National Lottery Instants is launching a new scratchcard game on October 6 called Instant Monopoly offering players six chances to win on each ticket. London fine foods retailer Fortnum & Mason has posted a 7.1% increase in full year pre-tax profit to £2.25m on sales up 6.5% to £41.6m. Hungarian growers have developed a potato they claim is "virtually impervious to blight" that could prove appealing to organic farmers unable to use pesticides to tackle disease. Somerfield has outsourced the management of its ambient distribution centre at Ross on Wye and its paper and sundries operations at Hereford and East Kilbride to Wincanton. The first annual debate at the Food Foundation on October 18 will be: Is food helping to unify or divide Britain?' US slimming business Weight Watchers is being floated in an initial public offering expected to raise $100m. The deal does not affect the food operations, which are owned by Heinz. US cereal giant General Mills beat analysts' forecasts to post a 18% rise in first quarter profit to $188m on sales up 6% to $1.77bn. The firm is still waiting for regulatory clearance of its $10.5bn acquisition of Pillsbury. ATM supplier Moneybox has struck a deal with Dutch bank SNS to launch a chain of 750 ATMs in the Netherlands by the end of 2003. The machines will be located in convenience stores, supermarkets and petrol stations. Carlsberg has increased its stake in Turkish brewery Turk Tuborg to 82.46% following sales by its investors of 32.45% of the share capital. Foster's US wine division is to form a joint venture with French wine-barrel maker Francois Frere to take over Australian cooper AP John. Imperial Tobacco said government measures to tackle cigarette smuggling had started to arrest the decline in its UK business. Marks and Spencer has won a legal victory in a French court which will enable it to sell its outlets in the country. Interbrew is considering entry into the Slovenian beer market via partnership with the country's second largest brewer Union Breweries. The Food Standards Agency has lifted precautionary advice on milk produced in areas close to foot and mouth pyres after tests showed cancer causing chemicals in the milk were within normal ranges. South African Breweries said growth in central and eastern Europe had boosted sales over the past five months, although overall volumes for the five months to August 31 were down 1%. Radnor Hills Mineral Water has opened new offices in Powys to support rapid expansion. Tesco Ireland is seeking permission for petrol stations at three of its Irish superstores. Two forecourts are planned in Dublin and a third in Killarney in the western county of Kerry. {{NEWS }}

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