| May 20, 2011 | News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry |  |  |
| Company Watch |  |  | | - Ralcorp said to be pushing sale of Post cereals
Ralcorp Holdings is said to be trying to sell its Post cereal division, shopping it around to companies including General Mills, PepsiCo, Kellogg and B&G Foods. Sources say the company, which recently staved off a takeover bid from ConAgra, is asking $2 billion for the division, which generated about $1 billion in 2010 on overall Ralcorp sales of $4 billion. Bloomberg (5/19)       - General Mills seeks functional-food partners
General Mills is seeking bids from ingredients suppliers and other partners as it develops foods with heart, brain and weight-control benefits. For weight management, the solutions must have regulatory approval and clean-label status; the cognitive solutions must have proven benefits without changing the flavor profile of food. FoodNavigator (5/18) - Pepsi introduces green cups to foodservice customers
Pepsi-owned and independent bottler distributors will be offering foodservice customers, including restaurants, stadiums and colleges, five kinds of cups that are recyclable and compostable. "The new cups are an advancement in technology, but also in the way we communicate," said Margery Schelling, CMO of PepsiCo Foodservice. "Customers increasingly are asking for environmental products that match changing needs, expectations and lifestyles." Environmental Leader (5/17) - Coke CMO tapped as chief sustainability officer
Bea Perez, who joined Coca-Cola in 1996 and is currently chief marketing officer for North America, has been named the company's chief sustainability officer, leading the company's new global Office of Sustainability. "We are realigning this important work to create a unified team, strategy and business plan that connects our sustainability work and actions," said CEO Muhtar Kent. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (5/19)  | Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN has unlimited Membership Rewards® points potential:
• Get 25,000 bonus points when you spend $50,000 or more per year
• Save 3%-10% automatically on business expenses from FedEx, Hertz®, OfficeMax®, and more with OPEN Savings®
• No annual Card membership fee the first year - a $125 savings
Apply Now. |
  - Producers play a game of chicken
Though analysts have been warning of chicken oversupply since fall, none of the major producers wants to be the first to cut back. As feed costs rise and demand remains sluggish, Sanderson Farms has even expanded production, opening a North Carolina facility in January. Though it is expected to post a major quarterly loss, Sanderson and others are betting their strong balance sheets will carry them through the down cycle. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (5/20)  | Evaluate your Energy company's top ten, potential risks and loss management strategies with the Zurich Virtual Consultant tool. Sign up to get FREE access today! |
 - Friskies introduces digital games for cats
Friskies launched games for Apple iPad and devices powered by Google Android to keep felines amused, allowing them to use the touch screen to bob for digital fish or paw at moving treats. The games include "Cat Fishing," "Tasty Treasure Hunt" and "Party Mix-up." Friskies also developed "Here Kitty Kitty," an Apple iPhone application with sounds meant to summon cats, including a tin can being opened and the chirping of a bird. The Huffington Post (5/19) - Reckitt Benckiser launches online game as recruiting tool
Reckitt Benckiser has launched a free online game called UrbAN THRILL with the goal of raising awareness of the company as a potential place of employment. Though brands including Lysol and Clearasil are well known, said a company executive, "the problem is no one knows the company behind them. For us, it's important that people begin exploring what we are as a company and what it represents to them." MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (5/19)  | Are you keeping up with the changing world of employee health care? Get The Basics of Employee Health Care for Small Business: A Guide to Creating a Company Benefit Plan, and find out what you need to know today. There's no obligation. Click to download a FREE whitepaper. |
 - Text promo with Fareway yields juicy results for Tyson
A Tyson Fresh Meats executive lauded the success of a promotion launched in January between the company and Fareway Stores. The campaign gave a coupon for Chairman's Reserve Premium Pork to those who participated by texting. "The coupon texting portion of this contest was so successful, it was extended beyond the initial ... promotional time frame and ran throughout February, resulting in thousands of texts and two times that number of redemptions through forwarding and multiple use," said Tyson's Kent Harrison. Progressive Grocer (5/19)  | A recent survey of 120 blue-chip American companies found that a third of employees wrote poorly, a problem businesses spend more than $3 billion a year to correct. Help busy executives and employees organize their ideas and communicate them clearly and concisely with "The Harvard Business School Publishing Guide to Better Business Writing." Order here. |
| Health & Wellness | | | | | GMA News | | | |
| Government & Food Safety | | | |  | |  | | | | | | Copackers Manager | Dole Food Company, Inc. | Westlake Village, CA | | Promotional Products Sales Manager | Kencraft Candy | Alpine, UT | | Manager/Sr. Manager, Field Finance | Heinz | Pittsburgh, PA | | Manager, Health & Nutrition Policy | Grocery Manufacturers Association | Washington, DC | | Product Manager | Inventure Foods | Phoenix, AZ | | Market Research Manager | Barilla America | Bannockburn, IL | | Sr. Nutrition Marketing Business Partner | Kellogg Company | Battle Creek, MI | | | |  | |  |
| SmartQuote | | | |  | Every great advance in science has issued from a new audacity of imagination."
--John Dewey,
American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer  |
| | This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers@gmail.com
| | | Read more at SmartBrief.com | | A powerful website for SmartBrief readers including: | | | | | | | | | | Recent GMA SmartBrief Issues: - Thursday, May 19, 2011
- Wednesday, May 18, 2011
- Tuesday, May 17, 2011
- Monday, May 16, 2011
- Friday, May 13, 2011
| | | Lead Editor: Rebecca Pollack Scherr
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 | | | | | | © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information |
|
As commodity costs rise, some products are being sold in smaller packages in China in a bid to keep prices steady without attracting consumer attention. The Chinese government, concerned that rising food prices will undermine economic growth, is asking makers of consumer goods to disclose production costs and operating margins. 
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please comment thoughtfully CPG Brokers, your best resource to optimize your in store self exposure and maximize sku distribution.