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A man talks on the phone during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 4, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfliky Acquire Licensing RightsDec 5 (Reuters) - Six of the world's largest dairy companies will soon begin disclosing their methane emissions as part of a new global alliance launched at the United Nations climate summit in Dubai on Tuesday. Livestock is responsible for about 30% of global anthropogenic methane emissions, from sources like manure and cow burps, according to the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization. The five members of the Dairy Methane Action Alliance - Danone (DANO.PA), Bel Group, General Mills (GIS.N), Lactalis USA, Kraft Heinz (KHC.O) and Nestle (NESN.S) - will begin reporting their methane emissions by mid-2024 and will write methane action plans by the end of that year. Danone this year pledged to cut methane emissions from its fresh milk supply chain by 30% by 2030.

Persons: Amr Alfliky, General Mills, Kraft Heinz, Chris Adamo, There’s, Katie Anderson, Anderson, Leah Douglas, Josie Kao Organizations: United Nations, Change, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, United, Livestock, Agriculture Organization, Danone, Bel Group, General, Lactalis, Nestle, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, Clean Air Coalition, United Nations Environment Programme . Companies, Environmental Defense, EDF, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, United Nations, Lactalis USA

☆ US jury awards $17.7 mln to Kraft, other producers in egg price-fixing case
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Mike Scarcella | Companies Need To Integrate Climate Reporting Across Functions To Comply With California S New Law | Henry Engler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The damages award could be tripled under U.S. antitrust law to more than $53 million. The same jury on Nov. 21 found the egg producers liable for the alleged antitrust conspiracy after a more than five-week trial. The damages award was limited to alleged overpayments during a four-year window in the mid-2000s. The jury's liability decision held Cal-Maine accountable with other defendants, including trade associations United Egg Producers and United States Egg Marketers. The case is Kraft Foods Global Inc v. United Egg Producers Inc, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, No.

Persons: Oscar Mayer, Heinz, General Mills, Kellogg, Brandon Fox, Jenner, Steven Seeger, Robin Sumner, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders, Patrick Collins of King, Rose Acre, James King, Porter Wright Morris, Mike Scarcella Organizations: Kraft, Kraft Foods Group Inc, 3G Capital, Berkshire Hathaway Inc, Food, Nestle, Friday, Cal, Maine Foods, United Egg Producers, United States Egg, U.S, Kraft Foods Global Inc, United Egg Producers Inc, Northern, Northern District of, Jenner, Patrick Collins of King & Spalding, Arthur, Thomson Locations: Northfield , Illinois, Acre, Ridgeland , Mississippi, Maine, Cal, Northern District, Northern District of Illinois

☆ Branding’s corporate titans face moment of truth
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Now for the first time this century, sales volumes at the big consumer goods manufacturers are falling. In the first nine months of the year, Kraft Heinz said the quantity of its sold items declined by nearly 6 percentage points year-on-year. That’s likely to allow Nestlé, Kraft Heinz and Unilever to see flat or modest increases in 2023 sales, LSEG data shows. Earlier this year, outgoing Kraft Heinz Chief Executive Miguel Patricio said the company lost market share to a branded competitor that spent more. Unilever, Nestlé and Kraft Heinz have all pointed to a slowing of price growth in the coming year.

Persons: Kraft Heinz, Nestlé, ’, Xavier Roger, Kraft, what’s, John Furner, Miguel Patricio, Mars, ”, François, EY, George Hay, Streisand Neto, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Consumer, Kraft, Unilever, Danone, ’, United Nations, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Nestlé, Kraft Heinz, Target, Reuters Graphics, Obesity, Mondelez, Walmart, “, Thomson Locations: U.S, Europe, Australia, Norway, Chocolat, London

☆ Mondelez hikes annual forecasts for third time this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Mondelez International logo and stock graph are seen displayed in this illustration picture taken July 26, 2021. Picture taken July 26, 2021. Shares of the Chicago-based snack maker rose 3% in after-hours trading as it also beat quarterly net revenue estimates. Mondelez's organic net revenue for the full year is expected to grow 14% to 15% compared with a prior expectation of a more than 12% growth. Quarterly net revenue was $9.03 billion in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, from $7.76 billion a year earlier.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Kraft Heinz, Savyata Mishra, Krishna Chandra Organizations: REUTERS, Mondelez, Thomson Locations: Chicago, Bengaluru

☆ Kraft Heinz lifts annual profit target as price hikes boost margin
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Bottles of Heinz Tomato Ketchup, a brand owned by The Kraft Heinz Company, are seen in a store in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 11, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Acquire Licensing RightsNov 1 (Reuters) - Kraft Heinz (KHC.O) beat Wall Street estimates for third-quarter profit and raised its annual forecast as the Jell-O maker's margins benefited from higher prices of its packaged meals and condiments. Kraft's prices increased by 7.1 percentage points for the quarter, boosting its adjusted gross margin by 396 basis points to 34%. However, the higher prices took a toll on demand from inflation-hit customers, sending Kraft's overall volumes down 5.4 percentage points even as organic net sales grew 1.7%. The Philadelphia Cream Cheese maker forecast full-year adjusted profit in the range of $2.91 to $2.99 per share, compared with its previous range of $2.83 to $2.91.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Savyata Mishra, Mary Manoj, Devika Organizations: The Kraft Heinz Company, REUTERS, Kellogg, Cola, Philadelphia Cream, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York, U.S

☆ New-look Unilever retains its old-style opacity
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Unilever logo is displayed on Dove soap boxes in this illustration taken on January 17, 2022. Back in 2017 Unilever fought off a Kraft Heinz (KHC.O) takeover approach by pledging a 20% operating margin; now there just isn’t a target. But it leaves a question mark over Unilever’s long-term direction. And it might leave long-term critics like fund manager Terry Smith still griping about opacity. In January Smith complained that Unilever had revealed the price tag on only three of 27 acquisitions in its Beauty and Wellbeing division over eight years.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Hein Schumacher’s, Kraft Heinz, Alan Jope, Terry Smith, Smith, Schumacher, George Hay, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Unilever, REUTERS, Reuters, Kraft, X, Thomson

New anti-obesity drugs have the potential to transform public health, while obliterating demand for products and services from the medical, food and fitness industries. Drugs developed by Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) and Eli Lilly (LLY.N) appear to be the first truly effective diet treatments. In one clinical trial, patients taking Eli Lilly’s soon-to-be-launched weight-loss drug lost about 50 pounds (23 kg). Only about a third of those who started taking the drugs for obesity were still doing so a year later, according to one analysis. Yet even as Novo, Lilly and others see their addressable markets expand, some companies will see theirs shrink.

Persons: Lilly, George Frey, Eli Lilly, Eli Lilly’s, Novo, Wegovy, Kraft Heinz, Burger, LSEG, Michael Farrell, Zimmer Biomet, Smith, Peter Thal Larsen, Sharon Lam, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Pharmacy, REUTERS, Reuters, TAM, Drugs, Alpha, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Cadbury, Mondelez, Fortune Business, Burger King, KFC, Yum Brands, Centers for Disease Control, Milken Institute, BMJ, Novo, Inspire Medical Systems, Novo Nordisk’s, WW International, Fashion, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, New, United States, Lilly, England

Reuters GraphicsReuters spoke to four shareholders that have launched activist campaigns who said that some big consumer goods companies are ripe for executive changes after failing to impress. Reuters GraphicsMany large consumer goods companies generally hold low levels of debt and are cash generative, said André Medeiros, managing director and Alvarez & Marsal's EMEA consumer and retail leader. 'ADVOCATING FOR MANAGEMENT CHANGE'Gianluca Ferrari, founding partner of investor Clearway Capital, said his firm had some consumer companies on its radar but declined to name them. He did not identify specific executives nor disclose the nature of his work with consumer companies. In October, Reuters reported that Peltz had approached former CEOs of consumer goods companies as candidates for the Unilever top job.

Persons: Danone's, Emmanuel Faber, David Samra, Samra, Alvarez, Marsal, André Medeiros, Nelson Peltz, Artisan's Samra, We're, Peltz, Heinz, Gianluca Ferrari, Ferrari, Clearway, Glanbia, Faber, Bluebell, Nicolas Ceron, Ceron, underperformance, Kraft Heinz, KHC.O, Andrew Hayes, Russell Reynolds, John Long, Korn, Long, Alan Jope departure's, Unilever's, Graeme Pitkethly, Hein Schumacher, Heinz's, Bill Johnson, Nelson, Richa Naidu, Matt Scuffham, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Artisan Partners, Reuters, Danone, Evian, Unilever, Consumer Products, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Marsal's EMEA, Billionaire, Artisan, Cadbury Schweppes, Heinz, Trian, Bluebell Capital, shareholders, Bluebell, Diageo, Russell Reynolds Associates, Thomson Locations: York, H.J, Frankfurt, Western Europe, North America

☆ U.S. food companies go deal hunting as pandemic growth fades
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Deborah Mary Sophia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Last month, Campbell Soup (CPB.N) struck a $2.7 billion deal for Rao's sauce maker Sovos Brands (SOVO.O). Reuters GraphicsReuters Graphics Reuters Graphics"Large food companies need to add more new concepts, new flavor profiles and new food items because their old brands - though still growing - are not growing at a meaningful rate," Milani said. Packaged food companies "are now faced with some difficult comparisons on organic (sales) and are seeking some strategic, category-specific M&A targets that will propel them through the next few years," Henry said. "Most of the large cap packaged food companies have ... diligently reduced their debt and improved their balance sheet (through the pandemic)...so they have the risk capacity and risk appetite to pursue large-scale acquisitions," CFRA Research analyst Arun Sundaram said. "These packaged food companies need to continue finding ways to stay relevant ... And so one of the easiest ways to do that is through M&A."

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Campbell, There's, Michael Milani, Baker Tilly, Milani, Kraft Heinz, Sarah Henry, Henry, Mills, Luca Zaramella, Hershey, J.P, Morgan, Arun Sundaram, Deborah Sophia, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Campbell Soup, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Sovos, Unilever, Mars, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Logan Capital Management, PepsiCo, Mondelez, Barclays, Hostess Brands, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, North America, dealmaking, Bengaluru

☆ Cadbury-maker Mondelez lifts annual revenue growth forecast on strong demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 27 (Reuters) - Mondelez International (MDLZ.O) on Thursday raised its annual 2023 revenue growth forecast for the second time this year, helped by robust demand for the Oreo maker's snacks and chocolates despite higher prices. Shares of the Cadbury chocolate maker rose 1.6% in after-hours trading as the company also beat second-quarter revenue expectations. Mondelez's upbeat forecast came on the back of a strong first quarter and indicated that consumers remained resilient to higher prices for their favorite snack brands. The company said it expects a full-year organic net revenue growth of more than 12% in 2023, up from a prior forecast of more than 10% growth. The company's net revenue rose 17% to $8.51 billion in the second quarter, surpassing analysts' average estimate of $8.21 billion.

Persons: Campbell, General Mills, Kraft Heinz, Savyata Mishra, Pooja Desai Organizations: Mondelez, Cadbury, Kellogg, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

While food inflation has become a concern for European governments from Britain to Italy recently, France has been among the most aggressive in pushing price cuts. In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has imposed mandatory price cuts on some basic food items. But food prices still were up 14% last month after a record spike of almost 16% in March. Food prices surged after food companies and big retailers agreed in March to an average 10% increase in prices, responding to a surge in input prices the previous year and wages after Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the food industry has seen profits surge, largely making up for sharp falls during the pandemic, Le Maire said.

Persons: Bruno Le Maire, Le Maire, BFM, Viktor Orban, Maire, Knorr, Kraft Heinz, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Leigh Thomas, Richa Naidu, Silvia Aloisi, Hugh Lawson, Mark Potter Organizations: Food, Unilever, Finance, Reuters, Ministry of, Nestle, Danone, Pepsico, Thomson Locations: PARIS, France, Britain, Italy, Hungary, Ukraine

June 7 (Reuters) - Campbell Soup (CPB.N) shares dropped as much as 9% on Wednesday, after the company disappointed investors by maintaining its full-year forecasts for sales and profit despite beating quarterly earnings. The move helped Campbell Soup post a 5% rise in quarterly sales, although its margins slipped to 30% from 31.2%. Campbell expects annual net sales to grow between 8.5% and 10%, compared with analysts' estimates for a rise of 9.5%, according to Refinitiv IBES data. It forecast adjusted profit of $2.95 to $3 per share, versus estimates of $3.01. Reporting by Ananya Mariam Rajesh in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath and Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Campbell, Kraft Heinz, Arun Sundaram, Sundaram, Mark Clouse, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Devika Syamnath, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Kellogg, Investors, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Bengaluru

☆ Campbell Soup beats quarterly profit estimates on price hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 7 (Reuters) - Campbell Soup (CPB.N) beat Wall Street estimates for third-quarter profit on Wednesday and maintained its annual forecasts, as the maker of Pepperidge Farm cookies benefited from multiple rounds of price increases. Peer J M Smucker (SJM.N) had forecast a smaller-than-expected decline in annual sales on the back of higher prices and steady demand for its products. The company maintained its annual net sales forecast for an 8.5% to 10% rise and adjusted profit expectations of $2.95 to $3.00 per share. Campbell's third-quarter gross profit margin was 30%, compared with 31.2% a year earlier, squeezed by still-high prices of commodities and freight as well as higher marketing expenses. The company's net sales rose 5% to $2.23 billion, in line with expectations.

Persons: Campbell, Kraft Heinz, J, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Devika Organizations: Kellogg, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Bengaluru

☆ ‘Greedflation’ loosens its grip on food retailers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Big food manufacturers like Kraft Heinz (KHC.O) and Unilever (ULVR.L) are ratcheting down the price rises they have been inflicting onto supermarket chains. If food retailers can convince cash-strapped customers to skimp less and pay more, their profit margins will finally start growing. Last week, the country’s food retailers opened negotiations on prices with manufacturers like Coca-Cola (KO.N) and Unilever as food inflation surged to over 15% in March. Food manufacturers can certainly do more. Meanwhile, food inflation remained high at 19.1% in April versus 19.2% in March.

[1/3] Packaged food for sale is seen on shelves at a Dollar Tree in Islandia, New York, U.S., May 12, 2023. Razor manufacturer Edgewell Personal Care Co (EPC.N) and Kraft Heinz Co (KHC.O) have overhauled or built new teams dedicated to working with the biggest U.S. dollar stores like Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR.O) and Dollar General Corp (DG.N) in the last year. Makers of food and household staples are pushing deeper into dollar stores because the low-cost retailers are opening thousands of locations each year. Griffin added that dollar stores are also introducing more "premium" private label brands, like Dollar General's Nature's Menu for pets. Kraft-Heinz also created a new team of five people late last year to identify and develop products for dollar stores, a spokesman said.

☆ Walmart keeps grocery prices steady amid inflation, antitrust claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Siddharth Cavale | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

During the period, while U.S. inflation averaged 7.5% Walmart kept prices steady, the Dataweave analysis shows. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsThis was during a time when world food prices hit record highs and U.S. food-at-home prices rose in the double digits. Food-at-home prices, or prices of food bought at grocery stores and supermarkets, are expected to rise a further 6.6% this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The data set, which included batteries in the basket of goods, showed that Walmart sold Energizer batteries at a significant discount to rivals. Similarly, at least two different types of Energizer coin batteries sold at Walmart were found to be between 30% and 35% cheaper than the next lowest priced rival.

"Because of higher prices, people are buying smaller amounts of groceries overall and may have become more careful not to waste food." "Despite all of that, (there are) 8% to 12% missing items on shelves," he said. "This has created a major, major issue around out-of-stock" in most of the 16 Middle Eastern countries where the company operates, he said. Laurent Thoumine, Accenture's Europe lead for retail, said supermarkets in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain have had the worst stock issues. Products that are scarce in some stores include ketchup, pasta, chocolate, tea, potato chips, toothpaste and pet food, according to Nielsen IQ's Data Impact.

☆ Kraft Heinz agrees to sell Russian baby food business
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, March 31 (Reuters) - Kraft Heinz (KHC.O) has agreed to sell its baby food business in Russia to local drinks and snacks maker Chernogolovka, the U.S. food giant said on Friday, as domestic firms continue to capitalise on the departure of Western brands. According to Chernogolovka, the deal will include two factories and the "Umnitsa" and "Sami s usami" brands. "We anticipate closing the deal in the second half of 2023 (Q3) and will continue working with Chernogolovka post-completion, to ensure a smooth integration," a Kraft Heinz spokesperson told Reuters. Neither Kraft Heinz nor Chernogolovka disclosed the price or mentioned any buyback clause. Russia's Kommersant newspaper reported on Thursday, citing sources, that Kraft Heinz estimates the deal's value at between 2.5 and 3 billion roubles ($32.4 to $38.9 million) but the government is yet to approve the valuation.

☆ Another cultish cost-saving formula gets off-track
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Jeffrey Goldfarb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Despite its multiple interpretations and approaches, success is widely gauged by a railway’s operating ratio, a simple measure of how much it spends to make a buck. Union Pacific’s peers improved similarly, indicative of the antiquated ways the industry had been deploying resources. Union Pacific also found itself unable to bring back enough furloughed workers in areas where they were most needed. “In a significant departure from the railroad industry's recent past, we deliberately moved away from a singular focus on operating ratio,” he told lawmakers. “If we wanted to drive [operating ratio] lower over time, we could,” the board wrote in a letter to shareholders in late 2021.

[1/3] Ben & Jerry's, a brand of Unilever, is seen on display in a store in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., March 24, 2022. Nestle said cutting products saved 1 billion Swiss francs last year ($1.06 billion), while Unilever said the practice saved $2 billion. Food makers tend to cull products without much fanfare. At the consumer products conference they highlighted new offerings, many of them increasingly popular handheld foods that people can eat while scrolling on phones. "You'd be shocked by the loyalty and personal connections people have to food products," he said.

[1/3] Ben & Jerry's, a brand of Unilever, is seen on display in a store in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., March 24, 2022. Eliminating less popular products is part of a "decomplexity program" underway at Kraft Heinz, its executives said at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York Conference this week. Nestle said cutting products saved 1 billion Swiss francs last year ($1.06 billion), while Unilever said the practice saved $2 billion. At the consumer products conference they highlighted new offerings, many of them increasingly popular handheld foods that people can eat while scrolling on phones. "You'd be shocked by the loyalty and personal connections people have to food products," he said.

☆ Walmart cautious on economy, forecasts annual earnings below estimates
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 21 (Reuters) - Walmart Inc (WMT.N) forecast full-year earnings below estimates on Tuesday, saying it was cautious about the economic outlook for 2023 and that consumers were likely to continue shopping for lower-priced items that could pressure its margins. "There's still a lot of trepidation and uncertainty with the economic outlook. "So, that makes us cautious on the economic outlook because we simply don't know what we don't know." Walmart forecast fiscal 2024 earnings of $5.90 to $6.05 per share, compared with analysts' estimates of $6.50 per share, according to Refinitiv IBES data. Still, Walmart reported strong demand in the quarter ended Jan. 31, posting total revenue of $164.05 billion, a 7.3% increase from last year.

☆ Analysis: To raise prices or not? Consumer goods makers weigh bets on buyer strength
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Jessica Dinapoli | Thomson Reuters | New York-Based Reporter Covering U.S. Consumer Products Spanning Paper Towels To Packaged Food | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But, there are small signs the pressure is easing, with U.S. consumer prices a month earlier declining for the first time in two-and-a-half years, due in part to gas prices. Price hikes - or halts - are set to take center stage at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York annual conference on Feb. 20 in Boca Raton, Florida. DIFFERENT PREDICTIONSAfter more than a year of consistent price hikes, some consumer goods makers such as Kraft Mac & Cheese manufacturer Kraft Heinz Co (KHC.O) are pressing pause as they weigh consumer demand for their items. Frozen pizza prices have risen about 14% in the last year, according to IRI data. "Retailers cannot truly push back on prices … if the company has an important brand," Bernstein analyst Bruno Monteyne said.

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoFeb 16 (Reuters) - Walmart Inc's (WMT.N) results on Tuesday will provide Wall Street with new details on what items American shoppers are buying as rising grocery prices squeeze their wallets. In December, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said "we do not like" that some suppliers were hinting at raising prices further in 2023. He warned that Walmart would allocate space to private and tertiary brands if prices got too high. KitKat maker Nestle on Thursday said further price hikes were necessary to offset commodity costs. Still, Wall Street expects Walmart sales and revenue to rise in 2023 as its shipping and logistics costs moderate, even as labor expenses go up.

SummarySummary Companies Retail sales up 3% in Jan vs. est. A Commerce Department report showed retail sales surged 3% in January, driven by purchases of motor vehicles and other goods. "These numbers (retail sales) beat consensus by a long shot and it just shows that the consumer is still in a good spot," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities in New York. Of the more than half of the S&P 500 firms that have reported results so far, nearly 70% have topped profit expectations, as per Refinitiv data. ET, Dow e-minis were down 82 points, or 0.24%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 11.25 points, or 0.27%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 25.5 points, or 0.2%.

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