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The change drew the ire of several P&G investors. Its new forestry policy could put it at odds with a European Union deforestation law coming into effect in about 18 months banning certain goods linked to deforestation and forest degradation. "Our ongoing efforts to keep forests as forests while continuing to serve consumers with superior-performing products, all of those efforts remain unchanged." In its new forestry policy, P&G, which also makes Tide detergent and Dawn dish soap, consolidates existing guidelines for paper packaging and palm oil, used throughout its portfolio of products. The NRDC late last year filed a complaint with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to evaluate if P&G's claims that it prohibits forest degradation were materially misleading investors.

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[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.

SummarySummary Companies P&G beats sales estimates for 12th quarterHiked prices in U.S., Europe again in Jan-MarchShares up 2% premarketApril 21 (Reuters) - Procter & Gamble Co's (PG.N) customers continued to show little resistance to repeated price hikes, helping the Tide detergent maker boost its annual sales forecast and third-quarter margins. But shrinking consumer wallets in the face of high inflation have fanned concerns of how much longer rising prices will be tolerated before triggering a switch to cheaper, private-label brands. The fabric and home-care unit, P&G's biggest segment, saw sales volumes fall 5%, with average price rising to 13%. The company expects fiscal 2023 organic sales growth of about 6%, compared with its previous forecast for a 4% to 5% increase. P&G maintained its annual earnings forecast of flat to a 4% rise.

[1/2] Tide laundry detergent is shown on display in Compton, California, U.S., January 10, 2017. Fabric and family care, which includes the paper products, are among the company's biggest businesses. P&G's margins, a key sign of profitability investors closely watch, could take a hit if the company continues with heavier discounts. “Tide is who we would benchmark, and we’re seeing more discounts with them, and the category at large among bigger players.”Whritenour added that discounts are now deeper and more competitive. Market research firm Circana is forecasting discounts will continue to grow this year across household products as consumers face a darkening economic situation.

NEW YORK, April 3 (Reuters) - The number of corporate employees McDonald's Corp(MCD.N) plans to lay off this week will tally in the "hundreds," a source familiar with the burger chain's thinking said on Monday, as the company moves forward with a previously announced restructuring. McDonald's will have more employees going into new roles this week or receiving promotions then being laid off, the source added. The chain known for its Golden Arches has more than 150,000 employees globally, with about 70% based outside of the United States, including in company-owned restaurants. The layoffs do not include the more than 2 million worker in franchised McDonald's restaurants around the world. As part of updating its strategy, McDonald's also plans to build new restaurants.

HERSHEY, Pennsylvania, March 23 (Reuters) - Hershey Co (HSY.N) is looking to reduce "trace" amounts of lead and cadmium in its chocolate, chief financial officer Steve Voskiul told Reuters on Wednesday, after Consumer Reports found that some dark chocolate bars had potentially harmful levels of the heavy metals. Consumer Reports found that Hershey's Lily's extremely dark chocolate 85% cocoa bar was high in lead and cadmium. Its Hershey's Special Dark mildly sweet chocolate and Lily's extra dark chocolate 70% were also high in lead according to the report. Voskuil said the manufacturing and cleaning process for cocoa beans removes the "vast majority" of lead and cadmium. Hershey is "evaluating" if it can remove more of the metals through additional cleaning of cocoa beans or alternate sourcing, he said.

HERSHEY, Pennsylvania, March 22 (Reuters) - Hershey Co (HSY.N) is looking to reduce "trace" amounts of lead and cadmium in its chocolate, chief financial officer Steve Voskiul told Reuters on Wednesday, after Consumer Reports found that some dark chocolate bars had potentially harmful levels of the heavy metals. Consumer Reports, a nonprofit consumer group, tested chocolate bars including those made by Hershey late last year and found that some of them contained possibly harmful levels of lead, cadmium or both for people who eat more than one ounce per day. Consumer Reports found that Hershey's Lily's extremely dark chocolate 85% cocoa bar was high in lead and cadmium. Its Hershey's Special Dark mildly sweet chocolate and Lily's extra dark chocolate 70% were also high in lead according to the report. Voskuil said the manufacturing and cleaning process for cocoa beans removes the "vast majority" of lead and cadmium.

[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.

[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.

☆ 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.

"Because the consumer is now under more pressure, and Walmart is under pressure, that sets up a dynamic where there's probably not a lot of pricing going forward." The clout Walmart holds over suppliers also means that Walmart would likely get the lowest percentage of any price hikes manufacturers implement, according to investors who track the company. In 2018, Walmart pulled Campbell Soup Co's (CPB.N) products during the key winter season over a dispute over prices and shelf space promotion. At the time, Tesco labeled Heinz's price hikes as "unjustifiable." After raising prices four times in 2022, he said, Clorox doesn't "have any additional plans" to hike prices this year.

☆ Cheers! Spirits like gin, vodka, overtake beer's U.S. market share
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | 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: +2 min

Spirits like whiskey, cognac and tequila, a celebrity favorite, have surpassed beer's U.S. market share for the first time due to price hikes and high-end cocktail trends, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. U.S. sales for spirits totaled $37.58 billion last year, while beers like Anheuser-Busch inbev SA's (ABI.BR) Bud Lite tallied $37.46 billion, according to data compiled by the Distilled Spirits Council. Spirits' market share was 42.1%, while beer's was 41.9%, according to the data. Tequila and ready-to-drink canned cocktails including Constellation Brands Inc's (STZ.N) Fresca vodka spritz were among the fastest-growing types of spirits, the Distilled Spirits Council said. "The 'premiumization' trend, where people look at distilled spirits as an affordable luxury, is affirmed by these numbers," said Chris Swonger, CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council.

Analysts said the new cash may afford Bed Bath only a few quarters to revive its business, and a weakening economy would diminish any chance of a successful turnaround. Bed Bath declined to comment on Hudson Bay Capital's role in the share sale. "All is on hold," a maker of children's apparel said last week, adding that it had stopped shipping products to Bed Bath since early January. A shopping cart is seen at a Bed Bath & Beyond store in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., June 29, 2022. Reuters reported late last month that Bed Bath had lined up liquidators to close additional stores unless a last-minute buyer emerged.

Hudson Bay Capital is unrelated to Canadian department store chain Hudson's Bay Co. Bed Bath & Beyond declined to comment earlier Tuesday on Hudson Bay Capital leading investment in the share sale. A shopping cart is seen at a Bed Bath & Beyond store in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., June 29, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew KellyPrices on Bed Bath & Beyond bonds due in 2024 climbed to 24 cents on the dollar from around 5 cents, a level still indicating financial distress. Bed Bath shares rose 2.7% in extended trading, after closing down 49% on Tuesday.

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Bed Bath said it was planning to raise just over $1 billion through sales of preferred stock and warrants and from securities when the warrants are exercised. Bed Bath will receive a waiver on its recent bank default should the proposed offering succeed, the company said. Bed Bath & Beyond also appointed Holly Etlin, a bankruptcy expert, as interim chief financial officer. "It’s a similar situation in which a deeply financially distressed company is attempting to sell securities," said Lynn LoPucki, a professor at the University of Florida. Sources have told Reuters that Bed Bath & Beyond has lined up liquidators to close additional stores unless a last-minute buyer emerges.

The firm loaned Bed Bath & Beyond $375 million last year. The chain has said it is closing 87 Bed Bath & Beyond stores and five buybuy BABY stores, in addition to 150 closures announced last year. Bed Bath & Beyond said last week it defaulted on a loan, bringing it closer to bankruptcy. Sources have also told Reuters that Bed Bath & Beyond is considering skipping debt payments due on Feb. 1, a typical move that distressed companies take to conserve cash. Bed Bath & Beyond reported a loss of about $393 million after sales plunged 33% for the quarter ending Nov. 26.

Fourteen of the top 30 advertisers on Twitter stopped all advertising on the platform after Musk took charge on October 27, according to the Pathmatics estimates. Pathmatics said the previously unreported figures on Twitter advertising are estimates. read moreThe Pathmatics estimates show continued upheaval in Twitter's main revenue stream heading into 2023, led by a pullback from top consumer brands. Among consumer brands, Heinz ketchup maker Kraft Heinz Co(KHC.O) and Stouffers meal manufacturer Nestle SA (NESN.S) stopped all advertising, according to the Pathmatics estimates. Financial technology provider SmartAsset and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) said Pathmatics estimates showing an increase in advertising were inaccurate.

Known for its Birds Eye, Chef Boyardee and Slim Jim brands, Conagra is increasing some of its prices in its current fiscal 2023 third quarter. "We don't currently have any plans to take additional pricing beyond that," Connolly said, noting the plans could change if inflation persists. The price of groceries eaten at home rose an estimated 11%-12% in 2022, versus a 7%-8% increase in restaurant menu prices, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "If you're going to spend your day at home instead of in the office, odds are the breakfast and the lunch that you're going to have is going to be a product like a Healthy Choice Power Bowl," Connolly said. "We've now moved it to just about everything we sell in our frozen meals business," he said.

NEW YORK, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Conagra Brands Inc (CAG.N) Chief Executive Officer Sean Connolly said in a Reuters Newsmaker interview on Tuesday that he sees double-digit inflation in fiscal 2023, although protein costs are moderating. The company, known for its brands Birds Eye and Chef Boyardee, raised its full-year forecasts last week, after beating quarterly results, helped mainly by higher prices for its snacks and ready-to-eat meals. Its share price rose 12% in 2022 and shot up further after the improved forecasts. Packaged food makers have undergone several rounds of price increases in the past year to shield their profit margins from higher costs, which people have accepted as they find eating out far more expensive than cooking at home. Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli and Hilary Russ in New York Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bed Bath & Beyond exploring options including bankruptcy, shares fall 13%
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | 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: +2 min

Jan 5 (Reuters) - Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (BBBY.O) on Thursday said it was exploring options including a bankruptcy filing to address the U.S. home goods retailer's plunging sales, dwindling cash and debt load, sending its shares tumbling. Bed Bath & Beyond's fortunes dwindled and its stock collapsed in value after it pursued a strategy focused on its own private-label goods. The company became a meme stock last year when its shares soared more than 400%. Activist investor Ryan Cohen, the chairman of GameStop Corp (GME.N), took a stake in Bed Bath & Beyond, which he later sold, sending shares crashing. Bed Bath & Beyond in its prior financial update in the fall said it had liquidity of $850 million but had burned through $325 million in the quarter.

Jan 5 (Reuters) - Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (BBBY.O) on Thursday said it was exploring options including a bankruptcy filing to address the U.S. home goods retailer's plunging sales, dwindling cash and debt load, sending its shares tumbling. Bed Bath & Beyond said it expects to report a third-quarter loss of $385.5 million after sales plunged 33%. The stock was one of the most active on the Nasdaq, with nearly 9.4 million shares traded as of 09:37 ET. Bed Bath & Beyond's fortunes dwindled and its stock collapsed in value after it pursued a strategy focused on its own private-label goods. Activist investor Ryan Cohen, the chairman of GameStop Corp (GME.N), took a stake in Bed Bath & Beyond, which he later sold, sending shares crashing.

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 16 (Reuters) - PepsiCo plans to roll out 100 heavy-duty Tesla Semis in 2023, when it will start using the electric trucks to make deliveries to customers like Walmart and Kroger, the soda maker's top fleet official told Reuters on Friday. PepsiCo is the first company to experiment with the battery-powered Tesla Semis as a way of cutting its environmental impact. When Tesla starts building them, PepsiCo "will rotate those up" into its fleet, he said. PepsiCo declined to share details on the price of the trucks, a figure that Tesla has kept quiet. O'Connell said that a 425-mile (684-km) trip carrying Frito-Lay products brings the Semi's battery down to roughly 20%, and recharging it takes around 35 to 45 minutes.

PepsiCo, which ordered the Semis in 2017, is the first company to experiment with them as a way of cutting its environmental impact. PepsiCo is deploying 36 electric trucks from Tesla, with 15 in Modesto and 21 in Sacramento, so far. When Tesla starts building them, PepsiCo "will rotate those up" into its fleet, he said. PepsiCo declined to share details on the price of the trucks, a figure that Tesla has kept quiet. O'Connell said that a 425-mile (684-km) trip carrying Frito-Lay products brings the Semi's battery down to roughly 20%, and recharging it takes around 35 to 45 minutes.

In a filing on Friday afternoon in Manhattan federal court, Unilever said Ben & Jerry's board "is no ordinary board." Ben & Jerry's could not immediately be reached for comment. In August, a judge rejected Ben & Jerry's bid to immediately halt such sales. Last month, Ben & Jerry's board renounced the sale of its ice cream by Zinger, saying his products "should not be confused with the products" made by Ben & Jerry's. "The sale of products bearing any Ben & Jerry's insignia in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is against our values," the board said.

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