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Pasta sauce sales simmer
Often the tastiest, most colorful and nutritious component of both
economical meals that stretch budgets and fanciful entrees, pasta
sauce leaves room for inventive moms to enrich plates with extra
ingredients. It also has a new health edge beyond lycopene with the
rise of whole grain and vitamin and mineral-enhanced pastas.
Little wonder then why this billion-plus center-store icon enjoys
a 75 percent household penetration, according to ACNielsen Homescan. read more
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Survey: Efficacy & ineffectiveness in weight loss efforts
At a time when roughly two-thirds of the American population is
either obese or overweight, and close to half of these are obese with
a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or higher (BMI is a measure of body fat
based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women),
a new study by ACNielsen looks to quantify how these consumers feel
about their condition.
According to the study:
Most blame lack of exercise, easy availability of junk food
and ease of modern life as the key reasons for being overweight. read more
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Reporting in from the CIES IT/Supply Chain Conference
The modern retailing world, according to one futurist is volatile,
uncertain, complex, and ambiguous ... which means that retailers and
manufacturers have almost unprecedented challenges and opportunities
confronting them. A recent global conference looked at what
businesses need to do to cope with changing consumers, changing
employees, and fast-evolving technologies ... and F3 was there. read more
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Spinach recall caused plummeting sales; doubts exist about a rebound
An initial review by The Perishables Group on the impact of the
recent spinach recall - prompted by E. coli contamination that
eventually caused some 200 people to get sick and killed at least
three people - suggests that there was an enormous drop in sales in
almost every relevant category.
While it is not surprising that sales dropped tremendously during
a period when the product was pulled off supermarket shelves, it is
noteworthy that the impact was felt even by the bagged salads that
did not even contain spinach, and that a recent survey questions when
these sales will rebound. read more
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The 100-calorie phenomenon brightens snacks outlook
Best of both worlds: eating pleasure and calorie control. That's the
promise of 100-calorie snacks to an American culture with a split
personality where people obsess over obesity and crave their
cookie, cracker and chip comfort snacks.
Can they have it both ways? Have brand marketers hit upon the
magic number that makes people feel like they're controlling their
treat intake and shaping better personal diets? Are the inner sleeves
in packages effective barriers to continued snacking, or do people
consume more than one snack sleeve at a time? Do the convenience and
portability of sleeves actually lead to more snacking occasions when
commuting or at a kid's soccer game?
Time will tell about their effect on America's waistlines and
lipid counts. read more
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Getting charged up over Christmas
How in love with cell phones is our nation? How hot will they be as
gift items this Christmas? What will it mean for portable accessories
that provide power when the primary lithium battery runs down?
Hugely in love. Sizzling. Presumably, a lot.
Our dependence on cell phones, personal digital assistants,
portable music, gaming and communications devices continues to soar.
U.S. read more
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Global Spotlight on Central Eastern Europe
Given the recent emergence of Eastern Europe into a more open
economic environment, the countries within Eastern Europe are
relatively new markets for many multinationals. Of the countries in
Eastern Europe, those closest to the West are more developed than
their farther Eastern counterparts.
This area, called Central Eastern Europe, comprises the four
countries of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. read more
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Seafood: a new study may well push sales upstream
If fish is one of our healthiest, most inexpensive and easiest to
prepare foods, then why did the average American last year only
consume 15.6 pounds of fish as compared to 118 pounds of red meat?
This suggests that American consumers are confused about the
safety of fish consumption. In efforts to provide clarity on this
issue, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, supported
by the Food and Drug Administration, last month released results from
a new study that confirms the benefits of eating fish far outweigh
the risks. read more
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CHANNEL WATCH
ACNielsen estimates that in 2005, over $5.3 billion was spent
across all retail channels in the soup category which includes
bouillon, canned soup, soup mixes - dry & bases, dry stew mixes, and
instant meals.
The following slides indicate the percentage of households
who buy each type of soup, a sampling of higher indexing household
types who buy products in the overall soup category, and channel
share of category dollar sales. read more
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What will happen when the trans fat ban hits your shelves?
The controversy over a city or state's right to prohibit certain
ingredients or foods, is not an easy debate. There are strong willed
proponents on both sides. And it appears that the trans fat ban is
also opening the door for other food restrictions.
Last month's hearing in New York City also included a proposal
that would require the restaurants in the city to list calories. read more
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Facts, Figures, & the Future Newsletter
Click here for your
FREE subscription to Facts, Figures, & the Future.
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FMI Annual Financial Review
This annual report provides you with a complete financial picture of
the supermarket industry as well as the external business
environment, including key ratios, balance sheet, income statement
and statement of cash flow. The results are provided for the entire
industry as well as by annual sales for more accurate benchmarking. read more
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Shopping for Health
This national survey examines shoppers' interest and attitudes, as
well as in-store activities, regarding health and nutrition,
consumers' efforts to manage their health, and the ways in which
health and nutritional concerns play out in purchase decisions at the
grocery store. This report brings a practical understanding of the
relationship between food shopping and health. read more
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Speaks
FMI's Speaks is the annual state of the industry report for food
retailers. The report reviews the important changes and trends and
puts them into an industry perspective. It presents detailed
information on supermarket operations, store-level benchmarks and
outlines strategic and competitive issues. read more
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U.S. Grocery Store Shopper Trends 2006
The FMI U.S. Grocery Store Shopper Trends 2006 is available. Click on
the image above for more info.
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Xtreme Retail 23 Newsletter
XR23 will provide you with the latest information and analysis of
technologies designed specifically for the retail environment.
CLICK HERE for
your FREE subscription.
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Volatility in energy prices topped the headlines in economic news for
most of the past 18 months - bringing with it fears of rising prices
and a return of inflation. On top of economic and other market
challenges, intense competition continues throughout the industry,
compounded by the rising costs of doing business.
While not all health ailments are age-bound to those reaching their
golden years, aging does bring about an increase in the number of
households who suffer from one or more major health ailments. In a
recent survey fielded across 67,000+ ACNielsen Homescan consumer
panel households, we were able to isolate households which contained
one or more ailment sufferers. We then examined the percentage of
households with ailment sufferers by the age of the female household
head and within the households who represent the top spenders* in key
consumer-packaged-goods retail channels. 
