  | April 29, 2011 | News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry |  |  |
| Company Watch |  |  | | - Maple Leaf to raise prices
Maple Leaf CEO and President Michael McCain said the Canadian company will raise prices to offset increased costs of raw materials, especially corn and wheat. "I am very respectful of the impact on consumers," he said. "We try to be as sensitive to that as we possibly can be. We balance the initiatives with passing on pricing with also reducing cost to try and mitigate that as much as we possibly can." The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (4/28)        | Financial Control.
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  - High bean prices bring wake-up calls for coffee shops
The price of raw coffee beans closed just pennies short of an all-time high hit in 1977, eating into profits for coffee shops such as City Bean Coffee in Los Angeles, which is paying nearly twice as much per pound as it did 10 months ago. Shops and restaurants are passing along some of the higher costs to consumers, many of whom have begun drinking less of the brew, while other restaurants say they're cutting back on staff hours and working harder to keep from raising prices. CBS News (4/26)  | Seven Communication Mistakes Managers Make
Management communications can derail in many ways, from simple bad timing to multi-layered misjudgments. This Harvard Management Update describes seven common mistakes managers make in their efforts to convey important information to employees and, more importantly, how to avoid them. Order here. |
 | Advertising & Marketing | | | | - Survey: Despite marketing, moms don't feel the love
While marketers are promoting Mother's Day, 40% of mothers said husbands and children come first on that day, according to a survey by Martin Agency. Of respondents, 30% said they are honored for five to 10 minutes, while 12% said they receive no recognition at all. Gift spending is expected to reach $140.73 this year, up from $126.90 in 2010, but 57% of moms said they want time off from housework and a homemade gift or card. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (4/28) | Retail Spotlight | | | | - Kroger adds a digital-coupon service
Kroger signed on with SavingStar to offer digital coupons that shoppers can download with a smartphone and redeem when using a loyalty card at checkout. Instead of an immediate discount, the savings are given as an Amazon gift card, a donation to American Forests or a PayPal deposit. More payout options will be added. American City Business Journals/Los Angeles (4/28)
| Health & Wellness | | | | - Study: Children's viewing of food ads fell from 2004 to 2010
The number of food and drink advertisements viewed by children ages 2 to 11 fell 50% between 2004 and 2010, according to research from Georgetown Economic Service, conducted for the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Association of National Advertisers. GMA credited the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, launched in 2006, which set voluntary standards for the 17 food and drink companies that signed on. Supermarket News (4/28) | GMA News | | | |
| SmartQuote | | | |  | A man does not plant a tree for himself; he plants it for posterity."
--Alexander Smith,
Scottish poet,
quoted for Arbor Day, April 29, 2011  |
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