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Pepperidge Farm to cut sodium in breads

Pepperidge Farm Inc. says it will cut the sodium levels in the majority its breads, rolls and bagels by 2011, making it the latest of many food makers to respond to demands for healthier products. A number of food makers have announced recently that they are lowering sodium in their products based on consumer demand and increasing scrutiny by health groups, including Kraft Foods, Bumble Bee Foods, General Mills Inc., and PepsiCo Inc.

Water Tower Place Chick-fil-A planned for 2011

Chick-fil-A is bringing its fried chicken sandwiches and waffle fries to downtown Chicago next spring.

Although the lease has yet to be signed, John E. Featherston Jr., Chick-fil-A’s senior director of real estate, said that a Chick-fil-A restaurant will open near Water Tower Place.

“I’ve been to a lot of intersections downtown, and this is the first one where I want to plant the flag,” Featherston said. “Hopefully this will lead to others.” Get the full story »

Sara Lee’s Brenda Barnes got $11.5 million in 2010

Brenda Barnes, the former chairman and CEO of Sara Lee Corp., received compensation valued at $11.5 million in the company’s most recent fiscal year, up 8 percent from the prior year, according to an Associated Press analysis of documents filed with regulators this week.

First Chicago-area Chick-fil-A opens

The parking lot at the new Chick-fil-A restaurant in Aurora briefly turned into a campground, with the chain offering the first one hundred people in line a one-year supply of 52 meals coupons on Thursday. (Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune)

Employees in crisp red shirts performed a variety of final tasks as the legendary chicken chain prepared to debut its first Chicago-area outlet at 6 a.m. Thursday at the Westfield Fox Valley Mall property on Aurora’s far east side.

An unofficial pre-opening on Wednesday drew dozens of Chick-fil-A fans from the Chicago area and beyond, lured by the prospect of free once-a-week meals for a year. The firm traditionally gives away coupons to the first 100 customers. Get the full story>>

IHOP pancake house takes on prayer group

IHOP has filed a lawsuit against a church group called the International House of Prayer claiming that the group is illegally using the pancake house’s famous acronym.

The legal flap started earlier this month when the International House of Pancakes filed the lawsuit in a federal court in California. Get the full story »

Court allows part of organic-milk case to proceed

A federal appeals court says a group of dairy consumers can proceed with parts of a lawsuit alleging that several national retailers and an organic dairy company falsely labeled the dairy’s milk.

Kraft lays out Cadbury integration strategy

Kraft executives laid out a strategy to deliver more growth and higher returns following its Cadbury acquisition, at the company’s annual investor conference in New York Wednesday.

In a presentation some analysts described as short on specifics, chief executive officer Irene Rosenfeld and key members of the executive team described a strategy of focusing on so-called “power brands” and regional brands in each area of the world, and a system for sharing best practices throughout the world. Get the full story »

Wendy’s to offer half salads on menu

Wendy’s is making its next push behind salads by cutting the serving in half, hoping to keep sales of its upgraded salads strong by offering them at a lower price.

Wendy’s, a unit of Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc., later this month will add half-sized versions of its new higher-end salads, which come in varieties like Apple Pecan Chicken and BLT Cobb, for $3.99. It’s also adding a “Pick 2” menu where, for $4.99, customer can add-on items like a baked potato, small chili, a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, chicken wraps or drinks that normally cost between $1 and $1.49. Get the full story »

Pepsi returning to Super Bowl

Pepsi is back in the game. The soft drink brand will advertise in next year’s Super Bowl after sitting out last year for the first time in more than two decades. Pepsi said Wednesday it will air three ads created by fans for its Pepsi MAX brand. The company has been marketing its no-calorie version of namesake Pepsi to counteract Coca-Cola’s fast-growing Coke Zero.

Bread remains work in progress at Sara Lee

At its annual Meet the Management Analyst Day in New York Tuesday, Sara Lee presented itself as holding company-turned operating company with a string of successes in growing, high-margin businesses and a handful of struggling ones in need of work.
 The maker of Hillshire Farm sausage and Senseo coffee touted them its biggest successes — North American meats and European coffee — and laid out cases for fixing its problem areas, including International Bakery, North American Bakery and North American Foodservice. Get the full story »

‘Tall’ size returns to Starbucks’ drive-through menus

Last month Starbucks rolled out a “simplified” drive-through menu which removed the company’s small-sized drink, referred to as a “tall.” But the experiment will be short-lived. Starting Thursday, the company will update drive-through menu boards again, to indicate the tall size is still available.

“We want to be sure there is no confusion and that our menu reflects a range of price points,” spokeswoman Deb Trevino wrote in an email. “We listened to feedback and starting Thursday the 16th, stores will be updating their drive-through menu boards, highlighting that tall size is available.” Get the full story »

Sara Lee affirms 2011 outlook

Sara Lee Corp. on Tuesday reaffirmed its 2011 financial outlook and said it is weighing external and internal candidates for its top job. Get the full story »

Corn syrup makers want sweeter name: Corn sugar

The makers of high fructose corn syrup want to sweeten up its image with a new name: corn sugar. The bid to rename the sweetener by the Corn Refiners Association comes as Americans’ concerns about health and obesity have sent consumption of high fructose corn syrup to a 20-year low.

The group plans to apply Tuesday to the Food and Drug Administration to get “corn sugar” approved as an alternative name for food labels. Get the full story »

TV ad blames McDonald’s for heart disease

Ad showing corpse holding a hamburger. (PCRM ad)

McDonald’s Corp. is the target of a new television commercial set to air in Washington, D.C., Thursday that blames the burger giant for heart disease.

In the commercial, produced by the nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a woman weeps over a dead man lying in a morgue. In his hand is a hamburger. At the end, the golden arches appear over his feet, followed by the words, “I was lovin’ it,” a play on McDonald’s longtime ad slogan, “I’m lovin’ it.” A voiceover says, “High cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attacks. Tonight, make it vegetarian.” Get the full story »

Hershey in dispute over iPhone chocolate milk app

The Hershey Co. is asking a federal judge to decide whether its iPhone application to make virtual chocolate milk violates another company’s copyright. The Pennsylvania chocolate maker has filed a federal complaint asking for a judgment in its legal dispute with Las Vegas-based software developer Hottrix LLC. Get the full story »