A class action lawsuit has been filed by two pension funds against the Pepsi Bottling Group alleging breaches of duty arising out of their attempt to sell Pepsi Bottling Group to PepsiCo. The surprise offer by PepsiCo for their two primary US bottlers – Pepsi Bottling and PepsiAmerica – was announced last week in an attempt to gain greater control over distribution. The move comes a decade after PepsiCo sought to separate itself from its bottlers, believing it would help the company focus... ...Read more »

The plastic bag ban in South Australia is set to come into effect next Monday, with supermarket staff set to wear badges asking for customer understanding. Premier Mike Rann is excited about the positive impact the decision should have on the environment. “South Australians are leading the nation by saying no to plastic bags,” he said. “We did it back in 1977 with our hugely successful drink container deposit which has dramatically cut litter and landfill. Now we’re going... ...Read more »

A leading Australian expert in Food Law and Policy, Professor Joe Lederman, has called for decisive Federal government leadership to ensure the security of Australia’s food supply in the event of any pandemic. The Managing Principal of the FoodLegal law firm and an Adjunct Professor of Food Law at Deakin University, Professor Lederman said that news of the human-to-human transmission of a lethal influenza strain out of Mexico made it imperative that governments, industry suppliers and retailers... ...Read more »

Just seeing a salad on the menu can push some consumers to make a less healthy meal choice, new research has discovered. It’s an effect called “vicarious goal fulfillment”, in which a person can feel a goal has been met if they have taken some small action, like considering the salad without ordering it, said Gavan Fitzsimons – Professor of Marketing and Psychology at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, and leader of the research. In a lab experiment, participants... ...Read more »

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has called for the Rudd Government to focus on jobs and strategies to keep prices low in the Federal Budget in May.ARA Executive Director Richard Evans said employment stability is the key to domestic economic recovery and the Rudd Government’s second budget must provide leadership and strategy to encourage employers to maintain and grow their workforce. “Employers need support from government to overcome the reduction in consumer demand over... ...Read more »

The Australian grocery industry, driven by the Just-In-Time (JIT) supply chain model, could be underprepared for the threat of a global pandemic, a leading expert has warned. Concern is mounting about an epidemic following the reported deaths of 86 people in Mexico due to Swine Flu and the illness of around 1300 in Mexico and 20 in the US. It is hoped that the outbreak will fizzle out within weeks, but it has forced the topic of a pandemic back onto the agenda. Professor Joe Lederman, Managing Principal... ...Read more »

Lion Nathan has agreed terms on a takeover by Japanese giant Kirin Holdings. The 54 per cent of the Australian brewer not currently owned by Kirin will be purchased for $12.22 a share, markedly above the $8.31 Lion was trading at when they went into a trading halt on Thursday morning. The offer values Australia’s second largest brewer at about $6.5 billion, higher than the $6 billion estimated by many analysts. Both companies have signed a scheme process agreement, with an acceptable Scheme... ...Read more »

Food safety could receive a boost if regulators created a list to rank the riskiest products, a leading United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) official has suggested. America has been battered by a series of high profile food safety scares, with salmonella contamination of jalapeno peppers, peanut butter and pistachios in the past year. President Barack Obama has since moved to strengthen the powers of the food regulator (FDA), with a White House panel looking into ways to enhance food safety... ...Read more »

Consumer group Choice is still planning on a July 1 launch for the revamped GROCERYchoice website despite facing resistance from some retailers who are not keen to provide lists on a weekly basis. Choice recently announced that consultancy firm SMS Management & Technology would help the consumer group with the $13 million task of rebuilding the troubled Grocery Choice website. Currently, the site focusses on 61 broad regions, with prices updated on a monthly basis. This has been criticised as... ...Read more »

Private label share has risen dramatically across retail channels and product categories during the past two years as consumers struggle with high food prices and other economic pressures, new research from America has indicated. According to the latest research from Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), “The 2009 Private Label Report,” this trend is expected to continue through 2009 and beyond, representing an unprecedented opportunity for retailers and a threat for branded manufacturers. “With... ...Read more »