WISCONSIN LOOKING TO GET OUT OF HEALTH INSPECTION BIZ
Who will inspect, and who will pay? Things will eventually change in Wisconsin....[full story]

NEW MEXICO EQUIPMENT CERT DEADLINE LOOMS
Have non-certified kitchen equipment? Figure less than six months to get squared away....[full story]

ILLINOIS GOV. SIGNS SCHOOL BREAKFAST ACT
More wear soon for many Illinois school kitchens...[full story]

CALIFORNIA OFFERS ENERGY EFFICIENCY LOANS FOR SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS
Four-point-five percent. That’s the loan rate for schools or hospitals upgrading to enviro-friendly setups....[full story]

HONEY-SAN, I SHRUNK THE FOOD WASTE
Q: What’s shaped like a tiny Japanese washing machine and uses microwave energy to zap food waste into a lighter, more compact form?...[full story]

REPS EXPECT STRONGER E&S SALES
Manufacturers’ reps expect a better year in 2005, according the quarterly Business Barometer survey fielded by MAFSI....[full story]

BLUE CHIP ECONOMISTS, GREENSPAN FORESEE STABLE MACRO GROWTH
Blue Chip’s Randall Moore says econs have plotted "an exceptionally nonvolatile trajectory" on 2005 growth charts....[full story]

QSR HAMBURGER CONCEPTS DROVE 2004 TRAFFIC GAINS
Turnstyles at burger emporiums logged most of the 1.2% gain in overall restaurant traffic in 2004, NPD Foodworld says....[full story]

FORECASTS FOR GROWTH IN EUROPE, JAPAN ARE CUT
High unemployment and a high Euro are holding down European economies....[full story]

BRAZOS ACQUIRES MAJORITY STAKE IN STRATEGIC
A Dallas-based private investment firm adds power to Strategic’s nationwide distribution and services package….[full story]

CEOs OF IHOP, PANERA WIN SILVER PLATE AWARDS
Chainsters Julia Stewart of IHOP and Ronald Shaich of Panera Bread have claimed two of the coveted awards from this year’s IFMA competition....[full story]

CHANGING OF THE GUARD AT TRIMARK USA
The South Attleboro, Mass., distribution company has named Jerald Hyman to succeed current President Robert J. Halpern, who retires next month....[full story]

HICKS TAPPED AS LINCOLN’S INTERIM PREZ
Mike Hicks will serve as interim president of the company’s Lincoln Foodservice Group, replacing Stephen J. Whiteley, who passed away in January....[full story]

CHARLIE BROWN’S TO BE SOLD TO TRIMARAN
Trimaran Capital Partners has agreed to purchase New Jersey family steakhouse chain Charlie Brown’s....[full story]

ZOOM. ZOOM. ZOOM...TO ANAHEIM
Love the smell of raw gasoline in the morning? Sign up for the fundraising motorcycle ride to the NAFEM Show to benefit America’s Second Harvest....[full story]

WHO’S YOUR FAVORITE DEALER? NOW, VOTE!
Last month we told you about our newly created Customer Choice Dealer Awards....[full story]

ONEIDA TO SELL SHERRILL FLATWARE MANUFACTURING FACILITY
Oneida Ltd., of Oneida, N.Y., is in final negotiations to sell certain assets of its flatware factory operations....[full story]