In a speech last month to the National Food Policy Conference, Food and Drug Administration acting Commissioner Dr. Lester M. Crawford said FDA plans to modernize the good manufacturing practices (GMPs) used for foods.

The FDA named Dr. Barbara O. Schneeman to lead the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition's Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements.

Uncle Wally/United Baking plans to invest an additional $5 million in the 43,000-sq. ft. bakery plant it built in Brookhaven, NY in 2001. The expansion will house a new production line and create 50 new jobs.

As part of a seven-year, $110 million expansion, Patrick Cudahy Inc. will add 27,000 sq. ft. to its current distribution center in Cudahy, WI.

The United States is taking its dispute with Mexico over soft drink sweeteners to the WTO.

Kraft Foods purchased Veryfine Products, a privately held beverage manufacturer.

Pepperidge Farm's new $72 million 265,000 sq. ft. bakery in Bloomfield, CT, received the 2004 Food Engineering Plant of the Year award last month in Sarasota, FL.

A coalition of food industry trade groups is strongly against USDA's proposed rule implementing the country of origin labeling (COOL) provision in the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002.

The Tippman Group is constructing a 115,000-sq. ft. distribution center for Packerland Packing, a division of Smithfield Foods.

To help tackle what FDA is calling the "nation's obesity epidemic," the agency released the final report of its Obesity Working Group.