A nonprofit organization founded in 1928, The American Institute of Food Distribution (The Food Institute) has a single purpose: providing information. The Food Institute was founded by Seattle food broker Gordon C. Corbaley who decided to put out a semi-regular posting for his principals -- mainly canners -- and his customers, so they could keep better informed about what was going on in the marketplace. He called his postings The News From Oregon and Washington. The reports were welcomed by the trade as poor communication systems back in the Coolidge era resulted in a great deal of business being done by poorly informed (at times actually misinformed) buyers and sellers.
Economically, supermarket and food-store sales have picked up since the first of the year, according to Brian Todd, president and CEO of The Food Institute (www.foodinstitute....
After two years of relatively flat food prices, the food and beverage industry saw a return to inflationary food prices in 2011, notes Brian Todd, president and CEO of The Food...