Global awareness of omega-3 fatty acids as a vital nutrient for physical and mental health has reached "critical mass," according to the report "Omega-3: Global Product Trends and Opportunities," by Packaged Fats. For example, 9% of U.S. grocery shoppers buy food or beverage products with high omega-3 content in a regular shopping visit. Also, the portion of adults who take fish oil supplements has increased from 8 percent in 2006 to 17 percent in 2011. Global consumer spending on omega-3 food and beverages, health and beauty care products, and pet products grew to $13 billion in 2011, according to Packaged Facts estimates. Factors driving positive public image of omega-3 products include growing public awareness of health benefits, consumers' willingness to try new functional food and supplements, and positive media reporting.

Social coupons and viral marketing enabled Snack Factory to grow its snack brand Pretzel Crisps' Facebook fan base from 14,000 to 62,437. The online marketing campaign aimed to attract more customers and encourage them to try the snack brand. A $1 off coupon campaign developed by Buddy Media for the brand increased the number of Facebook fans from 6,800 to 13,700 in February. Pretzel Crisps then launched a buy one, get one free promotion, but relied only on viral marketing instead of announcing it, which led to further growth and a 95% redemption rate.

In August 2011, American consumers' confidence about the economy dropped to levels lower than during the recession, according to a survey by the University of Michigan. A rise in consumer confidence seen at the start of the year stalled on news about oil price hikes, drops in job growth and home prices, and political fighting over the debt ceiling. The downgrading of U.S. debt by Standard & Poor's, as well as volatility in the stock markets, also shook consumers’ confidence. Absence of income growth has discouraged consumers from spending and an unwillingness to buy will restrain prospects for economic recovery in the US.

"The Popularity Issue" list published by Bloomberg Businessweek presents the bestselling, as well as the fastest-selling, brands and products, and includes lots of trivia. For example, Nescafe is the most popular brand of coffee in the world, with about 3,000 cups consumed every second, Microsoft sold more than 8 million Xbox Kinect units in 60 days after the videogame motion control system was released; the Nissan Leaf can go 73 miles before the battery needs recharging; and Levi's 501 is the most popular jeans.

Unilever PLC CEO Paul Polman has overhauled his company's management structure, reorganized the "innovation team" that develops new products and production processes, and implemented a major cost-cutting campaign as he seeks to double sales and reduce Unilever's environmental footprint. The economic slowdown that began in 2008 helped Polman in implementing changes at Unilever, which is forecast to grow its sales from €39.8 billion in 2009 to more than €45 billion in 2011. Polman has continued his predecessor Patrick Cescau's "One Unilever" campaign to unify and rationalize the company's workforce and address issues created by Unilever's history as a collection of merged companies, particularly the lack of centralized management. Polman aims to enhance Unilever's ability to compete with rival Procter & Gamble, his former employer.

Shoppers in Asia Pacific are increasingly relying on promotional offers to deal with the soaring prices of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs), a Nielsen study revealed. Higher prices accounted for 75 percent of the FMCG market's growth in Vietnam in the first quarter of 2011, prompting almost 9 out of 10 shoppers to say they actively seek promotional deals. Malaysian consumers come next with 86 percent, higher than the 77 percent in 2008; China follows with 80 percent, a moderate increase from 74 percent in 2008. Increase in number of creative promotional deals from retailers and marketers also helped increase the number of consumers taking part. Impulsive shopping affects consumers in India (33 percent), Hong Kong (30 percent), and the Philippines (29 percent) the most. The study also revealed a bigger number of male consumers who say they are their households' main shoppers.

Food trucks have grown more popular among food lovers, becoming a significant player in the US restaurant market. The food truck trend has spread beyond foodie centers like New York and Los Angeles to cover the country's other cities. College graduate chefs, young Americans' passion for exciting and ecology-friendly cuisine, and the economic slowdown have been driving the food truck sector's expansion. A chef survey by the National Restaurant Association revealed that food trucks are a top operational trend in 2010, while 91 percent of consumers familiar with food trucks say these are "no passing fad," according to a Technomic study.

The Draft Animal Power Network will bring its Northeast Animal Power Field Days event, which includes workshops on how to use draft animals in agriculture, to the Northeast Organic Farming Association's 2011 summer conference at the University of Massachusetts Research Farm. An increasing number of organic farmers using or are interested in using draft animals prompted the show's organizers to link the events. Workshops will focus on topics including the basics of using animal power in farms and farm-horse health. Sessions are designed for different kinds of operations and include a tour of Natural Roots Farm in Conway.

Gemoscan Canada Inc. introduced the Hemocode Food Intolerance System, a new version of its Hemocode System food allergy detection technology that comes upgraded with Pharmetics Inc.'s technology to offer personalized vitamin and supplement recommendations. Gemoscan's food intolerance detection system analyzes a consumer's blood sample to determine food intolerances. Consumers receive a personalized report detailing their immuno-based food and food additives allergies. Reports now also include vitamin and supplement recommendations that Gemoscan hopes will help consumers achieve "optimal nutrition."

 

More than 1,000 farmers markets were added into the 2011 USDA Farmers Market Directory to reach a total of 7,175, showing a healthy expansion of farmers markets to communities in the United States. Farmers markets increased the most in Alaska, with 46 percent more than in 2010; Texas, with 38 percent; and Colorado and New Mexico, with 38 percent. The rise in farmers markets looks to indicate the local and regional food system is thriving and speaks to a growing interest - the USDA reported that from January to July, 2011, the USDA Farmers Market Directory had over 1.8 million page views, up 3x from the same period in 2010.

Researchers from the University of Washington's Center for Public Health Nutrition found that eating a healthy diet that follows the U.S. government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans costs more than typical diets. Analysis of data from the Seattle Obesity Study showed that diets incorporating vegetables and fruits cost more than diets that include saturated fat and added sugar. For example, adding sufficient potassium to meet the requirement would cost an extra $380 each year. Study authors stressed the need for the government needs to change the food system to lower costs of healthy foods.

Kraft Foods Inc.'s board of directors plans to divide the company into two independent public companies through a tax-free divestiture of the North American business to company shareholders. A $32 billion company will take care of Kraft Foods' faster growing global snacks business, while the second company, with $16 billion in revenue, will take control of the North American grocery business. The food company has expanded its global snacks business by acquiring some of the biggest companies in the market, notably Cadbury,  while its North American grocery business focused more on increasing its revenue through innovations in product development and marketing and aiming for higher margins. The spinoff highlights the company's efforts to improve performance and shareholder value.

US fast food chains are expanding rapidly in Russia, a market that some analysts say is similar to the United States half a century ago.  Russians have lower annual income ($7,276 compared to $43,539 in the United States) but a bigger portion of their salaries is disposable and demand for fast food is rising strongly. After opening the first American fast-food restaurant in 1990, McDonald’s now has 279 restaurants in Russia; Burger King opened 22 restaurants in the last two years and Yum Brands (owner of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell) is a partner in some 350 co-branded restaurants. Demand looks set to rise; while Manhattan has 4,000 pizza restaurants for its population of 1.6 million, Moscow has just 300 for its population of 13 million.

Herbalife plans to increase its manufacturing operations in order to make more products in-house and also either boost margins or reduce prices. The company is looking at Brazil, India, and Eastern Europe have emerged as possible sites for the planned factories which forms part of its effort to produce 80% of its products in-house by the end of the decade. Herbalife is doing well direct-selling its supplements: revenue grew 27.7 percent to $879.65 million in the quarter ending June 30. and it aims to triple sales by 2020 by expanding its presence in emerging markets and enhancing distribution in mature markets. Sales dropped slightly in China as it transitioned to a daily consumption model, but surged 121 percent in India, while Mexico and Asia Pacific saw double-digit growth rates. 

Organic farmers can continue using certain synthetic substances in production and handling of organic crops, according to a final rule published by the National Organic Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The list of synthetic substances includes ferric phosphate used as slug or snail bait, hydrogen chloride for removing lint from cotton seed for planting, and egg white lysozyme. These substances were supposed to sunset in 2011 under the sunset provisions of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, but the National Organic Standards Board recommended their continued use in organic farming.

Western consumer packaged goods companies are investing in consumer research to adapt their marketing campaigns to local conditions in Russia. Reckitt Benckiser spends around 12 percent of its $440 million revenue from the former Soviet countries on consumer research and marketing, an investment that helped the company launch a successful advertising campaign for its Calgonit dishwasher tablets after research found that Russian women spend inordinate amounts of time on washing dishes because dishwashers are not common in Russian homes. The company also found success in marketing its Clearasil anti-acne treatment although Russian teenagers had been using soap and water until ten years ago. Unilever signed up Russian celebrity Vera Brezhneva to endorse its Rexona deodorant after research showed majority of Russian women viewed her as their ideal of a perfect woman.

Consumer packaged goods companies are learning that promoting their Facebook and Twitter accounts in online ads, especially within the ad so users do not need to click away from the site they are on, leads to higher response rates. For example, Mrs. Meyers recently ran an online ad that posted consumer-interaction data much better than the industry's average figures, with 35 of every 1,000 online users clicking the ad's Learn More button, which leads to the brand's Web site, about 35x the average rate. Hyperlink seller Kontera designed an online ad for Kraft that highlights the food company's promotion deal with the TV program "Glee." Adding Facebook and Twitter content transforms online ads into something more alive, according to marketing expert and author Andy Smith.

Analysts believe that Unilever plans to sell its food division to finance reported plans to acquire a home and personal care company. Such an acquisition would help improve the company's performance in the stock market, where concerns about skyrocketing materials costs and declining consumer spending have hammered Unilever shares recently. Letting go of its food unit will enhance the company's growth potential, while an acquisition in the home care segment will strengthen the company's profile in that category. Some investment analysts advise clients to buy shares of Unilever, which is reportedly looking at Reckitt Benckiser as a potential takeover target.