Warehousing: Page 269

Emerging Technologies

IBM Develops Blockchain Technology To Make Businesses More Efficient, Including Food Supply Chain

The company is launching what it’s calling “blockchain-as-a-service,” or a set of tools for "creating, deploying, running, and monitoring blockchain applications on the IBM Cloud.”

IBM has announced that it is working to make blockchain technology—which was refined and popularized by the digital currency bitcoin—easier for businesses to use for financial and non-financial purposes, including delivering food.

US Foods Files For Public Offering

The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the offering have not been determined.

US Foods Holding Corp., the parent company of US Foods, Inc., the Rosemont, Ill.-based nationwide foodservice distributor, has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relating to a proposed initial public offering of its common stock.

Asahi Group Bids $2.9 Billion For Peroni, Grolsch And Meantime From SABMiller Brands

Asahi is Japan's biggest brewer with 38 percent of its home market, where a shrinking population and the increasing popularity of wine have weighed on beer sales over two decades.

With Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime, Asahi would diversify its footprint with sizeable positions in the premium beer segments of Italy, Britain and the Netherlands, and new distribution opportunities for its namesake Asahi Super Dry.

FDA Seeks $5.1 billion For 2017, Including Funds To Implement Food Safety Law

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

The overall request includes a net increase of $14.6 million in budget authority and $268.7 million in user fees for initiatives tied to several key areas, including the implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FMSA).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USDA) is requesting a total budget of $5.1 billion to protect and promote the public health as part of the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2017 budget – an eight percent increase over the enacted budget for FY 2016.

Amazon To Compete Directly With UPS And Fedex

The ambitious strategy promises to turn FedEx and UPS into Amazon rivals, but also will pit the Seattle giant against Chinese counterpart Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

The new business will locate Amazon at the center of a logistics industry that involves not just shippers like FedEx and UPS but also legions of middlemen who handle cargo and paperwork associated with transnational trade.

Whole Foods Market Inc. CEO: We Are Rebounding Following The Package Mislabeling Incident

Whole Foods Market Inc. co-CEO Walter Robb sees supermarkets getting smaller and having a bigger emphasis on fresh food, but he also foresees an “explosion” in foodservice and prepared foods and beverages.

Whole Foods Market Inc. co-CEO Walter Robb.

Ocean Ports & Carriers

Individual U.S. Ports To Determine Container Weight Mandate For Exports

The enforcement of the SOLAS container weight mandate for U.S. exports will be done by each port, and the U.S. Coast Guard will only get involved if it boards an incoming vessel and finds it doesn’t have verified gross mass for each box.

The mandate, under an amendment to the International Maritime Organization’s, Safety of Life at Sea, or SOLAS, convention originally approved in 2014, prevents carriers from shipping any containers without the verified gross mass of each container.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Pledges $10 Million To Support Local Growers

The initiative will provide the support and education necessary to meet the company’s high standards and help offset the costs of enhanced testing and food safety practices for some smaller farmers.

The formation of the Chipotle Local Grower Support Initiative is a new program to help smaller, local suppliers meet its heightened food safety standards.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Recalls Deli Meat Over Pistachio Allergy Risk

BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc.

The recalled deli meats were sold at BJ’s locations in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc., is voluntarily issuing a recall of Cittero Mortadella and deli meats sold from Jan. 20 through Feb. 3 because of a possible pistachio allergen risk.

Southern California Container Terminal Closes Over Driver Costs

Since shifting its business model to use company employees as drivers 16 months ago, Hub Group Inc. Chief Executive David Yeager wrote, Hub’s costs “have been unsustainable and substantially higher than our outsourced core carriers’ costs.”

Hub Group Trucking has closed its Southern California terminal serving the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach just over a year after converting its local fleet from independently-contracted drivers to full-time employees.

Hostess Turnaround Story: How Logistics Made A Difference

The resurrection of Hostess Brands Inc., producer of one of America’s favorite snacks, represents the logistics promise to today’s food industry.

BRF In $50 Million Takeover Of Universal Meats

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