Published on: March 7, 2017
...with brief, occasional, italicized and sometimes gratuitous commentary…• The
New York Times reports this morning that "a farm in southern Tennessee that produces chickens for Tyson Foods was ordered to cull its flock after federal officials on Sunday identified an outbreak of lethal avian influenza there, the first time the disease has struck this year."
Some 73,000 chickens had to be killed, and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) also "established a quarantine on chicken farms around the area" as it tested chickens "to determine whether the disease had spread." The specific strain of avian influenza has not yet been publicly identified.
The
Times quotes Tyson as saying that this is “a bird health issue and not a food safety or human health concern,” and that “there’s no evidence to suggest that any form of avian influenza can be transmitted to humans from properly cooked poultry.”
• The
Chicago Tribune reports that Strack and Van Til has announced it's closing five of its grocery stores, including the Strack & Van Til at 72nd Avenue and Taft Street in Merrillville and four in Illinois." The stores are expected to close late next month. "After the closings, Strack and Van Till will have 32 stores in Indiana and Illinois," the story says.
• The
Oregonian reports that Portland-based New Seasons plans to open its first store in San Francisco. No opening date has been announced.
The story notes that New Seasons already has a store in San Jose, and has plans for four store sin Northern California.
I'm a big fan of New Seasons ... see this recent piece about the company's newest store, on Mercer Island near Seattle.• The
Ann Arbor News reports that "Meijer plans to invest more than $375 million in new and remodeled stores this year across six states ... The investment will include seven new stores and remodeling of 22 stores. The new stores will be built in Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin. The new locations are expected to create about 2,100 new jobs."
The story notes that "this year, Meijer will finally open stores in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The two stores -- the only new locations in Michigan in 2017 -- will be in Escanaba and Sault Ste. Marie. Two stores are planned for Indiana in the communities of McCordsville and Franklin. Three stores opening this year in Wisconsin, Meijer's newest market, in Greenfield, West Bend and the Green Bay suburb of Howard."
By the end of the year, Meijer expects to have 237 stores.