| March 1, 2011 | News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry |  |  |
- P&G reformulates detergent for less packaging
Procter & Gamble has introduced compacted formulas for powder Tide and Gain that give the same number of laundry loads in boxes that are one-third smaller. The company plans to introduce compacted formulas for Cheer, Dreft and Ivory Snow, and says the shift will save as many as 22 million pounds of packaging in the U.S. and Canada. The Cincinnati Enquirer (2/28)        - Sources: General Mills, Nestle in contention for Yoplait
Nestle and General Mills are said to be front-runners in the effort to acquire 50% of Yoplait from PAI Partners, with bids of about $2.2 billion. Though Bright Dairy & Food Co. submitted the highest bid, the Chinese company may not win approval from authorities. Bloomberg (3/1)  | White paper: Improve the Agility of Demand-Driven Supply Networks With consumer companies being squeezed on margins due to spiraling costs of ingredients, materials, and energy, achieving operational excellence is ever more critical. There's an opportunity to discover the full potential of supply chain cost reductions, which can be achieved by balancing material inventory with demand and production capacity. | - Food-trend report sees move toward experimentation
An analysis of food trends from Culinary Tides finds consumers moving away from comfort food and toward experimentation, though authenticity remains important. Specific trends discussed in the report include hay roasting, insect eating, Tiki cocktails and Japanese sweets. FastCasual.com (2/28)  | Accenture acquires CAS — A powerful combination
By providing an integrated suite of enterprise software applications, the most demanding requirements of the consumer products industry can now be met. Learn how the acquisition of CAS by Accenture helps consumer products companies execute in-store strategies more effectively. Learn more>> | | Advertising & Marketing |  | | | | Retail Spotlight | | | |
| Science & Technology | | | | - Genetically modified foods are on the rise, but consumers remain wary
More U.S. crops are grown from genetically modified seeds, and while opponents acknowledge there is little evidence showing such foods are dangerous, they say it remains an ethical issue. Organic food companies, chefs and consumer groups have been unsuccessful in getting more federal oversight of GM crops, but have applauded Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for recognizing the debate and concerns about the issue. USA TODAY/The Associated Press (2/25) | Health & Wellness | | | | - Study links sweet drinks, high blood pressure
 Researchers who studied the eating and drinking patterns of nearly 2,700 adults found higher blood pressure levels among those who consumed more sugar-sweetened drinks. The American Beverage Association said the study could not prove a cause-effect relationship and acknowledged that hypertension is "a serious health concern." HealthDay News (2/28), Reuters (2/28) | GMA News | | | |
| International | | | | - Can Nestle win India's noodle wars?
Nestle has dominated India's instant-noodle market for a quarter of a century, but it's facing serious challenges from GlaxoSmithKline, Unilever and ITC. With Indian consumers spending hundreds of millions of dollars on convenience foods, the multinationals are pouring huge amounts of money to persuade shoppers to give their noodle brands a try. "Marketers can safely assume that the noodle wars have begun," says Devendra Chawla, an executive at Indian retail giant Future Group. Knowledge@Wharton (2/24)
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