Capico News of The Week

Some 45% of consumers that earn at least $75,000 a year are purchasing more private label grocery items, according to a HealthFocus International (HFI) study. Almost half cut coupons more for grocery shopping, up from 15% from HFI's April study. Full Story

Mashed potatoes could prove profitable for operators looking to add flair to their starch selections for Thanksgiving and all year long. Examples include Culver City, CA-based Gyenari, which adds kimchee to its buttermilk-mashed potatoes. Le Bec-Fin, Philadelphia, PA, adds toasted-hazelnut puree to riced potatoes and Charles Court at The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, CO, serves white-truffle mashed potatoes, reported Restaurants & Institutions. Full Story

7-Eleven may expand its worldwide private label products to include non-alcoholic beverages, reported Convenience Store News. Full Story

Various retailers reduced turkey prices more than usual this year due to the weak economy, according to The Dallas Morning News. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

About 47% of parents with children ages 3-12 claim they have a difficult time feeding them nutritious, healthy foods. Older moms (ages 45-54) have the hardest time (57%), according to the Ronzoni Smart Taste Family Table Survey conducted by Harris Interactive. Dads find it slightly more difficult than moms to interest their children in healthy meals (49% vs. 45%). Some 26% of parents reported that it was very easy to feed their kids healthy meals. Full Story

Restaurant Roundup: Baskin-Robbins is offering seasonal ice cream cakes, including Apple Pie a la Mode. Full Story ... Dunkin' Donuts will offer Peppermint Mocha Lattes through late December. Full Story

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. expects to open seven new Cracker Barrel units during its Fiscal 2010. Full Story

Tetra Pak agreed to carry out a limited trial to source green plastic from Braskem SA for use in its carton packaging, reported Food Production Daily. Full Story

New Store News: Canada-based Coffee Culture will open its fifth U.S. location on Dec. 4 in Batavia, NY, reported Business First of Buffalo. Full Story (Free Registration Required) ... Caribou Coffee is now being served at Akron-Canton Airport in Ohio, reported QSR Magazine. Full Story

California's super-high-density olive sector is a young but vibrant industry, well positioned to develop olive oil into one of the state's major agricultural commodities in the coming years, according to a survey by the UC Davis Olive Center. The survey found that 12,127 acres of super-high-density olive trees were planted in California as of the end of 2008, with 78% of the acreage planted between 2005 and 2008. Most of the growers reported that they decided to venture into this sector because it offered "favorable income potential." Full Story

The UK convenience sector is set to continue to outperform the UK grocery market and is projected to increase to £41.4bn in value in 2014 from £30.3bn currently, according to IGD's UK Grocery Retail Outlook 2009. The UK's online grocery channel will almost double over the next five years from £3.7bn to £7.2bn in 2014. Full Story

Drinking a cup of Brazilian mint tea has pain relieving qualities to match those of commercially available analgesics, claims a study published in the journal Acta Horticulturae, reported BBC News. Full Story