  | December 27, 2010 | News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry |  |  |
- Unilever expands supplier base in developing countries
Unilever, in an effort to step up its "social mission" post-recession, joined with nonprofit Oxfam to help farmers in poorer nations. The project expands Unilever's supply chain and is to start next year with the purchase of onions from Azerbaijan. Groups such as Oxfam say they expect more opportunities for such corporate partnerships. Telegraph (London) (12/26)        - Cocoa producers embrace eco-certification
As the trend toward fair-trade chocolate grows, Mars is among the major chocolate producers that plan to use only certified cocoa by 2020. Cargill and Hershey started producing socially conscious chocolate in recent years, as certification groups such as Rainforest Alliance, UTZ Certified and Fair Trade USA grew rapidly in spite of the recession. "I see certification as a long-term trend for the industry, unlike some of the short-term fads that we've seen over the years," said Kip Walk, head of cocoa at Blommer Chocolate Co. The Wall Street Journal (12/24) - Growth in Muslim goods offers new markets
Food companies such as McDonald's to Whole Foods Market have started offering goods made according to Islamic dietary laws called "halal," and the American Muslim Consumer Conference was recently held to promote the segment as an emerging market. Halal foods have been sold in Europe for years, but U.S. companies have faced criticism and inadvertently stirred up ideological tensions by carrying Islamic food, cosmetics, clothing and financial products. The Boston Globe/The Associated Press (12/27)  | Increase daily productivity with comprehensive modern software. Consistently dependable office tools from Microsoft Online Services can reduce employee downtime on-premises and in the cloud. Learn more about implementing IT strategies with reduced operational costs in this free whitepaper. |
 - Nuvo liqueur's glamorous ad campaign appeals to women
Makers of a French vodka-based sparkling liqueur, Nuvo, have launched an ad campaign that takes cues from the fashion industry to target chic women. The campaign by New York's Levinson Tractenberg Group features actress Eva Longoria and is scheduled to appear in women's magazines. "So much liquor advertising is testosterone-driven or macho or overtly sexual, but it was important to us to create ads that were sexy but not sexist, and that women could look to and admire," an agency partner said. The New York Times (free registration) (12/26)  | Increase Sales with the TRUSTe Seal
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| Science & Technology | | | | | Health & Wellness | | | | - Effort to ban sugary drinks in Florida schools is put off
Florida's incoming agriculture commissioner, Adam Putnam, has put on hold the state's plans to ban flavored milk and other sugary drinks -- which some link to childhood diabetes and obesity -- from public schools, saying he would like to discuss the matter before the state Board of Education acts. "Let's hit the pause button, and let's begin a new type of conversation and an unprecedented collaboration between the source of our food and one of the biggest providers of children's food -- that being the school system," Putnam said. Orlando Sentinel (Fla.) (12/25) | GMA News | | | |
| International | | | | - Food inflation hits India hard
Produce prices are soaring in India. The wholesale food price index went up for the third straight week on Dec. 11, rising by 2.3% from the previous week and 12.13% from 2009. India's government may intervene to curb the prices, which are partly a result of crops damaged in unexpected rainfall. The Wall Street Journal (12/23)
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