Mars Chocolate is set to open first U.S. plant in 35 years Mars Chocolate is expected to open its new factory in Topeka, Kan., by early next year. It's the first plant Mars has opened in 35 years, and the company expects to employ about 425 people at the $270 million plant. Initially, the plant will make Snickers and M&M peanut candies, but it will later expand from eight to 10 lines to produce other products such Twix chocolate bars. The Kansas City Star (Mo.) (7/4) New Hostess Brands to freeze Twinkies to boost shelf life The new owners of Hostess Brands will begin freezing Twinkies and other snacks to extend shelf life and get by with fewer bakeries. The snacks will be thawed at stores before they are sold. Hostess CEO Dean Metropoulos believes consumers won't notice a difference. "When consumers are finally able to bite into Hostess products again, they will, without question, have the same delicious experience that has given these great brands their enduring appeal," he said. New York Post (7/5)  | CSO Insights: 2013 Sales Performance Optimization Study Results
In this analysis, see an overview of the eight key attributes found in high performance sales organizations, and some of the major trends that positively and negatively impacted sales behavior in 2012. Compare how your sales team's best practices align with the high performing organizations in this study. Download the free study now. |
 | Survey: Hershey's, Coca-Cola and Wrigley's among most patriotic brands Hershey's, Coca-Cola, Wrigley's and Colgate were among the top brands in a survey of most patriotic brands from research group Brand Keys. For a brand to be viewed as patriotic, the value must be seen as "part of the brand's equity" and "acknowledged on a deeply emotional and engaging basis," said Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys. Hershey's and Coca-Cola came in at numbers two and three, respectively, behind front-runner Jeep. USA Today (7/2), FoodNavigator (7/3)  | Democracy meets GIS
The rise of powerful consumer-focused mapping tools is shifting the centre of gravity in the once-rarefied spatial information market.
Government Technology Review
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 | Pantene makes Twitter splash with real-time Oscars tweet fest On the night of the Oscars, P&G's Pantene hair products were being mentioned 35 times per minute on Twitter thanks to an aggressive real-time marketing campaign. The company's #WantThatHair promotion received an estimated 28 million impressions on Oscar Sunday in February. The promotion urged watchers to tweet about hairstyles they saw on the red carpet before the Oscars. "If there's a look on the red carpet and you want that hair, we have a way to get you that hair with our Pantene products," said P&G's Kevin Crociata. eMarketer (7/3)  | Contract Management Software — Buyers Advice
Contract Management Software can be challenging due to some key characteristics of the contract management process. In this guide, read about the entire evaluation and purchase cycle, including key considerations and pitfalls. Download the free guide now and learn how to manage the process to your best benefit. |
 | Updated Kings Food Market reopens in N.J. A 40-year-old Kings Food Market in Maplewood, N.J., has been updated with larger windows, more display space, new fixtures, and expanded dairy, produce and frozen food departments. "This is a 40-year-old store in a wonderful community, and we wanted to make sure we're really serving the needs of our guests here," President and CEO Judy Spires said. Supermarket News (free registration) (7/2) | Healthy food products are popular with boomers, survey finds U.S. baby boomers are in the market for healthy beverages and snacks as well as products higher in protein, according to a survey from Fonterra. Just more than a fifth of boomers are healthy food seekers who said they pay attention to nutrition trends and would be willing to make changes to their diet for health reasons. Fonterra recommends food manufacturers examine how to put more protein in the average American breakfast. BakingBusiness.com (7/3) High intake of fatty acids from fish may cut breast cancer risk A review of 21 studies found that high intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are found in oily fish such as salmon, sardines and tuna, was associated with a 14% lower risk of breast cancer in women. The risk of breast cancer dropped 5% for every 0.1-gram-per-day increase in n-3 PUFA intake. The study appeared online in BMJ. HealthDay News (6/28) | Learn how to develop a best-in-class food safety and defense plan GMA’s new two-part food safety manual contains contributions from over 30 food safety, quality, legal and regulatory experts that food companies will find essential in developing food safety plans that comply with FSMA.
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