A survey of 1,000 U.S. school teachers has found that classroom cleaning is a daily chore for a sizeable minority. Forty-two percent of teachers who responded to a Procter & Gamble Bounty brand survey said they did some cleaning, while 94 percent said they felt children learn better when the classroom is tidy. The survey also found that 51 percent of teachers avoid certain class projects because they don’t look forward to cleaning up afterwards. The survey was conducted as part of a “We Love Our School” Week initiative to help schools provide clean learning environments for U.S. schoolchildren. P&G will provide participating schools with enough Bounty paper towels and Mr. Clean to clean all of their classrooms.

Taking a leaf from the marketing book of energy drinks and breakfast cereals, some chewing gum makers have begun adding healthy-sounding ingredients like vitamin C and ginseng to their products. Stride and Trident from Cadbury promise greater alertness or wellness. Stride Spark, for example, says it provides 25 percent of the RDA of vitamins B-6 and B-12, while creating a tingling sensation in the mouth. Vitality, a sub-brand of gum market-leading Trident, offers flavors that contain vitamin C, ginseng and mint and white tea but, except for the vitamin C, does not claim to provide health benefits. A blogger who reviews chewing gum said the Vitality Awaken brand was “easy on the taste buds,” but the ginseng ingredient is a “gum gimmick, pure and simple.”

Tiny snack food company Corazonas Foods offers the only snack products that can legally carry the health claim “lowers cholesterol,” thanks to a patented process that infuses the company’s tortilla chips, potato chips, etc., with 0.4 to 0.8 grams of plant sterols. Those levels – when consumed daily as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol – meet FDA criteria for the “lowers cholesterol” claim. The company is launching an integrated marketing campaign with the theme "Freedom to Snack Sensibly" with a  strategy to expand beyond Western supermarkets and specialty stores eastward and nationally. Redesigned product packaging will display a red heart icon and highlight the "proven to lower cholesterol" benefit in traditional and social media and in-store events.

A nationwide survey of 60,000 consumers conducted by market research firm TNS has found that four out of every five shoppers are open to trying new products, while 68 percent said a consumer-voted award was a better recommendation for a new product than the opinion of an expert. The insights from the survey were presented at the 2011 Product of the Year USA awards, where innovation across 22 product categories was recognized by the surveyed shoppers. Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert noted that consumers are smarter and spend more intelligently than ever before and, despite the growth of product reviews shared on mobile devices and social networks, “it is still the ‘human’ social network that is the most powerful.”

Despite the failure of the Copenhagen and Cancun meetings to produce binding treaties, observers forecast the global economy's greening to proceed at faster pace, creating opportunities for businesses. HSBC Global Research says governments will spend $500 billion in 2009-2014 to promote green development and U.K. companies, as their Asian counterparts do, should view sustainability as a potential source of growth. Developing countries, which face risks from climate change and resource challenges, have rapid GDP and population growth rates that make them an important market for consumer goods companies. Examples of companies' sustainability efforts include Unilever's "Sustainable Living" campaign and Walmart's push for its suppliers to adopt sustainable practices.

Whole Foods Market’s first quarter sales increased 14 percent over last year to $3 billion, the company reported. Gross profit (before interest, taxes, etc.) increased 26 percent from the prior year to $234.3 million. Co-CEO Walter Robb said that because of the strong financial performance and continuing signs of growing consumer confidence, the company is raising its sales and earnings outlook for the year. The company opened three stores and expanded one store by 29,000 square feet in the first quarter, and expects to open three new stores, including one relocation, in the second quarter. The company has 302 stores, totaling about 11.4 million square feet. The company said it is committed to producing positive annual free cash flow, including the necessary cash to fund 56 stores in development.

Cupcakes have achieved renewed popularity in Los Angeles through the inspiration of Heirloom-LA, a caterer enjoying prosperity with its highly popular line of lasagna cupcakes. The success of the lasagna cupcakes keeps fifteen cooks busy in the Heirloom kitchens, according to co-owner and chef Matthew Poley, and has created a demand for new flavors of the party treats, which now come in twelve varieties, including macaroni and cheese, bologna, and short ribs. Poley said Heirloom sold 10,000 of the cupcakes in December and plans to expand its menu further as different ingredients become available with the changes in the seasons. The lasagna cupcakes can also be purchased frozen in a selection of Los Angeles stores and are available by mail order for New Yorkers through the company's website.

Researchers at the University of California-Davis and Baylor College of Medicine found that drinking vegetable juice is an efficient and effective means of increasing vegetable intake and managing weight. These are two areas of concern highlighted in the 2010 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Both of the 12-week studies were supported in part by Campbell Soup Company, which produces the V8 line of vegetable juice. The UC-Davis study involved 90 healthy adults; Baylor College looked at 81 adults with risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Researchers at UC-Davis observed that subjects who drank an eight-ounce glass of vegetable juice each day received almost twice the servings of vegetables as those who did not. Baylor College scientists found that incorporating one to two servings of vegetable juice daily into a healthy diet enhanced weight loss..

Unilever has put into operation its new global supply chain and purchasing systems based on SAP's enterprise resource planning (ERP) technology. Unilever's supply chain systems, launched with Accenture, enable the company to monitor its supply chain in real time, and to manage price volatility and changes in commodity supplies. The systems also play a big role in Unilever's efforts to reduce by half the environmental impact of its operations and supply chain, and double its annual revenue to €80 billion.

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc., a natural and organic products manufacturer, announced its second quarter results for the period to December 31, 2010. Net sales increased 21 percent to $291.9 million on the year-ago quarter. Net income rose 45 percent to $16.3 million, a record quarter. GAAP earnings reached $0.37 per diluted share, from $0.27 a year ago. Operating margin reached 10.2 percent on a GAAP basis, up 127 basis points, and gross profit grew 37 basis points to 29.3 percent on improved product mix and cost savings, partially offset by increased input costs. Hain updated its fiscal 2011 sales guidance to $1.060-1.080 billion and earnings to $1.24-1.31 per diluted share. 

Noting that the consensus of nutrition experts is that the unique nutritional needs of critically-ill obese people remain unmet, Nestlé HealthCare Nutrition has introduced a tube feeding formula designed specifically for that patient population. Tube feeding formulas often do not contain enough protein or micronutrients recommended for obese patients in intensive care units (ICUs). According to Nestlé, the result is that some patients are overfed, others are underfed and become malnourished, and others don’t have their nutritional needs assessed at all. Peptamen Bariatric tube feeding formula includes 37 percent of calories from 100 percent whey protein, enzymatically hydrolyzed to produce peptides. The lipid blend contains 50 percent medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) to improve formula tolerance.

Unilever is seeing benefits of its improved innovation process with 33% of sales coming from products launched in the last two years, a record for the company.  Mike Polk Unilever’s president of foods, home and personal care says that the “step change” in innovation means they are “doing things bigger, better and deploying them faster into more markets.”  The company is also aggressively supporting launches and increased marketing spend over 6% to €5.6bn last year, making the largest advertiser behind P&G. Unilever sees its commitment to sustainable growth and its plan to double sales without incrementally impacting the environment as driving its R&D effort. And in a marketing shift, the company will start to promote alongside its product brands its corporate brand which it sees as a trusted asset.

Nestlé Health Science has completed the acquisition of CM&D Pharma Ltd. (CM&D), a British company that develops medical foods and other products targeting patients with kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and colon cancer. CM&D is a portfolio company of venture capital fund Inventages Group. CM&D’s leading product, Fostrap, is a chewing gum for kidney patients with elevated levels of phosphate in the blood (hyperphosphatemia), which contributes to vascular calcification and an increased risk of cardiac mortality, as well as mineral and bone disorders. Clinical trials of Fostrap are ongoing, though preliminary data are promising, according to Nestlé.

An online survey of buyers of gluten-free products has found that the main reason for purchasing is that gluten-free foods are thought to be healthier than conventional foods. According to market research firm Packaged Facts, tens of millions of Americans have reduced or eliminated wheat, barley, oats and rye from their diets, driving “the extraordinary surge in the market for gluten-free foods and beverages,” and not just among people with celiac disease or food allergies. The result has been an explosion of specialty food and beverage marketers who contributed to an industry  CAGR of 30 percent between 2006 and 2010, a total gluten-free market value of $2.6 billion in 2010 and a predicted $5 billion value by 2015.

As breakfast cereal maker General Mills labors to gain ground on market leader Kellogg Company, it is ramping up advertising, social media and in-store promotional efforts to educate consumers on the whole grain content of its product line. The new advertising campaign will “re-energize” its “whole grain message” to reduce consumer confusion, the company says. According to market research, shoppers know whole grains are healthier, but the vast majority – 95 percent by one tally – do not get the recommended 45 grams in their daily diet. Part of the problem is that consumers are often bewildered by ingredient labels touting whole grains versus enriched grains. And to make matters worse for cereal makers, almost half of consumers think bread is the main source of whole grains. 

Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), the 20-year joint venture between Nestlé and General Mills, opened a new R&D center in Orbe, Switzerland. It will leverage Nestlé's R&D track record, General Mills's technical capabilities and both companies' food processing know-how to develop nutritional breakfast options for markets outside the US and Canada. CPW is currently the world's second-largest breakfast cereal manufacturer and employs 4,000 people, with around 80 in the new facility. CPW has reformulated its cereals, adding whole grain and fiber, and reducing salt and sugar content. Both are members of the International Food and Beverage Alliance, which promotes balanced diets and healthy lifestyles.

ConAgra Foods announced four new Healthy Choice Café Steamers meals and nine improved All Natural Entrées, and the company claims its Healthy Choice meals let consumers follow the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans in "a way that is practical, simple, and economical." The company says the frozen meals have low levels of fat and saturated fat, controlled levels of sodium and cholesterol, less than 500 calories per single-serve entrée and include whole grain and meatless versions. ConAgra maintains that independent research supports its claim that frozen single-serve meals can “help people lose weight better and more rapidly than healthy eating plans that don't include frozen single-serve meals.”

Food manufacturers and private label retailers are releasing products that play to the “affordable luxury” mindset that strengthened with the economic downturn.  One manifestation is a growing range of upscale condiments that enhance home-cooked meals, something that became more prevalent as consumers cut costs. Examples in this category include the Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. private-label line, The Food Emporium Trading Co., which includes international specialties, culinary garnishes, ketchup and mustards, and Barhyte Specialty Foods sauces and condiments. A Barhyte Specialty Foods spokesperson notes the growing demand by consumers for condiments with fruitier and spicier flavors.

Barry Callebaut, the world's biggest producer of fine cocoa and chocolates, hopes to entice customers with its new line of textured products, to be introduced at ISM 2011. The innovations reflect the current industry interest in using texture to produce additional taste sensations. New products include caramelized nuts, crispy biscuits, and fluffy, aerated fillings that offer texture and novelty advantages alongside taste and flavor. They are low in trans fats, have a long shelf life, and contain fewer calories by volume.

ConAgra Foods, in partnership with the online community TheMotherhood.com, has launched the blogger-hosted online cooking school, ‘Cooking Connections’. The series of cooking lessons will run on TheMotherhood.com, and be posted on Twitter and Facebook, from January 28 through March 16, and parents will be able to share cooking experiences with the community using Flickr and the social networking sites. ConAgra said the move reflects that the Web has become the main source for recipes and is increasingly used by moms for recipes and food information. 

Silver Spoon has partnered with Cargill to jointly market and distribute Truvia, the stevia-based, no-calorie sweetener in the UK. In the U.S. Truvia became the leading stevia-based sweetener just two years after being launched, helping the retail sweetener category grow 18 percent. It has become the third best-selling non-sugar sweetener; a market valued at $685 million in the U.S. Currently the U.K. low calorie sweetener market is valued at £50 million.

Following a three-year gap working in the US , PepsiCo chief marketing officer for Greater China, returned to the country to find it greatly changed, and with change accelerating. In addition to spreading urbanization Lee sees a greatly expanded digital footprint with activity extending far beyond tier 1 cities, creating anomalies with people without basic plumbing knowing English soccer stars. In this fast changing environment Lee sees local competitors as more effective than multinationals that rely on approaches that are outdated and not relevant for China; local competitors, he says, are fresher, faster moving and more innovative in their marketing.

Walmart has launched a program aimed at providing its customers with healthy and affordable food options that gained the support of First Lady Michelle Obama. The program comes with five key components, namely: reformulation of packaged food items by cutting sodium 25% and added sugars by 10%, and removing all manufactured trans fats; cutting prices of fresh fruits and vegetables; strengthening standards for "front-of-package seal" to help consumers determine healthy food choices; opening stores to serve economically disadvantaged communities that need healthy and affordable foods; and expansion of corporate support for nutrition education campaigns. Walmart’s initiative will have far reaching affects across the US food supply chain In 2010, Walmart launched a $2 billion program to work against hunger by awarding fresh and healthy foods to food banks in the United States. Walmart will also work with the Partnership for a Healthier America to help address the country's obesity problem.

Thirteen school meals makers, group purchasing organizations and technology companies have partnered with  the Alliance for a Healthier Generation “to make healthier school lunches possible for more than 30 million students” at more affordable prices. According to the AHG, about 14 million of the affected students participate in the free and reduced lunch program. The partnership is part of an effort to combat childhood obesity that involves developing, marketing and competitively pricing products that will lead to healthier school meal options, a streamlined ordering process, and easier identification of healthy food options. Participants have committed to providing lean protein products such as lean red meat, skinless poultry, etc.; low-fat lunch entrées; whole-grain products; fresh, canned or frozen fruit; non-fried vegetables; and zero trans fat cooking oils.

In the face of poor financial performance — its third-quarter net sales decreased 4% to $3.2 billion — Kellogg is investing to improve its marketing effort globally and has appointed Brand Learning to train Kellogg's marketing directors and senior marketing executives to help set up standards and common processes. Kellogg envisions the program, which will ultimately cover all of the company's marketing units, to improve its marketing capacity and business performance. Mark Baynes, Kellogg CMO, says He said: "We (are aiming) to create a team inspired, equipped and enabled to drive stronger returns in this increasingly complex consumer landscape."

Brazil's packaged food industry grew 44% from 2005 to R$176 billion (US$105 billion) in 2010, moving from eighth to become the fifth largest in the world. Euromonitor sees continued growth for five more years, backed by a strong agricultural production capacity and a growing consumer base that has attracted multinational companies to compete with domestic brands. In the past two years, the market has also seen significant mergers and acquisitions, improving the competitiveness of Brazilian companies. But the newer entrants, like General Mills, find it difficult to penetrate the market as consumers trust brands such as Nestle that have been in the market longer.