June 21 (Reuters) – ConAgra Foods Inc’s adjusted
quarterly profit narrowly beat Wall Street estimates as price
increases and easing commodity cost inflation boosted
performance in its consumer foods segment.

The company, which released results from its fiscal fourth
quarter on Thursday, also benefited from its recent acquisitions
of National Pretzel Co, Del Monte Canada, Odom’s Tennessee Pride
and the pita chip business of Kangaroo Brands.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc (GMCR.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is facing new competitors in the U.S. single-serve coffee market even before some of its patents expire in September, suggesting pricing pressures could come earlier than analysts had expected.

U.S. supermarket chain Safeway Inc (SWY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) last week said it began to sell its own brand of filtered coffee pods that are compatible with Green Mountain’s Keurig brewers, but at prices below Green Mountain’s own K-Cups.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Rogers Family Co, a privately held company based in California, is the manufacturer for Safeway Inc’s (SWY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) private label coffee cups compatible with Keurig brewers, the coffee roaster’s president told Reuters on Thursday.

Rogers’ cup is compatible with the Keurig brewers, but is not made through a licensing agreement with Keurig’s owner, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc (GMCR.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

By Martinne Geller

(Reuters) – Safeway Inc (SWY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is launching under its own store brand five types of filtered coffee pods compatible with Keurig brewers, becoming the latest competitor to Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc (GMCR.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), which makes the Keurig system and most of the single-serve drink portions that go with it.

Safeway’s new offerings will differ from its existing private label pods for Keurig in that they will be filtered coffee. The products launched in January, two cappuccino flavored drinks and one hot cocoa drink, were instant, Safeway spokesman Brian Dowling told Reuters in an email.

By Martinne Geller

(Reuters) – Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc (GMCR.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) shares fell as much as 10 percent on Monday to a 52-week low after Kroger Co (KR.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said it was planning to launch store-branded single-serve coffee cups for Keurig machines that would compete with Green Mountain-branded cups.

Late Friday, Kroger, the biggest U.S. supermarket chain, told Reuters in an interview that it would begin selling cups for the Keurig system.

By Martinne Geller

(Reuters) – Diamond Foods Inc (DMND.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said it will miss Monday’s deadline to file restated financial statements, which could lead to a delisting from Nasdaq, sending its shares down 5 percent.

Diamond, the maker of Emerald nuts, Pop Secret popcorn and Kettle potato chips, said it is in the process of preparing a restatement of its financial statements for fiscal 2010 and 2011 after an investigation uncovered improper accounting.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Coca-Cola Co and McDonald’s Corp slammed a proposed limit on soft drink sales in New York City that would turn a small McDonald’s drink into the new large and could trigger a wave of similar restrictions aimed at curbing obesity.

“New Yorkers expect and deserve better than this. They can make their own choices about the beverages they purchase,” Coca-Cola said in a statement on Thursday. Coke dominates the U.S. fountain drink market, and would likely be the most hurt.

By Martinne Geller

(Reuters) – Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc (GMCR.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is in talks with pharmaceutical companies about developing health-promoting additives for its Keurig brewers’ drinks, the company’s chief executive officer said on Wednesday.

Amid the large array of coffee, tea and hot cocoa drinks sold for the Keurig machine, CEO Larry Blanford said there was “a tremendous opportunity to carry functional additives to the consumer.”

June 5 (Reuters) – Sara Lee Corp will change its
name to Hillshire Brands Co later this month to reflect its
focus as a North American meat company after it spins off its
coffee and tea unit.

Sara Lee revealed the company’s name and its financial and
strategic goals in a meeting on Tuesday with investors in New
York.

June 1 (Reuters) – Kraft Foods Inc is introducing a
new line of Planters peanut butters with ingredients like dried
fruit and granola mixed in, hoping to appeal to adults with a
taste for the popular kids’ food.

The launch of NUTrition peanut butters — as in berry nut,
banana granola nut and cinnamon raisin granola nut — comes as
Kraft is preparing to spin off its North American grocery
business by the end of 2012.