 | March 16, 2011 | News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry |  |  |
- Unilever executive: "Innovation will step up"
Michael Polk, Unilever's president of global food, home and personal products, said the company will increase the pace of innovation "in order for us to realize the ambition we have stated externally." He said product launches are a key to the company's goal of doubling group turnover within the next 12 years. Reuters (3/15)        - Nonprofit aims to help food makers in Africa
General Mills, Cargill and Royal DSM NV are expected to announce the formation of a nonprofit called Partners in Food Solutions, which will share information that can help food companies in Africa. The idea is to "help build the capacities and the capabilities of a food industry" in Africa to reduce reliance on food imports, said a General Mills executive. The Wall Street Journal (3/16)  | A Strategic Overview for Multi-Channel Retailers
E-commerce growth has significantly impacted the retail industry. Mail and phone orders will continue to exist, but are increasingly ceding ground to e-commerce. Download this white paper to learn more about the retail trends and strategies needed to thrive in the retail industry. |
 - Mintel looks at attitudes on anti-aging products
According to Mintel, 69% of consumers believe genetics play a large role in how they age, but 80% also believe diet and exercise matter, and 78% said sunscreen prevents visible signs of aging. Though many consumers said external products are "more hope than help," 24% say they use anti-aging skin-care products. Drug Store News (3/15)  | To become a top-performing distributor, you must:
• Achieve 98% inventory accuracy.
• Reach 95% on-time and complete shipment rates.
• Maintain 12-hour order-to-shipment cycle times.
• Achieve 13% cycle-time reductions from ERP use.
Distributors, how do you stack up against top performers? View the Aberdeen webcast to find out. | | Advertising & Marketing |  | | | - Guinness kicks off soccer game show in Africa
 Guinness is launching a TV game show in Africa called the "Guinness Football Challenge," after identifying soccer as a "passion point" for African men ages 24 to 35. For the challenge, teams compete for a cash prize by answering questions and participating in soccer challenges. The Wall Street Journal (3/16) - Using Twitter for market research
Twitter is a more powerful market-research tool than conventional focus groups or surveys, says University of Texas researcher Elizabeth Winkler. Focus groups are inherently contrived and constrained, and that can distort their findings, Winkler argues. Twitter, by contrast, is rougher-edged and less controlled, making it a great place for brands to find out what their customers really think. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Social Media (3/15)    | 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. |
| Health & Wellness | | | | - Schools vary in approaches to healthy meals
California school districts approach healthy lunches for students in different ways, depending on the cost of the program, income levels and foods common to the culture, according to this article. Orinda Intermediate School offers organic vegetables, jasmine rice and Jamba Juice for its students with sophisticated palates, while West Oakland Middle School is working to use less meat, more whole grains and scratch cooking but has seen some resistance from students. The Bay Citizen (San Francisco) (3/14) | GMA News | | | |
| Government & Food Safety | | | | - GMA lauds childhood-fitness legislation
GMA is applauding the reintroduction in the House and Senate of the Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act, which would increase physical activity during the school day and provide education on exercise and nutrition. "Eating a balanced diet and getting plenty of exercise is the key to achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle," said GMA President and CEO Pam Bailey. Supermarket News (3/15) - FDA schedules meeting on food safety law's import provisions
The FDA will conduct a meeting on March 29 to hear industry stakeholders' views on the Voluntary Qualified Importer Program, third-party accreditation and other provisions of the Food Safety Modernization Act. The agency also will talk about the use of international comparability evaluation in improving the safety of animal feeds and imported food in a two-day public meeting, starting March 30. Occupational Health & Safety (3/15)  | |  | | | | | | Senior Food Labeling Spec | ConAgra Foods | Naperville, IL | | Manager Research & Development | ConAgra Foods | Omaha, NE | | Project Leader - Capital Engineering | ConAgra Foods | Menomonie, WI | | Manager Contract Manufacturing, Operations | ConAgra Foods | Omaha, NE | | Plant Manager | Richelieu Foods, Inc. | Grundy Center, IA | | Medical Officer Team Lead | Food and Drug Administration | College Park, MD | | Food Law Lawyer | Cargill, Inc. | Wayzata, MN | | V. P. of Sales & Marketing | $50MM+ Distributor/Processor of Fresh Fruit | San Joaquin Valley, CA | | | |  | |  |
| International | | | | - U.S. expected to export less food to Japan
The U.S. is expected to export less food to Japan in coming weeks, experts say, both because shipping has become more difficult and because the nation is focused on emergency work. Japan is normally a leading buyer of U.S. grains and meats, but a USDA official noted there are no immediate concerns of food shortages because Japan has large quantities of rice in stockpiles. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (3/16) | SmartQuote | | | |  | Our fathers had their dreams; we have ours; the generation that follows will have its own. Without dreams and phantoms man cannot exist."
--Olive Schreiner,
South African author  |
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