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October 29, 2009 News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry   Company Watch  P&G ready to drop some brands, buy others Procter & Gamble CEO Robert McDonald is considering dropping brands including Braun, Iams, Duracell and Pringles if their sales don't improve. Potential company purchases include the consumer-products portfolio of Schering-Plough, beauty-products maker Alberto-Culver Co. and the international household-products unit of Sara Lee Corp. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (10/29) Times Square billboard highlights length of Campbell noodle Campbell is using a Times Square billboard to drive home its message that each can of chicken noodle soup contains 32 feet of noodles. The billboard shows a 54-foot noodle emerging from a bowl and appearing to be eaten by a mannequin three stories above it. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (10/28) Helen's Kitchen and Organic Bistro become Food Collective A parent company called Food Collective has been created through the merge of Helen's Foods and Callaway Consumer Products. The company will manage the brands of both Helen's Kitchen brand, which sells frozen, organic vegetarian entrees, and Organic Bistro, maker of frozen entrees with poultry and seafood. Food Business Review (10/26) Other News Jelly Belly now in beverage form Drinks Business Review (10/26)   Trends  Old-fashioned milkmen still making the rounds Several businesses are once again offering delivery of farm-fresh dairy goods directly to consumers, while other companies have never stopped using milkmen. Four such services were tested, with panelists deciding that the fresh taste of the milk and the comfort of a familiar ritual were worth paying slightly more than at a grocery store. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (10/29) Easy-to-copy package designs mean lost sales In a survey by The Brand Union, 70% of consumers said they had purchased the wrong product in the past year because they had accidentally picked up a store brand with packaging that mimicked that of a national brand. Many retailers are moving toward their own brand identifications, but weak designs are still vulnerable to imitation, said an author of the study. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (10/29) Other News Consumer confidence up, but spending remains conservative Brandweek (10/28)   Advertising & Marketing  What's your story? An effective brand tells a story that allows consumers to form a relationship with your company, according to branding expert Mary van de Wiel. Your story differentiates your brand and makes you memorable, but it has to be authentic. "If you want others to recognize you, the best way to do it is to recognize yourself first," she writes. Entrepreneur.com (10/19)   Retail Spotlight  Kroger salads now have traceability codes Private-label salads from Kroger now have 16-digit codes on the packaging that let consumers track the salad's origin, ingredients, packing location, and date and time of packing. Shoppers can enter the code at HarvestMark.com. Supermarket News (10/29)   Sponsored Content    Small Business Stimulus Program Gets a Boost Michelle V. Rafter Why 'Charlotte's Web' Suddenly Matters to Marketing Ann Handley Government Plays VC in CleanTech Jen van der Meer Small Business Survival: Become a Collections Expert Polly Schneider Traylor Cardmember Profile: Progressive Promotions, Inc. OPEN Forum Connectodex   Science & Technology  FDA grants "safe" status to biotech soybean oil from Monsanto, Solae Monsanto and Solae have received "generally regarded as safe" status from the FDA for their SDA Omega-3 oil derived from biotech soybeans. The FDA will allow the soybean oil to be used in food products. St. Louis Post-Dispatch (10/28) The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Accelerate Brand Results! Partner with Box Tops For Education. During the 2008/2009 school year, America's schools earned more than $51 Million in cash through Box Tops for Education. By being part of Box Tops, brands can grow sales through increased consumer loyalty and in-store merchandising. National brand managers: Click here to learn more! Interested in learning more about advertising in GMA SmartBrief? Contact Chris Warne at (212) 450-7970 or cwarne@smartbrief.com.     Health & Wellness  Fish oil chemical seen as arthritis fighter Scientists say an ingredient in fish oils called DHA is converted by the body into a chemical called Resolvin D2, which reduces inflammation linked to rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions. Resolvin D2, unlike other anti-inflammatory drugs, does not appear to suppress the immune system, they say. HealthDay News (10/28)   GMA News  GMA & IBM 2010 Logistics Benchmark Survey Now Open for Participation The biennial CPG manufacturer specific GMA Logistics Benchmark Survey is now open for participation. Every two years the report focuses specifically on supply chain issues, trends and solutions employed and provides a benchmark for companies to measure their performance across-the-board within the industry. The results of the survey will be debuted at the CPG Supply Chain Conference, Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, Phoenix. To participate in the survey, contact jfinci@gmaonline.org. Protect Your Brand: Consumer Complaint Management Considering the recent decline of public confidence in food safety, it is of utmost importance that CPG companies have effective measures in place to handle consumer complaints. This Nov. 5 webinar is designed for employees who deal directly with consumer complaints and those responsible for implementing standards for investigating such complaints. Register today. Food Claims and Litigation: What's in your company's playbook? Join GMA for the 2010 Food Claims and Litigation Conference and arm yourself with the tools to confront the industry's most critical litigation concerns. Sessions include: The Recall Playbook: Offense and Defense; Mass Tort 911: The Company's Been Sued. Now What?; Trends in Global Food Litigation: Class Actions and Collective Redress. View the event summary and register today. Learn more about GMA -> Home  |  Join GMA  |  Public Policy  |  Industry Affairs  |  Publications  |  Events   International  Minute Maid Pulpy Super Milky to debut in China The Coca-Cola Co. is introducing the Minute Maid Pulpy Super Milky drink in China. The beverage, made with New Zealand milk, coconut flakes and fruit juice, is offered in peach, mango and pineapple varieties and will be on retail shelves in about 300 cities by the end of the year. Alibaba.com (10/28) Plant Engineer BRUCE FOODS CORP WILSON, NC USA Food Safety Auditor QMI-SAI Global United States Principal Scientist / Regulatory Affairs PepsiCo Plano, TX USA Manager of Quality Assurance Moody Dunbar, Inc. Dunn, NC   SmartQuote  A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory." --Arthur Golden, author, from "Memoirs of a Geisha"     Subscriber Tools       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:  Celia Rothschild (202) 470-1159   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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