Packaged Facts reports that prepared foods and ready-to-eat foods are enjoying major gains at retail, especially in supermarkets, and such items will reach sales of nearly $32.5 billion this year, up 7.5% from 2011.
The Kroger Co., Cincinnati, shut down its Dillons Central Bakery in Hutchinson, Kan., on June 1, ending a more than 40-year operation and affecting 28 employees.