Nestle buys share in medical food company

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July 15, 2011 News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry   Company Watch    Ralcorp aims to spin off cereal division Post Ralcorp Holdings proposed a spinoff of cereal unit Post Foods, a move that could eliminate a substantial tax bill. ConAgra Foods has a $4.9 billion bid on the table for the entire company, but a source said the spinoff would allow Ralcorp or Post to be sold without the tax burden. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (7/15), Food Business Review (7/15)      Nestle buys 18% of medical-food company in New Zealand Nestle is buying an 18% stake in New Zealand's Vital Foods, which makes kiwi-based products to prevent and treat constipation. Nestle sees food with medical benefits as a growing market and plans to take Vital products to clinical trials and additional markets. Reuters (7/14)      Coca-Cola Freestyle machines offer a wealth of data Two Taco Mac locations in Charlotte, N.C., installed Coca-Cola Freestyle fountains, and the restaurant's marketing chief, Bruce Skala, has particular praise for the way they track data. The machines dispense 125 Coca-Cola products and closely track sales, so it's possible to see whether certain beverages sell better when specific foods are on special. The Charlotte Observer (N.C.) (7/7)      White Paper: The Sustainability Advantage in CPG — Accelerating Success with Eco-Design. Learn how CPG manufacturers, private label providers and retailers can gain valuable time and a competitive edge by developing and executing a cohesive sustainability strategy across the enterprise, leveraging PLM. Download it now.   Trends    Proposed ad standards get GMA backing The GMA is supporting guidelines proposed by the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, which set nutrition standards for food and beverages that can be advertised to children. "Food and beverage industry self-regulation is working, and the changes announced today will further advance an already strong program," GMA said. Supermarket News (7/14), Progressive Grocer (7/14)      What are your new customers really worth? Relay Foods is switching marketing methods after calculating that it was losing money on new customers. The firm will rely on social media marketing instead of flier campaigns. Financial Times (tiered subscription model) (7/13)      Scheduling That Works for Employers and Employees: It's Not a Mirage Download the white paper How Automated Schedule Design and Management Benefits Both Employers and Employees for valuable tips on giving scheduling control and flexibility to employees. The result? Automated scheduling increased employee effectiveness for 84 percent of managers.   Advertising & Marketing    With help from Frito-Lay, a "South Park" snack gets real Comedy Central is teaming with Frito-Lay to create Cheesy Poofs, a real version of the cartoon snack enjoyed by characters on the 15-year-old "South Park" show. The bags will be sold at Wal-Mart stores and given away at a "South Park" booth at Comic-Con International in San Diego July 21 to 24. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (7/14)      ERP & BI: When 1 + 1 = 3 For the majority of fast growing businesses today spreadsheets are still of vital importance. However, the tide is turning on spreadsheets. In this whitepaper, discover why more and more, fast growing businesses are turning to enterprise resource planning (ERP) and business intelligence (BI) solutions to provide the control and visibility they need.   Retail Spotlight  Rite-Aid adds nonfat frozen yogurt and take-home pints Rite-Aid added flavors and varieties to private-label line Thrifty Ice Cream, including nonfat frozen yogurt and take-home pints. The yogurt, available in vanilla and with more flavors to come, is offered at counters for hand-dipped ice cream at nearly 500 California stores. Chain Drug Review (7/13)      Publish your company news with SmartBrief SmartBrief has made it easier than ever to put your press release in front of our highly targeted audiences. Visit SmartBrief.com/press to learn more about the 100+ SmartBrief newsletters that accept Press Release submissions, or click here to start scheduling your release today.   Health & Wellness  Study: Coffee and tea drinkers are less likely to have MRSA Research in the Annals of Family Medicine shows that people who drink hot coffee or tea are 50% less likely to have methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in their noses compared with those who do not drink the beverages. The bacterium can cause serious illness or death in those with a weak immune system. The research shows that those who drink the most coffee or tea have the lowest MRSA risk. WebMD (7/11)        GMA News  GMA and FMI host Strategies for Growth joint conference GMA and the Food Marketing Institute are teaming up to host Strategies for Growth 2011, to be held Oct. 10 to 12 in Dallas. This conference brings a fresh, forward-looking approach to how today's retailers and manufacturers must innovate to drive tomorrow's business. In short, Strategies for Growth is: A laboratory for trading partner collaboration and innovation. A leadership forum about the future of merchandising, sales and marketing. The home of actionable insights and the latest consumer trends. The place to learn about the next generation of shopper marketing and social media. Click here to find out what sets this event apart from other merchandising, sales and marketing events.      Learn more about GMA -> About GMA  |  Issues and Policy  |  Newsroom  |  Events  |  Research and Tools   Government & Food Safety  USDA report looks at how to improve farm-to-school programs Farm-to-school programs, which bring locally grown food to school cafeterias, have become popular in recent years. The USDA recently released a report examining what works and what can be improved. The report, which looks at 15 programs, says enthusiasm is high but better communication and more support are needed. Bloomberg Businessweek/The Associated Press (7/13)      Brand Manager-Red Vines American Licorice Company US - CA Senior-Level Marketing Opportunities @ Hershey's The Hershey Company US - PA - Hershey Sr. Food Scientist ConAgra Foods Omaha, NE Sr. Quality Specialist ConAgra Foods Omaha, NE Manager Sensory ConAgra Foods Omaha, NE   SmartQuote  The basic difference between being assertive and being aggressive is how our words and behavior affect the rights and well-being of others." --Sharon Anthony Bower, American self-help author          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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