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Functional beverages are moving to the next level. Sean Seitzinger, partner at Symphony Consulting of the SymphonyIRI Group, said that functional foods are one of the fastest-growing areas of the supermarket, recording 27% growth over the past three years. “Functional beverages, which comprise 63% of the category, are the center plate of that story,” Seitzinger said.


LOS ANGELES — Pampers is looking to provide new resources and support for Latina moms and their babies through its latest initiative.

Supplier News — Say goodbye to sweat stains with a new pretreatment stain remover from PharmaWorks. PitStop, PharmaWorks’ new innovation, removes stubborn yellow armpit stains by lifting and dissolving sweat-stain deposits, and it even can be used on old stains and rings around shirt collars. PitStop retails for $12.50 for a 12-oz. bottle. 


Supplier News — PepsiCo and GNC are teaming up to develop and sell fortified coconut water products. The Phenom brand will launch during second quarter 2011 and will be sold exclusively at GNC stores and GNC.com. 



One of Hershey’s popular mint brands is adding a powerfully cool taste experience to its line. Ice Breakers Frost sugar-free mints are coated with xylitol, cooling and flavor crystals and will be available in Wintercool and peppermint varieties. The mints are now available in 1.2-oz. containers.


NEW YORK — Portion control is a hot topic as more Americans strive to maintain good nutritional habits. Yet knowing how much food to serve is often a challenge. The Measure Up Bowl, a portion-control tool that allows consumers to measure portions inside a bowl without the need for measuring cups and scales, is a great solution to the challenge. 


DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. — Sara Lee announced on Monday that it has completed the sale of its global body care and European detergents businesses to Unilever for 1.21 billion euro ($1.6 billion).

The sale is part of Sara Lee's ongoing process of divesting its household and body care businesses.

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Kellogg's president, CEO and company director David Mackay announced that he will retire from his post, effective Jan. 1.

The announcement is part of Kellogg's succession plan, which named current COO and board member John Bryant — who joined Kellogg in 1998 — as the company's new president and CEO. Mackay will work closely with Bryant to ensure a smooth transition through March 31, 2011, the company said.

LA JOLLA, Calif. — Kashi is boosting its sustainability efforts by reducing the packages of its products by as much as 12.4%.

Among the foods that now feature less packaging are Kashi GoLean Crunch! honey almond flax and GoLean Crisp! toasted berry crumble cereals, all Kashi TLC crackers and the entire line of TLC chewy granola bars and TLC fruit and grain bars.