AldiWatching

When in Germany on Nestle biz, I watched Aldi squish Wal-mart's bananas. Aldi had its own wine label, cheeses from local farmers, gorgeous produce and stunning low prices. Wal-mart finally left the market. Now I'm watching Aldi expand in the US.

What a terrific competitor for Wal-mart in grocery. Target can't prevail here, they come from dept store roots--Aldi is the same family as Trader Joe's.

Could Aldi US, based in Batavia, join McD and Kraft as Illinois's next great food company?

Two Chicago food CEO's

With Brenda Barnes in the CEO spot at Sara Lee and Irene Rosenberg now running Kraft, Chicago boasts two respected women CEO's in the food world. Kraft has added a health and wellness program and limited food marketing to children, Sara Lee will be bringing out lots of new products next year.

They probably both love to shop at Target--which also represents their worst nightmare. It has brought its impeccable nose for trends into the exploding world of store brands. Witness the cover of today's circular --Archer Farm's brand BLUE Corn Tortilla Chips, Spinach and Artichokes Purses, High Protein Cinnamon Cereal.

Whatever can Mac & Cheese or Pound Cake do to keep up?