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New Mexico Hatch chile labeling dispute heats up | Fox News

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FILE – In this Aug. 30, 2008 file photo, framed by ristras, John Trewitt bites into a pod of fresh Hatch green chile, at the Hatch Chile Festival in Hatch, N.M. (Norm Dettlaff/The Las Cruces Sun-News via AP, File)

SANTA FE, N.M. –  A federal appeals court has sided with a green chile growers group in southern New Mexico’s Hatch Valley in a dispute over what food can be labeled with the renowned Hatch name.

The U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday ruled in favor of the Hatch Chile Association and allied Albuquerque food distributor El Encanto in their efforts to subpoena records that may indicate whether a rival’s products contain purely Hatch-grown chile as marketing suggests.

The subpoenas could influence the outcome of a related dispute before a federal trademark board over efforts by the Hatch Chile Co. to trademark the term “Hatch” for its exclusive use.

The written court decision pays tribute to the winding desert Hatch Valley for “producing some of the world’s finest chile peppers,” venturing that the area “may be to chiles what Napa is to grapes.”

Reversing a district court ruling, a three-judge panel noted Hatch Chile Co. initially said it did not know where its chiles came from, and directed questions to supplier Mizkan Americas, the owner of Border Foods and its southern New Mexico chile processing plants.

When a subpoena was issued to Mizkan asking about the provenance of its green chile, both Hatch Chile Co. and Mizkan filed successful motions to block the request in federal court.

“This seemingly mild dispute turned hot during discovery,” the judges wrote. “After seeming to encourage El Encanto to ask its suppliers for just this information, Hatch Chile filed a motion seeking a protective order.”

El Encanto does business under the Bueno Foods label.

Ross Perkal, an attorney for Hatch Chile Co., declined to comment on the ruling, citing pending litigation.

Hatch Chile Association board member Preston Mitchell applauded the ruling as a possible step toward reserving the Hatch name for chiles that can be traced to the Hatch Valley through a shared certification process. The association is seeking a certification mark for Hatch chile to help consumers verify the source.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/06/19/new-mexico-hatch-chile-labeling-dispute-heats-up.html

Convenience store openings up by 20% – BBC News

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Image copyright Getty Images

The total number of convenience stores in the UK rose by more than a fifth in the five years to the end of 2015 as fewer people do big weekly shops.

There were 16,426 convenience stores at the end of last year, a rise of 21%, according to figures from the Local Data Company (LDC).

The fastest rate of openings was among the “big four” supermarkets.

However, the LDC said growth in the sector may have peaked, with just 300 new stores opening in the last year.

That compares to 1,000 new stores in 2012.

In each of the years from 2011 to 2015, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrison’s and Asda opened convenience stores at a far faster rate than they did larger store formats.

Morrison’s sold its M Local chain last year.

However, the research concluded that the convenience market has become saturated in many areas, with more stores than shoppers needed. It showed that 228 towns saw a decline in the number of such stores last year.

Meanwhile, convenience stores trading under the umbrella of a symbol group have come under pressure.

Symbol groups, such as Londis and Mace, are alliances that allow small retailers to improve their buying power and increase spending on marketing.

Catalyst

There has been consolidation among these types of retailers as well as store sales and closures.

Londis and Mace saw a reduction in their number of stores as they faced growing competition from the likes of Aldi and Lidl.

Independent convenience stores have proved more resilient, even when discount rivals have opened up, often because they can rely on loyal local shoppers.

“The way people shop has changed which has impacted the large superstores sales, which has been further impacted by convenience formats of the same supermarkets alongside the discounters and the symbol groups,” said Matthew Hopkinson, director at the Local Data Company.

The sector is likely to see further changes in the future, he added.

“Last week’s announcement of the launch of Amazon’s new grocery service will be an interesting one to watch as it has the potential to compete with not just the supermarkets, but the discounters and the convenience stores.”

Mr Hopkinson pointed out that online sales had not yet shaken up food shopping in the same way as in some other sectors.

However, he added: “Perhaps Amazon will be the catalyst to change this and if it does then we will see some retailers under significant pressures over the next five years.”

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36546886

The end of M&Ms McFlurries? Mars considers pulling candies from fast food chains

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 (McDonald’s)

One of the worlds largest candy makers is reportedly concerned that fast food desserts featuring some of its most iconic sweetslike M&Ms and Snickersare just too sugary.

Mars, which stopped making king-sized chocolate bars in 2013 in an effort to promote moderate consumption of sweets, is now considering ending its partnerships with restaurants like McDonalds, Burger King and Dairy Queen because a single serving of many of the fast food desserts that feature its candy exceed the governments recommendations for the daily the amount of sugar anyone should eat in a day, reports Reuters.

Though the company declined to provide any details on the discussions, a company rep told Reuters: “We are now working alongside our suppliers and customers to bring this commitment to life.”

If Mars were to stop supplying candies to various chains, Burger King would have to stop making its Snickers pie, Dairy Queens Blizzard would no longer have branded candies and McDonalds wouldnt be able to use M&Ms in its McFlurries.

Eliminating the candy-shell coated chocolates from a large McFlurry would cut about 7.5 teaspoons of sugar . A source told Reuters that several recipe reformulations were in the works with Mars partners.

But McFlurry lovers are already up in arms over the rumored changes.

In January, the U.S. government changed its dietary guidelines amid a growing body of evidence linking sugar to obesity and diabetes. Now, added sugars should constitute no more than 10 percent of ones daily caloric intakeor about 12.5 teaspoons of sugar per day in a 2,000-calorie diet.

Last month, the government also initiated a requirement among packaged food makers to begin disclosing the amount of added sugar in products – a change Mars publicly supported.

In 2013, Mars stopped selling king-sized candy bars and limited all candy packages to 250 calories per serving.

But critics are calling Mars public show of solidarity with health advocates silly while others have decried it as just another marketing ploy.

“This is all junk food,” said Michele Simon, public health attorney and author of “Appetite for Profit,” a critique of the food industry. “It’s kind of silly.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2016/06/16/end-mms-mcflurries-mars-considers-pulling-candies-from-fast-food-chains/