March 11 (Reuters) – KFC parent Yum Brands Inc on
Monday reported an unexpected 2 percent rise in February sales
at established restaurants in China, its top market, as it
recovers from a steep business decline sparked by a food safety
scare there late last year.

The average of three analyst estimates was for a decline of
8.7 percent in February, according to Consensus Metrix.

LOS ANGELES, March 8 (Reuters) – Whole Foods Market Inc
will require all products sold in its U.S. and Canadian
stores to carry a label by 2018 saying whether they contain
genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the organic and natural
grocery seller said on Friday.

The United States is the world’s largest market for foods
made with genetically altered ingredients. Many popular
processed foods – including soy milk, soup and breakfast cereal
- are made with soybeans, corn and other biotech crops whose
genetic traits have been manipulated, often to make them
resistant to insects and pesticides.

By Lisa Baertlein

(Reuters) – McDonald’s Corp (MCD.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said February sales at established restaurants around the world fell less than expected, giving investors hope that new Chief Executive Don Thompson’s strategy is paying off, and lifting shares to an 11-month high.

Global sales at McDonald’s restaurants open at least 13 months fell 1.5 percent in February, slightly less than analysts’ average estimate for a 1.63 percent decline, according to Consensus Metrix.

March 7 (Reuters) – U.S. supermarket operator Kroger Co
reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit and said
business remains strong despite higher taxes and gasoline
prices, sending shares to their highest point in more than four
years.

The Cincinnati-based company, which is the biggest U.S.
supermarket operator said sales have been highly variable, but
remain on a strong trend despite consumer anxiety about the
tepid U.S. economic recovery, fluctuating gas prices, higher
payroll taxes and continued uncertainty around federal policies.

March 6 (Reuters) – Safeway Inc issued a 2013
forecast on Wednesday that suggests profits at the
second-largest U.S. grocery store operator will surpass Wall
Street’s expectations, and its shares touched their highest
level in nearly two years.

Safeway forecast 2013 earnings of $2.25 to $2.45 per share,
above Wall Street’s average estimate of $2.24 per share,
according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

LOS ANGELES, March 1 (Reuters) – McDonald’s Corp,
under pressure from resurgent U.S. rivals, is cutting its Fruit
& Walnut Salad and Chicken Selects from U.S. menus and weighing
whether to keep its “premium” Angus burgers, a spokeswoman said
on Friday.

The menu shake-up comes at a time when hamburger chains such
as Burger King Worldwide Inc and Wendy’s Co have
been closing the gap with McDonald’s.

Feb 27 (Reuters) – Applebee’s and IHOP restaurants owner
DineEquity Inc posted better-than-expected quarterly
profit on Wednesday and announced a generous dividend, sending
its shares up almost 5 percent.

Those two servings of good news helped investors shrug off a
decline in traffic at both Applebee’s and IHOP during the fourth
quarter.

Feb 22 (Reuters) – Darden Restaurants Inc warned on
Friday that profits at its Olive Garden and Red Lobster chains
were being squeezed as customers retrenched because of the U.S.
payroll tax hike and higher gasoline prices.

Orlando-based Darden, which has struggled to find a way to
appeal to frugal diners, also lowered its fiscal 2013 profit
forecast on worse-than-expected quarterly results.

By Lisa Baertlein

(Reuters) – Safeway Inc (SWY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said Thursday a new personalized discount program boosted sales in the first quarter of 2013 compared with the fourth quarter, sending shares up nearly 14 percent on the New York Stock Exchange.

The second-largest U.S. supermarket chain, which operates the Safeway, Vons and Dominick’s supermarkets, also reported stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter profit and said it saw no impact from a recent U.S. payroll-tax hike, which had eaten into the take-home pay of many shoppers.

Feb 21 (Reuters) – Safeway Inc, the second largest
U.S. supermarket chain, reported higher-than-expected profit on
Thursday, helped by new shopper loyalty programs, sending its
stock up nearly 6 percent.

Investors had been looking for signs of progress from
Safeway, which started grocery and gasoline loyalty programs to
attract customers and boost sales amid tough competition from
traditional grocers such as Kroger Co and discount
retailers ranging from Wal-Mart Stores Inc to dollar
stores.