   | January 3, 2012 | News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry |  |  |
| Company Watch |  |  | | - How McCormick has weathered the economic downturn
 McCormick Chairman, CEO and President Alan Wilson said the spice company "changed our advertising strategies to focus on value-type meals" in the past few years. The company also is expanding in developing markets including China, where people typically buy spices in open markets, through distribution in the markets as well as chains with fewer than 100 small stores. The Wall Street Journal (1/3)       - P&G's Secret finds inspiration again
Secret deodorant is emphasizing that it can "help women be more fearless" in its Clinical Sport formulation. A viral video about a female ski jumper hit the mark with 700,000 views and created a sales spike for a brand that had been flat. P&G has made inroads using social media to capture the imagination and emotions of teenagers in anti-bullying efforts such as its "Mean Stinks" effort. The Secret team is more engaged, says P&G's Kevin Hochman. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (1/2) - Gain campaign focuses on scents
Procter & Gamble is promoting its Gain brand in a campaign touting its 13 detergent and fabric softener scents. The campaign includes a Facebook page with scent tips and advice from company "scenthropologist" Tim Hittle, and ads starring Wanda Sykes. Progressive Grocer (1/2)  | Earn 2X rewards points on gasoline purchases with The New Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN. Designed to earn Membership Rewards® points faster:
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  - Consumer spending is expected to face "headwinds" in 2012
As income remains flat, consumers are expected to continue bargain hunting and cutting costs this year, and they likely won't spur strong economic growth, experts said. Macroeconomic Advisers predicted 2% growth in the first half of 2012, down from 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Consumer spending is "not going to collapse," but "there are some headwinds there," Senior Managing Director Joel Prakken said. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (1/2) - Study finds trends among buyers of healthy and natural food
A study by Mambo Sprouts Marketing found that 64% of consumers who seek out healthy and natural food plan to buy more organic food in 2012, with 56% saying they will buy more food without genetic modification and 52% saying they will spend more on food containing no hormones or antibiotics. The study also found that price is the top consideration for where to shop, followed by the store's healthy and organic offerings. Progressive Grocer (1/2)  | Your job as an Exchange administrator isn't easy. You have to respond to lost messages, handle email discovery requirements, and keep everything up and running. Is there an easy way to manage your Exchange environment — and do it under budget? Learn about the challenges faced by three real organizations, and how using the right solution brought them peace of mind. |
 | Corporate Social Responsibility | |  | | |  | - Green Mountain develops waste-to-energy system
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is working with bioenergy specialist Wynntryst and researchers from the University of North Dakota to create energy from coffee and packaging waste. The system is expected to create synthetic gas, which can be converted to biofuels or used in fuel cells or internal combustion engines. Environmental Leader (12/30)  | Principles of Checkweighing - Building an Effective Program
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 | Advertising & Marketing | | | | | Retail Spotlight | | | | - H-E-B in Austin, Texas, gets a Latino flavor
 An H.E. Butt Grocery store in Austin, Texas, was expanded by 6,000 square feet and remodeled to appeal to Latino customers, selling products including tortillas made on the premises. "We have a very strong Latino base in this area that was telling us what we needed to do, so that was kind of the driving force," said David Seeker, a unit director. KXAN-TV (Austin, Texas) (12/31) | Hot Topics | | | | Top five news stories selected by GMA SmartBrief readers in the past week. - Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.
| | | Most Popular Headlines from Last Week Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers. |
| Health & Wellness | | | | - High fruit and vegetable intake doesn't prevent weight gain
Data on 374,000 adults in 10 European countries show that those who reported eating more fruits and vegetables were not less likely to gain weight over a five-year period than those with lower consumption. However, those with high intake who quit smoking during the study appeared to gain less weight. The findings appear in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Reuters (12/30) | GMA News | | | |
| Government & Food Safety | | | | - Meeting will focus on source attribution of foodborne illness
The FDA, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scheduled a public meeting Jan. 31 in Washington, D.C., to tackle methods for linking cases of foodborne illness to a specific product. A review of the Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration's draft strategy also will be conducted at the meeting. FoodSafetyNews.com (1/3)
| SmartQuote | | | |  | I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor."
--Henry David Thoreau,
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