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The Philippines is looking at doubling its current market share of food exports to the US. Consul-General Ma. Rowena Sanchez and Special Trade Representative Roseni Alvero told reporters at a press luncheon recently in Daly City that the plan involves "catering not only to the taste of Filipino-Americans but also to natural-born Americans." Alvero said the Philippines currently supplies 1.3% of the US's food imports helping the country earn a total of $500 million from its food exports in 2003. "Last year, our food exports grew by 16 percent. We're growing at a rate of 16 [percent] to 20 percent annually," she said, adding the Philippines has been negotiating for more major grocery shops in the US to carry Philippine food products. The talks have succeeded in securing agreements from several large retail grocery and wholesale chains including Save-Way, Albertsons and Costco to expand their shelf space for Philippine-made food products beyond their ethnic-food section. Among the food products the government has been pushing are sauce mixes, noodles, canned juices, canned fruits, coffee, canned tuna, dried fruits, and sweet preserves;

Jelly maker J.M. Smucker has plans to close its Salinas processing plant and cut other US jobs as part of a far-reaching corporate restructuring strategy. It's not immediately clear how many of the company's nearly forty-five hundred person workforce will be impacted by the move. In a statement, the company - which includes Jif peanut butter and Crisco shortening among its brand name product line - said the moves "will improve its finances and be a better fit for its long-term strategy to focus on leading food brands." The Orrville, Ohio-headquartered firm also said it plans to sell its US industrial baking business and completely restructure its US distribution operations. The Salinas plant has about 180 workers; and…

The Los Angeles-based Health Sciences Group, an integrated provider of science-based products and ingredients to customers in the nutrition, skin care, food and beverage industries, has acquired Apple Peel Technologies Inc. (APTI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the UTEK Corporation, in a stock transaction. APTI holds the exclusive worldwide license to a patent-pending process to produce Apple Peel Powder developed at Cornell University. Apple Peel Powder is a proprietary nutraceutical and value-added ingredient that may be added to a variety of foods and beverages to enhance their nutritional content.

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