News
National Chocolate & Dessert Show Returns to Chicago
May 8, 2013 12:42 pm | CommentsThe National Chocolate & Dessert Show (NCDS) returns to Chicago’s Navy Pier on Sunday, October 20 to Tuesday, October, 22 as the nation’s only trade show dedicated to the chocolate and dessert industry. Foodservice operators, retail buyers, chefs, and chocolatiers attendees will leave with the key learnings and solutions to run a successful chocolate or dessert operation or retail program.
Wis. Assembly Approves Junk Food Stamp Bill
May 8, 2013 12:38 pm | by KEVIN WANG,Associated Press | CommentsA bill aimed at encouraging food stamp recipients in Wisconsin to eat healthier by limiting the amount of benefits that could be spent on junk food won approval from the state Assembly on Tuesday. The bill would require people enrolled in Wisconsin's food stamps program, or FoodShare, to spend at least two-thirds of their monthly benefits on designated items such as milk, bread and vegetables.
U.S. Job Postings Fell in March
May 8, 2013 12:37 pm | by CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER,AP Economics Writer | CommentsU.S. employers posted fewer job openings in March compared with February and slowed overall hiring, underscoring a weak month of job growth. The Labor Department said Tuesday that job openings fell 1.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted 3.8 million jobs. Total hiring declined 4.3 percent to 4.3 million.
PepsiCo To Meet with Till Family, Sharpton After Controversies
May 8, 2013 12:33 pm | CommentsPepsiCo Inc. officials will meet Wednesday with members of Emmett Till's family and the Rev. Al Sharpton. Sharpton continued to press for the meeting last week after the company's partnerships with Lil Wayne and Tyler, the Creator, of Odd Future to promote Mountain Dew sparked controversies.
Mondelez Sells More Oreos, Struggles with Gum Sales
May 8, 2013 12:31 pm | by CANDICE CHOI,AP Food Industry Writer | CommentsAmericans aren't chewing as much gum. That's a problem for Mondelez, which owns Trident, Chiclets and other brands. The company, which also makes Oreo cookies, Cadbury chocolates and Ritz crackers, on Tuesday reported a first-quarter profit in line with Wall Street expectations following its split with Kraft Foods Group last year.
Daily Sound Bite: Huge Packaging Merger
May 8, 2013 12:00 pm | CommentsExopack, Britton Group, PACCOR, Kobusch and Paragon Print & Packaging have announced they will join forces to become one large packaging company, headquartered in Luxembourg. All five packaging companies are affiliated portfolio companies of Sun Capital Partners, Inc.
Consumer Trends: Delving into the Diverse Hispanic Market
May 8, 2013 12:00 pm | Comments"To know thy own target audience" could be the mantra of today's successful marketing campaigns. Hispanic Millennials, GenXers and Boomer generational segments have unique consumer buying patterns. How they view the marketplace is influenced by a combination of macro-trends of their respective generations, by their lifestage priorities, and by their cultural orientation.
Cheesy Garlic Bread Prevails in Lay’s Flavor Contest
May 8, 2013 9:40 am | by JOSEPH PISANI,AP Business Writer | CommentsLay's potato chips are getting cheesier. Fans voted to keep the potato chip maker's Cheesy Garlic Bread flavor on store shelves for at least the end of the year as part of the company's nearly yearlong promotion that solicited customers' flavor ideas.
Vt. Committee Approves GMO Labeling Law
May 8, 2013 9:38 am | CommentsThe Vermont House Judiciary Committee has approved a bill requiring labeling of food products containing genetically modified organisms. But the measure isn't expected to pass into law this year, because there isn't enough time before the end of the session — scheduled this weekend — to get the bill through the Senate.
Limburger Cheese: Not for the Faint of Nose
May 8, 2013 9:37 am | by HELEN O'NEILL,Associated Press | CommentsIn 1880, Limburger, which is smeared with a foul-smelling bacteria to make it age quickly, was described by local author John Luchsinger as "a premeditated outrage on the organs of smell." Mark Twain wrote about "a most evil and searching odor" in his 1882 tale, "The Invalid's Story."
Molson Coors Income Fell 55 Percent in 1Q
May 8, 2013 9:35 am | CommentsMolson Coors Brewing Co. said Tuesday that its net income dropped 55 percent in the first quarter, as it invested more in its brands and dealt with acquisition-related costs and poor weather in certain markets. The company earned $35.6 million, or 20 cents per share, for the period ended March 30. A year earlier it earned $79.5 million, or 44 cents per share.
Coke Launching Anti-Obesity Campaign
May 8, 2013 9:33 am | CommentsCoca-Cola says it will work to make lower-calorie drinks and clear nutrition information more widely available around the world. The Atlanta-based company already offers diet drinks in most markets. But they're not always as readily available in emerging markets such as China as they are in the U.S.
Photo of the Day: World's Stinkiest Cheese
May 8, 2013 9:31 am | CommentsMonroe, Wisconsin is a tranquil town of 10,000 nestled in the rolling hills of southern Wisconsin, where pale brown cows gaze soulfully from fields and silos dot the landscape. This charming place is also home to the stinkiest cheese in the world.
Five Packaging Companies Join Forces To Create Large Global Firm
May 7, 2013 12:10 pm | CommentsFive leading packaging companies in North America and Europe announced they intend to combine in order to operate as one global leader under the banner of Exopack Holdings Sarl, a new Luxembourg company. The combined business will have 63 plants, 8,650 employees and aggregate revenues of more than US$2.5B, making it the sixth-largest plastics packaging company in the world.
EU: Croatia Must Give Up Its Wine To Join
May 7, 2013 12:04 pm | by DUSAN STOJANOVIC,Associated Press | CommentsCroatia is gearing up to celebrate its entry into the EU, but don't pop the corks just yet. A heated trademark battle over the country's beloved sweet dessert wine has some feeling less than bubbly, mirroring rapidly declining enthusiasm among Croats for membership in the economically battered bloc.
Analyst Raises Earnings Forecast for Green Mountain
May 7, 2013 12:01 pm | CommentsStifel analyst Mark S. Astrachan upgraded his earnings estimates for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. Monday, despite an otherwise dim view of the company's prospects. The analyst said lower coffee costs should help Green Mountain in the near term, which will offset what he sees as weakening fundamentals at the coffee roaster.
Consumer Trends: American Strawberry Consumption Doubles
May 7, 2013 12:00 pm | CommentsMay is National Strawberry Month, a time when farmers and consumers alike celebrate the peak abundance of America's favorite fruit. Strawberries are a fond and familiar fare at any time of day. According to the U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture, Americans now consume twice as many strawberries as they did two decades ago.
Cargill Breaks Ground on $100M Investment in Indonesia
May 7, 2013 11:59 am | CommentsCargill broke ground today on a U.S. $100 million investment to construct a state-of-the-art cocoa processing facility in Gresik, in the East-Java region of Indonesia. Cargill stated that the new facility is to meet the growing demand amongst customers for cocoa products and to encourage the development of the Asian cocoa sector.
Coke Adding 25K Acres of Fla. Orange Groves
May 7, 2013 11:57 am | by TAMARA LUSH,Associated Press | CommentsThe Coca-Cola Co. says it is spending $2 billion to support the planting of 25,000 acres of new orange groves in Florida, a move officials are lauding as a major investment in the Sunshine State's citrus industry. The announcement is being made at a late-morning news conference at Coca-Cola's juice production plant in Auburndale.
Daily Sound Bite: Farmers Buckle Under Weight of Too Many Cranberries
May 7, 2013 10:09 am | CommentsAfter a record breaking cranberry harvest in Canada, many U.S. cranberry farmers who had invested expansions of their own bogs are facing financial troubles. The flood of cranberries on the market has driven down prices and left farmers unable to unload their crop.
