Goldfish, Kraft Mac & Cheese rank high with families

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December 21, 2010 News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry   Company Watch    Unilever purchase of Alberto-Culver moves forward Alberto-Culver shareholders approved a proposed Unilever acquisition for $3.7 billion, which could bring together the hair- and skin-care brands of the two companies. However, Unilever confirmed that the Justice Department has asked for a second round of information for its regulatory review of the deal. Drug Store News (12/20) Goldfish, Kraft Mac & Cheese rank high with families Children and parents asked to rank 271 brands across 29 characteristics for market researcher Smarty Pants put Goldfish and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese in the top five. Brands that fell from last year include Starbucks, Burger King, Wrigley's Bubble Tape and Mountain Dew. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (12/20) Nestle chooses health investments over acquisitions Although Nestle had $28.3 billion in cash this year after selling its Alcon stake, the company did not get involved in the year's big purchases of Cadbury, Del Monte or Russia's Wimm-Bill-Dann Dairy & Juice Co. Instead, it is investing in a new Health Science unit that will develop foods and drinks aimed at preventing or treating chronic diseases. Bloomberg (12/20) Gain insight into the overall health of U.S. businesses and how to leverage new tools to better manage business, while reducing risk exposure. View our on-demand Webinar Gain a clearer picture of small-business risk in an uncertain market.   Trends    GMA applauds Senate passage of food safety bill Pamela G. Bailey, GMA's president and CEO, praised the Senate for passing the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, and urged the House to approve it, too. a corresponding act. She said the bill "provides FDA with the resources and authorities the agency needs to help strengthen our nation's food safety system by making prevention the focus of our food safety strategies." Progressive Grocer (12/20) Pros and cons of organic farming Organic farms cause less environmental damage, but the yields are typically lower. Some conventional farmers argue that if everyone switched to organic food, the planet would suffer because more land would be devoted to food production. Also complicating the issue are factors such as the distance the food travels and some farmers who embrace organic practices not bothering with certification. USA TODAY (12/21) Other News Companies caught between higher costs, cautious shoppers The Wall Street Journal (12/21) The ABCs of effective board members Chiquita CEO Fernando Aguirre and former Wendy's CEO Kerrii Anderson offer best practices for managing board members. Find out how to make the most of the talents and experience of your corporate board — and make your company stronger. Access the recording of Effective Board Leadership for SmartBrief price of $75.   Advertising & Marketing    Gorton's, Ortega join to promote fish tacos Gorton's Seafood and Ortega Mexican Food Products are launching a co-branded campaign and contest to build on the popularity of fish tacos. The co-branded website includes recipes and information about the contest, which seeks recipes for taco toppings or tips and photos for creating a "fish taco fiesta" at home. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (12/20) Other News Kraft sponsors bowl game for a cause San Francisco Chronicle/The Associated Press (12/18) Discover the 'Future of Sustainable Household and Laundry Care Packaging'. Covering home and laundry care, it outlines the major drivers and inhibitors of sustainable packaging mostly from a consumers' perspective. Find out more:   Retail Spotlight    No buyers on the horizon for SUPERVALU's Shaw's SUPERVALU has been seeking a buyer for the Shaw's supermarket chain in New England, which it bought as part of its 2006 Albertsons acquisition, sources say. The company sold 16 Shaw's stores in Connecticut in February, but it has not found a buyer for more than 175 remaining stores despite trying for several months. The Wall Street Journal/Deal Journal blog (12/20) You're Up To Date On Industry News, But What About Life Insurance? Did you know that MetLife Life Insurance premiums can be as low as $12 per month for $250,000 of coverage? Or, as low as $18 per month for $500,000 of coverage. Stay on top of very affordable rates with America's #1 Life Insurer – MetLife. Request a Free, No-Obligation Life Insurance Quote Now   Featured Content    Did You Win or Lose Today? Ken Kaufman What Smart Companies Know About Customer Engagement Scott Ginsberg 3 Reasons You Should Let Your Employees Work Remotely Rieva Lesonsky 8 Ways to Network During the Holidays to Find a Job Dawn Reiss How Blogging Can Transform Your Business Shira Levine   Science & Technology  Robots improve egg safety, efficiency Scott Gilmore, CEO of Smart Motion Robotics, said egg farms and other food producers are turning to robots to help with food safety. The robots handle eggs with less breakage and can reject eggs that show signs of problems. Hoosier Ag Today (Clermont, Ind.) (12/20)   Health & Wellness  Potential benefits are seen for the elderly in beetroot juice Elderly study participants who drank beetroot juice used less oxygen when walking than those who drank a placebo, therefore reducing the effort and allowing them to be more active. Beetroot juice appears to widen blood vessels and lower blood pressure, and the lead investigator said future research will look at potential benefits to elderly people with heart or lung conditions. United Press International (12/20)   GMA News  What to watch for in 2011: Food-related litigation This February, join top attorneys to discuss trends in food related litigation that will impact the industry in 2011. The GMA Food Claims and Litigation Conference will feature practical, "how-to" litigation management strategies and it is the only industry event exclusively dedicated to food and consumer product litigation management. Register today for the GMA Food Claims and Litigation Conference. Learn more about GMA -> Home  |  Join GMA  |  Public Policy  |  Industry Affairs  |  Publications  |  Events   Government & Food Safety  Food safety bill appears to be set to clear Congress The House is expected today to approve the Food Safety Modernization Act, which the Senate passed unanimously on Sunday. The bill would go to President Barack Obama for his signature. Los Angeles Times (12/21) , FoodSafetyNews.com (12/21) R&D Manager AmeriQual Group, LLC Evansville, IN Director, Human Resources Pinnacle Foods Group Fayetteville, AR   SmartQuote  Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound." --James Allen, British philosophical writer     This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers.data@blogger.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:  Celia Rothschild (202) 470-1159   Read more at SmartBrief.com A powerful Web site for SmartBrief readers including: Breaking News Industry Home Readers' Choice Press Releases Search Archive Who's Hiring? 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