimen. Through the new partnership, Castle Rock, Colo.-based Where Food Comes From has agreed to be the exclusive third-party verifier of the certification program, which is the only certification recognized by Dr. Loren Cordain, the founder of the modern paleolithic nutrition movement.

The Paleo Diet food certification program offers two certifications:

• Foods certified as TRUEPALEO are foods in full compliance with Cordain's Paleo Diet program, which features sustainably sourced vegetables, fruits, natural meats, seafood, nuts and seeds. Foods that earn TRUEPALEO certification meet rigorous science-based standards for human-friendly nutrition.

• PaleoFLEX certification standards recognize that balancing modern life and ancient eating can be a challenge, so foods that earn this certification still follow Paleo principles, but the criteria are more flexible. PaleoFLEX certification helps consumers identify and enjoy better-for-you foods that still fit their healthy-eating lifestyle.

The Paleo Diet certifications were developed over years by Cordain's first and last graduate students, Dr. Mark J. Smith and Trevor Connor, M.S., alongside industry experts from the areas of food labeling, consumer packaged goods and sustainability.

“Where Food Comes From verifies claims related to sustainability, organic and gluten-free, all of which complement our science-based standards for the healthfulness of foods,” said Trevor Connor, CEO of The Paleo Diet, which is based in Boulder, Colo. “Through our partnership with Where Food Comes From, our new food certifications will make it easier for consumers, manufacturers and retailers to identify better-for-you foods on crowded store shelves and online.”

Grocery tech firm RSA America is enhancing its executive team, naming Robert Easley as chief growth officer and Mark Osborne as director of retail execution.

Those roles are pivotal at RSA America, which provides integrated digital solutions for independent grocers that encompass pricing, couponing, marketing and loyalty information. Easley and Osborne will help independent retailers create positive and often customized shopping experiences while saving on marketing and advertising costs.

Both leaders have extensive industry backgrounds. Easley was an SVP of operations, chief change officer and chief marketing officer at H-E-B and will leverage his expansive industry knowledge and experience to lead all strategic business development and sales partnerships for RSA.

“By adding Rob Easley to our team, we bring the vision of the industry with us. He will continue to propel RSA America forward as a true differentiator in the market,” said Rob Belcore, RSA’s co-founder and chief customer officer.

Likewise, Osborne brings strong grocery ties to his new position. The former VP/director or operations at Sprouts Farmers Market, Reasor's and Earth Fare has been tapped to lead RSA’s initiatives at the store level to improve sales, profit and customer experiences.

“RSA America has always been a true grocers’ software. We do not believe we can fix problems from the other end of a webinar. As an operations director for at a number of the nation's premier independent retailers his entire life, Mark has driven operational excellence across multiple different grocery concepts,” Belcore remarked.

As the push for more sustainable packaging continues – and as consumers look to CPGs and retailers to offer solutions – one brand is introducing a compostable package for deli meats. Volpi Foods recently teamed up with supplier C-P Flexible Packaging to offer the category’s first fully compostable package for its cured meat products.

The material is deemed certified compostable by the Biodegradable Products Institute. Post-use, the package degrades into carbon dioxide, water and biomass, which is then considered natural compost.

This is the latest green move by Volpi, which started reducing the amount of plastic used in its packaging about two years ago. The company recently reported that it diverted more than 45 tons of single-use plastic from landfills in 2021 through its “eco-pack” innovations.

“When we decided to rebrand, we wanted to set the stage for our strategic direction also. Incorporating our Responsibly Raised Pork Program and marrying that together with our artisanal production methods was paramount to the company. The final implementation was the use of less plastic in our packaging,” explained Lorenza Pasetti, CEO of the St. Louis, Mo.-based Volpi Foods. "We wanted to make a statement that all companies can have a positive effect on the environment by reducing the amount of plastic used. C-P worked with us to ensure this strategic goal was made a reality.”

Known as Canada's food and pharmacy leader, Loblaw Cos. Ltd. has closed its acquisition of Lifemark Health Group from Audax Private Equity.

Loblaw said in March that its wholly owned subsidiary Shoppers Drug Mart Inc. agreed to acquire Lifemark for aggregate cash consideration of CAD $845 million. Lifemark is a provider of outpatient physiotherapy, massage therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic, mental health and other ancillary rehabilitation services through its more than 300 clinics across Canada. The Toronto-based health provider has 3 million patient visits annually, and employs more than 5,000 highly trained clinicians, medical experts and team members.

With the acquisition of Lifemark, Loblaw adds to its own growing role as a health care service provider with a network of health-and-wellness solutions, accessible in-person and digitally.

Led by Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaw offers full-service pharmacies and a range of services such as prescriptions, med checks, vaccinations, minor-ailment diagnoses and nutrition consultations in more than 1,800 locations in 10 provinces and two territories, including at Shoppers Drug Mart, PharmaPrix, Loblaw pharmacy, DRUGStore Pharmacy and CENTRESante locations.

Loblaw Cos. Ltd. operates more than 2,400 corporate, franchised and associate-owned locations in Canada. The Brampton, Ontario-based company is No. 12 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.

Drug store chain Walgreens has accelerated progress toward its commitment to sell 100% cage-free shell and liquid eggs by 2025 to the end of 2022. The updated public commitment ramps up the timeline for cage-free eggs across the retailer’s 9,102 U.S. stores by three years.

“We applaud Walgreens for its decision to switch to cage-free eggs much sooner than initially planned,” said Vicky Bond, president of The Humane League, which is based in Rockville, Md. “This step will reduce the suffering of countless egg-laying hens. Socially responsible companies like Walgreens will no longer source eggs from hens kept in cruel battery cages, and we hope that companies like Rite Aid will follow the lead of Walgreens and CVS, which also pledged to sell only cage-free eggs by the end of this year.” 

To date, some of the largest companies around the world have made commitments to sell only cage-free eggs, including Nestlé, Aldi, InterContinental Hotels, Sodexo, Kraft Heinz, Compass Group, Shake Shack, Famous Brands, Costa Coffee, Burger King, Dunkin’, Krispy Kreme, Unilever, and Barilla. Among retailers specifically, Sprouts Farmers Market recently revealed that it’s now sourcing all shell and liquid eggs sold at its 370-plus stores from cage-free, organic or free-range farms. The grocer’s Our Brands eggs have been “cage-free or better” since 2016, offering such attributes as being pasture-raised. 

Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens is No. 5 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. With more than 2,100 stores across 38 states, Batavia, Ill.-based Aldi U.S. is No. 24 on PG’s list, while Phoenix-based Sprouts Farmers Market, which has more than 370 stores in 23 states, is No. 48.     

The Specialty Food Association has crowned its next crop of new and outstanding foods. Winners of this year’s sofi Awards, which are celebrating their 50th year, run the gamut from a red wine and rosemary cracker kit and Japanese barbecue sauce to plant-based salmon patties and everything bagel-flavored goat cheese.

The awards are open to product-qualified members of the Specialty Food Association and were judged at the Rutgers University Food Innovation Center. Judges undertook anonymous tastings across 47 categories using criteria including flavor, appearance, texture, aroma, ingredient quality and innovation. A total of 102 products were awarded Gold or New Product trophies.

“For 50 years the sofi Awards have been recognizing the best of the best in the specialty food industry,” said Laura Lozada, VP of membership for the Specialty Food Association. “Our members are the foundation of our industry and we are proud to honor their innovation, growth, and creativity.”

Other products honored this year include bake-and-serve Wake-N-Bagels from Little Shop of Bagels, Callie's Hot Little Biscuit Sausage Biscuit and Cassava Chips from Turbana Corp. Scamps Toffee Duo took the Gold award in the Chocolate Candy Category and Bee Razzled Honey Shrub won the Gold award among Alcoholic Beverages & Cocktail Mixes. A full list of winners is on the Specialty Food Association's website.

Product of the Year Award and New Product of the Year Awards will be handed out on June 12 during the Summer Fancy Food Show, which will be held at the Javits Center in New York City.