General Mills launches 2 e-commerce sites

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August 17, 2011 News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry   Company Watch    Smucker to trim Folgers, Dunkin' coffee prices J. M. Smucker Co. said it will cut prices on its coffee brands by an average of 6% as unroasted coffee beans become less expensive. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (8/17), Los Angeles Times (8/17)      SABMiller takes $10 billion bid for Foster's to shareholders SABMiller is again bidding for Foster's Group, this time taking its $10 billion offer directly to shareholders. The global brewer made a similar offer in June but was rejected by the Australian company's board. Reuters (8/17), The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (8/17)      P&G launches prepaid debit card for teens Procter & Gamble is teaming with BillMyParents to offer a six-month trial of its Spend Smart Card, a prepaid debit card for teens. The service costs $3.95 a month after the trial period and includes text alerts when the card is used. American City Business Journals/Cincinnati (8/16)      The business phone system market is constantly changing. Vendors are battling for your business with expanded feature sets and competitive pricing. How do you know which system is right for your enterprise-class business? Focus Experts have just completed a comprehensive guide for 2011 to help you assess your needs and choose a phone system that fits.   Trends  Retailers master the art of seasonal displays Seasonal displays give retailers a chance to highlight products that might not ordinarily be impulse buys. Retailers create seasonal displays for as many as 20 seasons a year. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (8/17)      Alcohol companies have fewer sustainability goals A Green Research study of 11 major beer, wine and spirits companies found all have between two and five publicly stated sustainability goals, fewer than companies in other industries. Environmental Leader (8/16)        Other News Egg whites show gluten-free product potential FoodNavigator (8/17)      U.S. farms, firms ratchet up to meet Chinese corn demand The Wall Street Journal (Asia) (8/17)      The Plum Card® The Everything, Everywhere Trade Terms CardSM from American Express OPEN • Pay in full within ten days, get a 1.5% discount • OR pay as little as 10% and take up to 2 months to pay off the balance, interest free • No annual membership fee for the first year—a savings of $185 • A powerful cash flow management tool APPLY NOW   Advertising & Marketing    General Mills launches 2 e-commerce sites General Mills has launched e-commerce sites using cloud-based technology. RedSpoonSquad.com provides recipes and online instruction, and GlutenFreely.com lets users shop for about 400 gluten-free General Mills products. InternetRetailer.com (8/16)      Barilla brings a taste of Italy to New Yorkers Pasta company Barilla is launching a six-week-long "Summer of Italy" effort in New York City that will treat residents to product samplings and sponsored events. The company might launch similar efforts in other U.S. cities in 2012. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (8/16) 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.   Retail Spotlight    Drugstores show food growth As drugstores sell more food, some categories are growing more quickly than at grocery stores, according to data. For example, drugstore sales of frozen dinners grew 15.9% compared with 0.09% at supermarkets. Supermarket News (8/15)      Kickstart your business’ marketing with FedEx Office! Save big on posters, postcards and brochures, with up to 40% off on select print products. Go to FedEx Office to take advantage of the Look Good On Paper Print Sale to get discounts on all your business printing needs.   Sponsored Content    How A 20-Something Prodigy Transformed The U.S. Hospitality Industry Katie Morell 7 Tips For Beating Fear And Becoming A Stellar Public Speaker James Clear Gary Vaynerchuk: Can Small Businesses Be Heard On Twitter? Gary Vaynerchuk What Do Employees Really Care About? RIEVA LESONSKY 9 Business Lessons From A Blown Out Car Tire Ramon Ray   Health & Wellness  Washing produce is no guarantee against E. coli, salmonella Purdue University scientists say washing the outside of produce does not eliminate the risk of E. coli and salmonella because seeds can be contaminated with pathogens before they are planted. United Press International (8/15)          GMA News  Which of your colleagues are attending the Sustainability Summit? On Sept. 12 to 14, join the leaders of sustainability in the CPG industry to accelerate environmentally and socially responsible business practices at the GMA-FMI Sustainability Summit. Retail companies that will be represented at the conference include: Ahold USA Delhaize America Hannaford Bros. Co. H-E-B Hy-Vee Loblaw Companies Limited Publix Super Markets Safeway SUPERVALU Sweetbay Supermarket Target Corp. Unified Grocers Walmart Stores Wegmans Food Markets Weis Markets Winn-Dixie Stores The reduced conference rate expires at the end of the week, and hotel accommodations are filling up fast. To register and book your hotel now, click here.      Learn more about GMA -> About GMA  |  Issues and Policy  |  Newsroom  |  Events  |  Research and Tools   Government & Food Safety  School cafeterias prep for healthier meals Schools in Maine and elsewhere will be changing their menus this year to meet the requirements of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. They will serve 1% or skim milk, more produce and whole grains, and less sugar, fat and sodium. Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine) (8/16)      Other News Choco Charm Chocolate Drink recalled by Winn-Dixie Reuters (8/16)      Position Title Company Name Location Regulatory Coordinator Baldwin Richardson Food Co. Macedon, NY Assistant Packing Manager Boston Beer Company Cincinnati, OH Click here to view more job listings.   SmartQuote  You don't lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going to that place and making a case." --Ken Kesey, American 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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