FROZEN MEMO

The Centers for Disease Control, public health officials in multiple states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service are investigating an ongoing multi-state outbreak of salmonella. According to the CDC, Banquet and other brand pot pies produced by ConAgra Foods, Omaha, Neb., bearing the number "P-9" are the likely source of the illness. Between Jan. 1 and Oct. 11, at least 165 cases have been identified in 31 states. ConAgra announced on Oct. 11 that it was voluntarily recalling all varieties of Banquet brand frozen pot pies, including poultry and beef, and all varieties of store brand frozen pot pies sold under the names of Albertsons, Hill Country Fare, Food Lion, Great Value, Kirkwood, Kroger, Meijer and Western Family. The company believes the issue is likely related to consumer undercooking of the product. ConAgra has suspended pot pie production in its Marshall, Mo., plant while investigation is conducted...Aliki Foods Inc., Old Lyme, Conn., has voluntarily recalled approximately 70,400 pounds of Aliki Chicken Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo Made with White Chicken. Aliki says the recall is a result of incorrect paperwork submitted by the company's contract manufacturer and that the product was intended to be a "Heat and Eat" product but was assigned a "Ready to Eat" code instead, which requires more stringent testing. Aliki Foods President Michael Pappas said the company is recalling the product "to avoid any confusion until the proper paperwork can be processed." The problem was discovered through routine USDA microbiological sampling at the import establishment and there have been no reports of illnesses associated with the product... Tesco says it will now open its first U.S. stores, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, in six locations in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties in California on Nov. 8. Tesco earlier said its first stores would open in San Diego. In addition to one store in Los Angeles, the locations are Anaheim, West Covina, Arcadia, He met and Upland... Frankie Valli, pop music icon and longtime lead voice of the Four Seasons, will headline the Chairman's Gala at the 2008 National Grocers Association (NGA) annual convention Feb. 5-8 at the Paris Las Vegas hotel in Las Vegas... Stellar, Jacksonville, Fla., has been named one of the top 50 Green Contractors in the United States by Engineering News-Record, which covers the construction industry. Stellar is ranked No. 13 on ENR's overall green building list, and No. 1 in the industrial market segment. Stellar was ranked last year by the magazine as the nation's No. 1 design-build firm for food processing...Tim Penner, president, Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, and Bill McEwan, president and CEO, Sobeys, Stellarton, Nova Scotia, will highlight Grocery Innovations Canada (GIC) on Oct. 29-30 at the Toronto Congress Centre. Sponsored by the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, GIC will feature more than 500 exhibits and 6,000 grocery industry representatives...National Turkey Federation (NTF) was recognized by the Web Marketing Association's 2007 International Web Award competition for the creation and development of its website, EatTurkey.com. The website offers consumers, foodservice professionals, and the media access to an extensive library of information, including resources on healthy eating and restaurant trends, turkey cuts and purchasing, turkey cooking, and a searchable database of over 1,500 recipes...The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Inc., (A&P), Montvale, N.J., debuted its Fresh prototype store in late September in Park Ridge, N.J....Perry's Ice Cream, Akron, N.Y., has announced a $5 million expansion project including a new 17,500-square-foot cold storage facility and conversion of a dry storage area into a 40-degree storage space...Finorpa SCR, Lille, France, has taken an equity stake in ILC/FrozenB2B.com, an Internet-based company serving the frozen food industry. Chris Debove and Patrice Ardore will continue to manage www.frozenb2b.com.