Better-for-you products boost bottom line, study shows

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October 14, 2011 News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry   Company Watch    PepsiCo reportedly is close to yogurt joint venture PepsiCo is in the final stages of forming a joint venture with German dairy company Theo Mueller Group that would involve launching a yogurt brand in the U.S., sources said. The move would let PepsiCo, which has no dairy business, enter the U.S. yogurt market, which has about doubled in the past 10 years. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (10/14)      Unilever buys 82% of Russian beauty company Unilever is acquiring 82% of Concern Kalina, the largest personal-care company in Russia, further expanding its presence in that segment. Unilever's global skin-care brands include Dove, Pond's and St. Ives. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (10/14)      Heinz facility in Stockton, Calif., to close H.J. Heinz said it will close its manufacturing facility in Stockton, Calif., on Dec. 2, and move production of ketchup and canned tomato products to facilities in Fremont, Ohio; Muscatine, Iowa; and Escalon, Calif. About 140 people work at the Stockton plant. Food Business Review (10/13)      Other News Vitale to be CFO of Ralcorp spinoff Post Holdings American City Business Journals/St. Louis (10/13)      Get to know the company ranked #1 Retailer Agency by Promo magazine. Integrated Marketing focuses on what our clients care about most: influencing buyer behavior and driving sales. After all, the point is purchase. We offer a number of services, including shopper marketing, experiential marketing and much more. Visit us at inmarketingservices.com.   Trends    Better-for-you products boost bottom line, study shows A report from the Hudson Institute says companies that sell healthier food and drinks expand faster and have higher operating profit. "For the first time, we now have concrete evidence demonstrating that it's just good business to sell better-for-you products," said lead author Hank Cardello. The report shows that companies with higher-than-average sales of better-for-you items also deliver better shareholder returns and have a better reputation. Progressive Grocer (10/13)      Food companies follow the mini dessert trend Baskin-Robbins is introducing Cake Bites, which combine ice cream and cake and are small enough to be consumed in four bites. Food companies are responding to consumer demand for portion-controlled indulgences, with Starbucks introducing two-bite Petites, Pillsbury selling refrigerated Sweet Moments brownie bites and Entenmann's launching a line of Mini Cakes. USA TODAY (10/14)      Other News Chicken demand strong at retail, weak in restaurants The Washington Post/The Associated Press (10/13)      John Jantsch invites you to go local As customers continue to rely on the Web to help them screen local businesses, local businesses must take steps to ensure that they pop to the top of online searches. Duct Tape Marketing's John Jantsch offers strategies for local marketing success in this free white paper from American Express OPEN, How to Win at the Local Marketing Game. Download your free copy now, exclusively for SmartBrief readers.   Advertising & Marketing    GMA: Marketing restrictions would cost jobs GMA said marketing guidelines proposed by the Intergovernmental Working Group to ban advertisements of the most popular foods would cost 74,000 jobs in food manufacturing and advertising. "Ultimately, the proposal is anything but voluntary and will have little or no impact on obesity and public health," said GMA. "The IWG should withdraw the proposal and embark on a comprehensive effort to study the impact of marketing on childhood obesity and the costs and benefits of any and all proposed marketing guidelines." Progressive Grocer (10/13)      Other News Remembering the Pepsi Generation Adweek (10/13)      Big G cereal boxes contain Justice League comics The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/Media Decoder blog (10/13)      Uncover the 4 steps of competitive intelligence gathering with social media. This e-book will map out practical ways to use social media and explain why strategic social media engagement and listening, about your own brand as well as the competition's brand, will give you and your company the competitive edge. Download it now.   Retail Spotlight    Target sets goal of sustainable seafood by 2015 Target plans to stock by 2015 only fresh and frozen seafood that qualifies as sustainable. The retailer, which two years ago stopped selling orange roughy and Chilean sea bass, is working with nonprofit group FishWise on the effort. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.)/The Associated Press (10/13)      Mintel finds consumers aren't looking for HFCS. Only 4 percent of consumers are looking to reduce or avoid high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), according to newly released study findings by Mintel Research Consultancy. Over 2,000 consumers were surveyed on sweeteners, with some surprising results. Visit CornNaturally.com/Mintel for details.   Sponsored Content    Small Business Week In Review Kalina Mazur 10 Most Crucial Business Questions Barry Moltz Small Business Snapshot: Overseas Jobs To Return To U.S. Katie Morell How Jen Bekman Is Making Everyone An Art Collector Katie Morell Operation Twist Leaves Economy In Knots Mike Periu   Health & Wellness    USDA gives $300,000 to W.Va. schools to battle childhood obesity The USDA presented the West Virginia Department of Education with more than $300,000 in grants to curb obesity and promote physical activity in schoolchildren. The funds will provide training and assistance to school foodservice staff to make school meals healthier, while children will be taught healthy food and lifestyle choices. The Gazette (Charleston, W.Va.)/The Associated Press (free registration) (10/13)      Let Social Media Find Your Staff For You Give your hiring managers fast, easy access to quality employees by pairing social media with automated recruitment solutions that use Web 2.0 functionality. Download the white paper Automating Social Recruiting for Better Hiring and see how 85 percent of best-in-class companies save money with automation.   GMA News  Puzzled by acidified foods process filing? GMA has the solution GMA understands that FDA federal regulations for filing acidified and low-acid processes can seem complex -- product, product style, processing method, container size and type are all important considerations for commercial processors filing with the FDA. That's why GMA has developed the Mystery Solved! Understanding Process Filings for Acidified and Low Acidified Foods webinar, Oct. 26, from 1-3 p.m. During this webinar, hear from GMA experts of processing technologies and food protection as they provide a fundamental understanding of this important regulatory process while addressing frequently-asked questions and identifying common mistakes made in filings. Only two weeks left -- don't delay. Click here to register now!      Learn more about GMA -> About GMA  |  Issues and Policy  |  Newsroom  |  Events  |  Research and Tools   Government & Food Safety  National food safety center opens in Beijing China has established a national center for assessing, monitoring and communicating food safety standards and risks. The government funded center, which opened Thursday in Beijing, includes more than 300 monitoring sites across China, and is being hailed as an essential step in promoting food safety in China. China Daily (Beijing)/Xinhua (10/14)        Position Title Company Name Location Chief Marketing Counsel Hill's Pet Nutrition / Colgate-Palmolive Topeka, KS Manager, Nutrition Product Innovation & Development McDonald's Corporation Oak Brook, IL Click here to view more job listings.   SmartQuote  Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are." --Malcolm Forbes, American magazine publisher          This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers@gmail.com   Subscriber Tools       Update account information | Change e-mail address | Unsubscribe | Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Advertise Associate Publisher, Food Service:  Chris Warne (212) 450-7970 Download Media Kit Job Board:  Jackie Basso (202) 407-7871   Read more at SmartBrief.com A powerful website for SmartBrief readers including: Industry Home Readers' Choice Search Archive Who's Hiring? 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