Pharmacy

At a time when the food industry is awash in programs aimed at helping shoppers make healthier choices at the shelf, including such well-publicized initiatives as Hannaford’s Guiding Stars, Supervalu’s NutritionIQ, Topco’s NuVal and the just launched – and already controversial – Smart Choices, developed with the input of a coalition of consumer packaged goods companies including Kraft and Kellogg, it would seem that there wouldn’t be room for yet another system.

The newest member of the Odwalla Superfood Smoothie line is Pink Poetry, which contains plum, dark sweet cherry, guava and other juices, along with hibiscus, cranberry, and green tea extracts.

Despite ongoing media coverage about the unhealthy aspects of energy drinks, newer energy drinks aren’t any healthier than the older ones, according to Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), which reveals the latest energy drink launches aren’t getting any healthier.

To help address the needs of consumers with sensitive skin, Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark Corp. is rolling out improved Cottonelle Aloe & E toilet paper and new Cottonelle SoothingClean flushable moist wipes.

Consumers are sticking with basic purchases in categories like fresh meat, pasta and packaged dinners, along with baking mixes and supplies, as meal preparation consumption comes back to the home. Increases in wine and alcoholic beverages indicate that consumers are opting to consume their favorite beverages at home, too.

In this fourth of a six-part series, Dave Nazaruk, senior vice president, retail business development for StayWell/MediMedia USA, the world’s leading provider of patient education and consumer health information, continues his exploration of the role of retail in revolutionizing health care and the economy.

The food and beverage market is central to consumer perceptions of sustainability, according to a new cooperative report from Packaged Facts and The Hartman Group. The two groups unveiled the first market study published in the four-part series this week: Consumers and Sustainability: Food and Beverage.

While in the midst of a nationwide debate over health care, Americans are giving a clear indication that one tool they can use to improve their health is food.