  | October 31, 2011 | News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry |  |  |
| Company Watch |  |  | | - P&G's global market share is flat amid price increases
Procter & Gamble's fiscal first-quarter earnings results show the consumer packaged goods giant's worldwide market share is roughly flat, which P&G Chairman-CEO Bob McDonald said was welcome news in light of price hikes instituted by the company that its competitors have been slow to match. Overall, P&G's price hikes took the biggest bite out of its sales volume in fabric and home care items. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (10/27)       - ConAgra sets growth goal
André Hawaux, president of ConAgra's consumer food division, said the company intends to be the fastest-growing food company in the U.S. by 2017. ConAgra's total sales have grown 5% since 2008, and it is now targeting overseas sales as well as markets including snack foods and multiserve frozen meals, which are growing quickly. Omaha World-Herald (Neb.) (10/28) - Sara Lee chief: We may move, change name
Marcel Smits, CEO of Sara Lee, said the company may move the headquarters for its North America meat business from Downers Grove, Ill., to Chicago after the company splits in two. Speaking at Sara Lee's annual shareholder meeting, he also said a name change is possible for the meat business, because Grupo Bimbo is acquiring the Sara Lee name for some products as part of its purchase of the North American bakery business. Chicago Tribune (10/28)  | Fly a lot? Earn 3X rewards points on airline purchases with The New Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN. Designed to earn Membership Rewards® points faster:
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  - Cleaners concentrate to reduce waste
SC Johnson is among the makers of cleaning products introducing pouches of concentrates, so consumers can reduce waste by refilling bottles and adding water. The company launched a Windex concentrate pouch, and Procter & Gamble is developing Tide Pods, containing concentrated detergent measured for a laundry load. Los Angeles Times/L.A. at Home blog (10/28)  | Uncover the 4 steps of competitive intelligence gathering with social media. This e-book will map out practical ways to use social media and explain why strategic social media engagement and listening, about your own brand as well as the competition's brand, will give you and your company the competitive edge. Download it now. |
  | VoIP phone systems deliver impressive benefits for businesses large and small. From advanced features like unified communications to significant cost savings, there's a compelling case to switch to VoIP. Read through these free guides for the very latest information on the phone system market. |
 - Kroger moves forward on seafood sustainability
Kroger said it is "taking steps" to require seafood suppliers to become more sustainable, as it moves toward its goal of sustainable sourcing of 100% sustainability for the top wild-caught fish and 75% for the top species by volume. The retailer said about 65% of wild fish and 50% of its top species by volume currently meet the standard set by the Marine Stewardship Council. Progressive Grocer (10/28)  | 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 | | | | - AdvancePierre asks experts for advice on school meals
AdvancePierre Foods asked school foodservice managers from across the U.S. for ideas to improve student meals during its annual School Nutrition Advisory Council in Enid, Okla. Council consultant Jimmy Gherardi, a chef, said the challenge is to make healthier versions of the meals that students love and to prepare large quantities of food on a budget. The Enid News & Eagle (Okla.) (10/27) | GMA News | | | | - Registration for new microbial control webinar now available
Environmental monitoring (EM) programs were developed to help evaluate the effectiveness of sanitation practices, detect potential microbial pathogen harborage sites and most importantly, guide and verify effectiveness of corrective actions.
On Tuesday, Nov. 15, join GMA expert Warren Stone for the What's in Your Plant? Measuring Microbial Control Effectiveness webinar that will explain how state-of-the-art environmental monitoring provisions complement the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's current Good Manufacturing Practices. Learn the importance of measuring and managing the overall effectiveness of microbiological controls through examples focused on challenges like salmonella in low-moisture foods and the benefits and components of a comprehensive EM program. For more information or to register, click here.
| Government & Food Safety | | | | - California groups are concerned about 2012 Farm Bill
Food and environmental groups in California are expressing concern that they won't have a say in the 2012 Farm Bill if it goes to the congressional "supercommittee" without votes in the House and Senate Agriculture committees or in Congress. Some are worried that the bill would favor commodity crops and offer less funding for organic farming, environmental protection and research programs for specialty crops in California. San Francisco Chronicle (10/30) - Private audits rarely flag food safety problems
Safety inspectors hired by food companies typically give stellar safety ratings, even to companies that later are linked to serious contamination outbreaks. "It's a system that doesn't appreciate truth-telling, even when human lives are at stake," said Amanda Hitt, director of the Food Integrity Campaign at the Government Accountability Project, which is among groups calling for change. The Denver Post (10/30)
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