Flash frozen

Heinz will combine its U.S. grocery and foodservice businesses into a single $5 billion "megacompany" based in Pittsburgh. Sales forces of Heinz Frozen Food, Heinz U.S.A., StarKist Seafood and Heinz Pet Products will merge into one company led by David Moran, who will become president of Heinz Sales Co. Moran joined Heinz 18 months ago, heading up ketchup and condiment sales. Sales teams will be stationed at headquarters of major chains. Move is seen giving Heinz more leverage in the consolidating supermarket industry... Update the Rolodex: If you're ordering anything under the Rich's brand name (retail, club and military), it's all being handled out of the Rich-SeaPak Corp., St. Simons Island, Ga... Chris Killingstad will be senior VP and general manager, frozen products and Pillsbury Canada, effective January 1. He is now VP, general manager, frozen foods group, and has served stints as VP, Haagen-Dazs, and regional VP, Europe/ Eurasia.Co-leading Pillsbury North American with him will be Peter Robinson, who will be senior VP, general manager, refrigerated and shelf stable products. Pillsbury also names John N. Lilly CEO as of next January 1, succeeding Paul S. Walsh, who becomes COO of parent Diageo on that date... Association of Sales & Marketing Companies, Reston, Va., promotes Mark W. Baum to president/CEO from exec VP/COO, effective Jan. 1. Robert C. Schwarze, outgoing pres ident/CEO, becomes senior vice chairman. Separately, James B. Eisenhart, founder of Eisenhart & Associates, is named winner of ASMC's Industry Service Award. Richard A. Goldstein, chairman/CEO of Lipton and CEO, Unilever United States, is selected as winner of Watson Rogers Award for Outstanding Service.. Is Safeway, which makes no secret about its hunger for acquisitions, looking over N.C.-based Ingalls Markets?... Good Humor-Breyers will close Its Richmond, Va., plant by year's end. Manufacturing will be consolidated at plants in Framingham, Mass., and Huntington, Ind.... Swiss-based Nestle agrees to sell its Findus brand and parts of its frozen food business in Europe to EQT Scandinavia BV. Terms not disclosed, but units brought in $600 million annually. Transaction includes all frozens in Britain and Scandinavia, as well as parts of business (mostly veggies and fish) in five other European countries. Nestle will keep its frozen prepared dishes, pizzas and snacks in continental Europe... Moody's Investors ServicE gives B1 and B3 ratings to $855 million in debt of Agrilink Foods, Rochester, N.Y., and calls firm's outlook stable. Ratings recognize "Agrilink's high leverage, inherently volatile and competitive commoditybased business and the ongoing integration risk and reliance on cost reductions from the September 1998 acquisition of Dean Foods Vegetable Company (DFVC)," Moody's says, adding that it viewed the acquisition cost of DFVC as "relatively high." Finding synergies will be important if Agrilink is to meet its targeted returns, and Moody's expects realization of benefits may take longer than planned... Chicago-- based Sara Lee Branded Foods celebrates Its 50th year by moving into new headquarters on historic Goose Island (900 N. Branch St.)... J&J Snack Foods, Pennsauken, N.J., says that on Nov. 3, it will report record sales and earnings for its fiscal year ended Sept. 25. But even with record sales for 112 consecutive quarters, its stock has recently slumped, trading at less than four times EBITDA. They're mystified, and we're calling our broker... FCOJ prices should remain stable, as USDA's Florida orange crop peg came in at 211 million boxes, well in line with earlier 205-211 million box estimates... Stamford, Conn.-based Priceline.com, which lets you bid on-line for airline tickets, hotels rooms, etc., plans to launch WebHouse Club this month, allowing E-shoppers to bid on grocery items and pay for them on-line, then pick them up at a local participating retailer... According to Kleenex survey, here are items Americans wouldn't want to live without, by percentage listing them: toilet paper, 69%; zippers, 42%; frozen foods, 38%; hairspray, 19%; tape, 18%... Nash Finch will close its DC In Denver at end of year, consolidating operations into warehouses in Rapid City, S.D., and Omaha, Neb... Tyson Foods, having shed its seafood and hog units, plans to focus on raising profit margins on its core business-chicken. In fourth fiscal quarter, It will cut chicken production by 2.5% and take an undetermined charge. But firm sees a bright spot-Asians are buying more chicken as economy improves there. At same time, Tyson is workIng with San Diego-based Titan Corp. to test irradiated foods for sale to consumers. A market test could come early next year... Royal Ahold completes Oct. 9-ending international promotion under "World Champions" banner. Global discounts offered in promo ran simultaneously at most of Ahold's 32 supermarket chains worldwide, including Martin's Giant, Edwards, Tops, Wilson Farms, Stop & Shop and Bi-Lo. Ahold negotiated master agreements with 15 major international suppliers and more than 100 local suppliers... Hot off the press: the American Frozen Food Institute's 2000 membership directory and buyer's guide. Copies are $100 to non-members, but free to AFFI members.(So join, already!) For info, [phone] or www.affi.org. By the way AFFI's Western convention will be held March 4-8 in San Diego... On-line grocer ShopLink.com names Josh Kruger exec VP/operations. Kruger was VP of Wild Harvest, natural food concept stores of Star Markets, Boston... Hawaii-based Ceatech USA Inks deal with investment bankers to fund development of mainland markets and distribution for its fresh "Hawaiian Plantation Shrimp" and to process/market frozen products. Firm has offices in Burbank, Calif.... In Atlanta, Georgia Tech researchers develop "blosensors" capable of detecting E. cola, salmonella and other organisms at processing plants faster (within two hours instead of up to 72 hours today) and cheaper ($1,000-$5,000 vs. up to $20,000). If they pass tests, look for them to be commercially available in three to six months...