Dairy-based soft drinks gain traction

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March 6, 2013 News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry   Company Watch    P&G promotes sleep with Downy, ZzzQuil Procter & Gamble is highlighting National Sleep Awareness Week, March 3-10, with a campaign featuring its Downy and ZzzQuil brands. The campaign includes a Downy and ZzzQuil Sleep Fest, which will bring beds with Downy-washed sheets to New York City's Penn Station. Drug Store News (3/5)      Lifeway adds Kefir products for babies, children Lifeway Foods has expanded its Kefir offerings with five launches for babies and children. They are Lifeway ProBugs Bites, Lifeway ProBugs Organic Green Kefir, Lifeway ProBugs Blast, Lifeway Lowfat Honey Fig Kefir, and Lifeway Frozen Kefir Bars. Food Business Review (3/5)      Drive Purchases and Win Customers Thursday, March 7, 2013 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PST Join IDC Retail Insights' Greg Girard and Revionics Social Commerce's Michelle Crames for a complementary webinar on how to "Drive Purchases and Win Customers Thru Strategic Social Commerce." Learn how to achieve a 5% increase in revenue through the right social programs and incentives. Register Now!   Trends    Value focus will continue, report says Though the economy is improving, shoppers are staying focused on value in 2013, according to a SymphonyIRI Group report, "2012 CPG Year in Review: Finding the New Normal." Among trends discussed, consumers are shopping at fewer channels and are relying more on information and deals found online. Progressive Grocer (3/5)      Dairy-based soft drinks gain traction A 2012 Rabobank report predicting "increasing convergence of soft drinks and dairy beverages" is coming true as Coca-Cola teams with Select Milk Producers on Core Power high-protein milkshakes and PepsiCo works with Theo Muller. Mintel analyst Caroline Roux said most launches of dairy-based soft drinks are in Asia, "but the number doubled in Europe between 2011 and 2012." BeverageDaily.com (France) (3/5)      Other News Greek yogurt now in baby food, snack bars, hummus The Huffington Post (3/5)      NEW REPORT - Coping in the Chaos? The number, complexity and diversity of cyber threats is soaring. 91% of organizations have directly experienced at least one cyber threat in the past year. Yet despite evidence of the dangers, over 40% of businesses feel underprepared for the threats around them. Be ready for what's next and ensure your company is protected by downloading this global IT report.   Retail Spotlight  Weis boosts loyalty program with digital coupons Weis Markets customers, using any Internet-enabled device, can add digital coupons to their Preferred Shoppers Club Card for automatic redemption at checkout. "In recent years, we've worked steadily to increase the value of our Weis Preferred Shoppers Club Card through gas rewards," Marketing Vice President Brian Holt said. "Our e-coupon program is the logical next step for a program that has helped us consistently add value to the Weis Markets shopping experience." Progressive Grocer (3/5)        Health & Wellness  Experts urge early allergen introduction The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology is urging parents to introduce potential allergens, including eggs and peanut butter, to children when they are as young as 4 months old. "There's been more studies that find that if you introduce them early, it may actually prevent food allergy," said David Fleischer, co-author of the article in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. The Wall Street Journal (3/4)        GMA News  New sessions added to complaints conference agenda Customer retention is not just about having the best or most affordable product -- it’s also about offering excellent customer service. Therefore it is critical that both consumer affairs representatives and claims handlers have the skills and knowledge required for effective complaint management. On May 8-10 in San Francisco, GMA will host the Consumer Complaints Management Conference, designed to provide the right tools for effective complaint management for consumer affairs and complaint management specialists working in the food, beverage and CPG industry. With a focus on the latest industry topics, GMA has just added these sessions to the agenda: Improving the Consumer's Ability to Report Food Safety Concerns to USDA Product Liability 101 for Claims Handlers Turn Complainers into Loyal Customers Using Social Media & Voice of the Customer Analytics Consumer Complaint Management Roundtable: Practices and Procedures to Protect Your Brand View the full agenda or to register.      Learn more about GMA -> About GMA  |  Issues and Policy  |  Newsroom  |  Events  |  Research and Tools   Government & Food Safety  Survey shows support for wellness measures Researchers at the Harvard University School of Public Health asked Americans what government can do to fight obesity and found that people favor measures including requiring restaurants to post calorie counts, making produce more affordable and adding physical activity to the school day. They do not like action perceived as punitive, such as an insurance surcharge for obese people or a ban on certain food and drinks. National Public Radio/The Salt blog (3/5)      Position Title Company Name Location Director, Federal Affairs -- Environment, Energy & Chemicals Policy Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) Washington, DC Director, Federal Affairs -- Agriculture & Food Policy Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) Washington, DC VP of Direct Response Fundraising The USO Arlington, VA Certification Specialist, SQF AIB International Multiple Locations, United States Director of Conference Services ARAMARK Madison, WI Click here to view more job listings.   SmartQuote  Every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want." --Anna Lappé, American writer, speaker and activist          This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers.input@blogger.com   Subscriber Tools       Update account information | Change e-mail address | Unsubscribe | Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Advertise Publisher, Food & Beverage:  Chris Warne (917) 605-0413 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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