Company Watch

• Hostess may be revived by Flowers
  Tastykake maker Flowers Foods is said to be a likely bidder for the assets of Hostess Brands. Though Flowers, the nation's second-largest baker behind Grupo Bimbo, has not publicly announced interest in Hostess, it has renegotiated its lending terms to free up cash for a potential purchase. The Wall Street Journal (11/25)     

• Kettle campaign calls out copycats
  A campaign for Kettle Brand makes the case that the brand was first to kettle-cook potato chips, saying other food-makers "can copy our style but they'll never have our substance." The Deutsch, Los Angeles, campaign, with print and digital elements, touts the Diamond Foods brand's home in Willamette Valley, Ore., where unpeeled potatoes have been "batch-cooked for over 30 years." Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (11/26)     

Trends

• European chocolates get even more exclusive
  Several high-end chocolate-makers in Europe are now adding services that allow customers to change the look, choose the ingredients and packaging, and tweak the flavors of the chocolates. Sprungli, for example, has made pralines shaped like racing cars for clients, and chocolatier Frederic Blondeel of Flanders will fill special requests but reserves the right to say no. The Wall Street Journal (11/22)     

• Xylem executive sees growing demand for bag-in-box
  More companies are packaging wine and beer in bag-in-box systems, said Peter Wright of beverage dispensing company Xylem. He said the systems cut distribution and packaging costs, and added, "you're also going to get better efficiency in bars." FoodProductionDaily.com (France) (11/22)     

Advertising & Marketing

• PepsiCo wins India cricket sponsorship
  PepsiCo submitted the winning bid for five-year sponsorship of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament. The company's bid of nearly $72 million was "the largest investment the company has made in the game of cricket," said Pepsi India. The Wall Street Journal (11/21)     

• TV show "iCarly" gives Birds Eye a boost
  A Birds Eye campaign that tied in with the "iCarly" television show on Nickelodeon has boosted brand engagement as well as sales of the frozen vegetables, said Brandi Unchester, senior brand manager for Birds Eye Steamfresh Vegetables. Elements of the "iCarly iCook with Birds Eye" campaign, which ran from July 9 to Sept. 9, included videos that could be unlocked with UPC codes on Birds Eye products, a sweepstakes with a grand prize of a visit to the show and ads on "iCarly" and the Nickelodeon website. MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (11/21)     

Retail Spotlight

• Wakefern distribution center will add solar power
  A refrigerated warehouse of Wakefern Food's distribution center in Keasbey, N.J., will be powered by solar energy when a 2.4-megawatt system from NJR Clean Energy Venture is operational by year-end. The system, being installed by Advanced Solar Products, is expected to cut emissions by 2,000 metric tons. Progressive Grocer (11/21)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by GMA SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Kellogg unwraps additional snacks (Food Business Review)

• Hostess holds off on naming potential bidders, but says Bimbo is not among them (Bloomberg Businessweek)

• After failed mediation, Hostess seeks OK to shutter (Bloomberg Businessweek)

• Campbell campaign gives to Feeding America (MediaPost Communications)

• Judge seeks mediation for Hostess, union (Bloomberg Businessweek)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Health & Wellness

• Study links probiotics to belly-fat loss
  A small study in the Journal of Functional Foods found that overweight volunteers who ate a daily serving of yogurt rich in probiotics lost 3% to 4% of their body fat, mostly belly fat. The findings suggest that probiotics-based supplements could inhibit fat absorption and may aid in weight loss, researchers said. Yahoo/Asian News International (11/25)     

GMA News

• Donations needed to aid N.Y. state Hurricane Sandy relief efforts
  N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office is heading up relief efforts in New York for those who have been affected by Hurricane Sandy and are in need of food and beverage products, as well as cleaning supplies.

  The governor has named Secretary of State Cesar Perales as the state’s Coordinator of Corporate Contributions, who will oversee and facilitate donations from private organizations. GMA has been asked to play a role in coordinating CPG donations for families affected by the hurricane. Organizations interested in providing donations are urged to visit the governor's website at http://www.governor.ny.gov/sandycompanydonations.

  View the press release the governor issued regarding private sector relief efforts.

  If your company has -- or will -- make donations to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, notify GMA Vice President of Industry Affairs and Collaboration Elise Fennig at efennig@gmaonline.org.

      

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