Poultry supplier Moy Park has applied to rejoin the RSPCA's Freedom Food animal welfare assurance scheme, with inspections of its 60 farms due to be completed shortly. It was caught using the assurance mark without permission on Tesco Finest chickens in January. Marks and Spencer has confirmed its fifth railway station Simply Food c-store will open in Brighton later this year. A spokeswoman said "various other locations" for the Simply Food format will be announced shortly. TM Retail has acquired nine stores spread between Bournemouth and Watford from Leda Stores, which went into administration in February. Marks and Spencer has confirmed it is in exclusive talks with a single buyer regarding the sale of its US supermarket chain Kings. MPs have called for a government consultation into the effects of inedible objects inside chocolate products following the deaths of several children after choking on toys inside chocolate eggs. US retailer Kmart revealed it has made a net loss topping $750m in the five weeks since it filed for bankruptcy. Like-for-like sales in February were down 10.8%. Unilever has signed a £61m deal with outdoor advertising company Decaux in a bid to reduce its dependence on TV advertising. International Spar hosted a merchandising masterclass in Salzburg to share best practice with executives from 14 Spar countries. A Food Standards Agency report into mail order food has revealed that some products are exempt from certain aspects of food hygiene legislation and may not meet standards set in the UK. Wal-Mart is now officially the biggest company in the world, capturing the top spot in the annual Fortune 500 list. Online shopping company expatshopping has teamed up with Scotland the Brand to enable Scots living overseas to order traditional Scottish products. Cambridge-based Kershaw Mechanical Services has been appointed as Waitrose's approved mechanical services partner in a three-year deal covering all new stores and refurbishments. The Director General of Fair Trading is considering whether to refer the proposed acquisition of Kernels Snack Products by Cadbury Schweppes to the Competition Commission. Sales of functional foods have shot up by 159% over the past two years and are now worth £667m, according to a Mintel report. Breakfast cereals, spreads and energy drinks were the biggest sellers. Organic food is often less healthy than conventional food, according to a Which? magazine survey that found organic products often contained more fat and sugar than standard food and had less environmentally-friendly packaging. {{NEWS }}

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