Front Page News

The consumer packaged goods industry is ever-changing. Lately, a few headlines have caught my eye that accurately summarize the business. Here's just a sampling of the issues impacting the food and beverage CPG trade.

General Mills' Groupon debut sells out within hours - Clipping coupons isn't enough for today's consumer. With online deals from Groupon, LivingSocial, Eversave, and more, shoppers expect online coupon deals and discounts, not only through these services, but also from brand pages on Facebook and instantly via Foursquare check-ins. Last week, General Mills was the first CPG company to offer any kind of deal on Groupon, normally reserved for local restaurant and spa deals. Given the success, though (the offer sold out in a matter of hours), expect to see more promotions from retailers and food and beverage CPG companies in the future.

How Kraft's Lunchables Is Evolving in the Anti-Obesity Era - Obesity (in particular, childhood obesity) will remain a hot topic for the next several years. As food manufacturers look for ways to reduce calories and sodium, remove trans fat, and add more whole grains to foods, their progress in this area will continue to make headlines as tried and true recipes and formulas change to accommodate today's health conscious consumer. This was certainly the case when Kraft announced at the beginning of the month that its Lunchables brand, a staple in lunchrooms across schools throughout America, was getting a makeover, complete with more wholesome choices and nutritious options.

Dean Foods to cut corporate jobs, largely in Dallas - Bad news out of Texas, where Dallas-based Dean Foods announced job cuts at its corporate headquarters two weeks ago. The dairy producer will most likely join a list of other food and beverage CPG manufacturers to adjust its workforce this year, given financial factors including rising food prices, higher fuel costs, and the evolving economy.

Why Most Product Launches Fail - I've written numerous entries on this blog pertaining to new products that manage to overcome the odds of a new product launch and become successful in the marketplace. That's why, when I saw this article in this month's Harvard Business Review, I wanted to share it, given the enormous effort companies must tackle to launch a thriving new product.

What headlines have you seen recently pertaining to the shift in retail and food and beverage CPG industries?