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☆ ‘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.

☆ Vodafone and Nestlé Created Panels to Avoid ‘Greenwashing’ Allegations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Vodafone Group and Nestlé have set up panels of experts to double check environmental claims before they appear on products and marketing, a move by the multinationals to avoid allegations of so-called greenwashing. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is updating its environmental marketing guidelines and the EU has proposed that businesses need to offer scientific evidence. The panels at Nestlé and Vodafone are examples of how companies are stepping up their due diligence of green claims in response to mounting scrutiny, tighter regulation, shifting consumer preferences and the threat of lawsuits. So far, that hasn’t happened, Mr. Reiter said. The packaged-foods company’s panels are staffed by employees from marketing, regulatory, scientific affairs, sustainability, legal and communications.

☆ Lab-grown breast milk startup Biomilq aims to change infant nutrition — if it can release a product
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Biomilq, the company behind the breakthrough, had been working for nearly a decade to replicate the process of making human milk — but outside of the body. While the crisis has highlighted the importance of a resilient formula supply, human milk experts, milk bank advocates and Biomilq all stress the same message: Breast milk is best. The startup will likely take a "gradual approach" to introducing its science via "an early-life nutrition product in partnership with one of these bigger companies," Strickland explained. Breast milk is woefully understudied — to the point that it's difficult "to even say what human milk is from a nutritional standpoint," Perrin explained. The company is researching which aspects of human milk its system is best suited to produce.

☆ Analysis: Investors see trouble ahead after Europe's stellar first quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Joice Alves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Europe's largest listed company LVMH (LVMH.PA) produced stellar sales as China rebounded sharply after COVID restrictions ended. The robust corporate margins on show in the first quarter are seen coming under pressure later in the year. Based on Refinitiv I/B/E/S estimates, STOXX 600 companies are expected to report net profit margins of 11.4% in the first quarter, up from 10.2% in the last quarter of 2022. But margins are seen declining to 10.5% in the third quarter, according to Refinitiv estimates. But there has not been a wave of companies revising earnings forecasts down, providing a cushion for European equities.

☆ Will ‘Superfood Powders’ Actually Make You Healthier?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Dani Blum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

You’ve probably noticed ads for these “superfood powders” scattered across social media or on your favorite podcast. These “greens powders” or “superfood powders,” as they are sometimes called, usually host a hodgepodge of vitamins and minerals, as well as other trendy ingredients like probiotics, ground up kale, chia seeds and ashwagandha. But are they really a shortcut to better health? “They’re so enticing,” said Dr. Marion Nestle, an emeritus professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. “You think, ‘Oh, this will be so easy.’”

☆ Investors see trouble ahead after Europe's stellar first quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Joice Alves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

☆ Novartis names Sandoz board members ahead of spin-off
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ZURICH, May 15 (Reuters) - Novartis (NOVN.S) on Monday named the intended new board members of Sandoz, the generics business it plans to spin off to shareholders later this year. The Basel company approved the recommendations of Sandoz Chairman-designate Gilbert Ghostine for the 10 members of the board, which will start preparatory work in June. Others to be appointed to the board include former Novartis executive Karen Huebscher, Aarti Shah, who worked at Eli Lilly (LLY.N), and Deutsche Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) CFO Remco Steenburgen. Unilever (ULVR.L) Chief Legal Officer Maria Varsellona, and former Procter & Gamble (PG.N) executive Yannis Skoufalos, complete the nominations to the committee. "The Sandoz Board of Directors will start preparatory work from June onwards and will be effective following the planned spin-off of Sandoz in the second half of 2023, subject to Novartis Board of Directors and shareholder approval," Novartis said on Monday.

☆ The Hottest Outdoor Furniture Trends for Warmer Weather
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Kathryn O Shea-Evans | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Laid-Back Charm of Bistro Sets“Bistro sets remind us of spending warm days in a European city,” said Ksenia Kagner, co-founder of Civilian, a building and design studio in Brooklyn. She appreciates the table-and-chairs groupings’ lack of formality and pretension. “They convey a sense of retreat and nostalgia.” Ashley Macuga of Collected Interiors finds they nestle nicely where a traditional outdoor dining room table won’t fit. Chop Chairs and Table by Philippe Malouin for Hem, about $1,738, Hem.com

☆ Six innovations that can help feed the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Mark Tutton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN asked three experts to outline the innovations that can help increase food production without harming the planet. Insect proteinSingapore-based Insectta uses black soldier fly larvae to convert organic food waste into fertilizer and animal feed. The maggots are fed food waste, such as the byproducts of soybean factories and breweries. Don Emmert/AFP/Getty ImagesMadramootoo says that a wholescapes approach can also be applied to food production in urban and peri-urban areas – the spaces immediately surrounding a city. “In congested peri-urban areas, we can use vertical farms in warehouses or abandoned buildings, for example, to produce food.

☆ Flying high on obesity success, Novo's appetite for deals grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Natalie Grover | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Its interest is largely in areas it has already invested in, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and gene therapies, he said on a panel at the LSX World Congress conference. Since launching its popular Wegovy weight-loss drug in the United States in June 2021, Novo's shares have soared by 140%. The company has traditionally taken a wait-and-see approach to deals, often waiting for drugs to have success in later-stage trials before going for a deal. Since joining the drugmaker in 2018, the company has grown its business development capacity. "If you look at some of our competitors, there are hundreds of people in business development ... and we probably have 25," he said.

☆ Investors see big Novo Nordisk stock boost if obesity drug shows heart benefit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Demand for the Danish company's weight-loss treatment Wegovy is soaring in the United States, leading it to significantly raise its full-year profit and sales expectations last month. "But most insurance companies (...) may need to see that data, to definitively see the correlation between weight loss and improved outcomes." Less than 15% could put downward pressure on the stock while around 10% would be a major disappointment, some of the investors and analysts said. Booming demand and production issues have caused shortages of Wegovy though, forcing Novo to delay launching the weekly injection in most of Europe. Even with the medical benefit, investors say the company faces a challenge convincing Europe's cost-conscious health authorities to pay for the drug.

REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File PhotoSummarySummary Companies Reliance's JioCinema to lock horns with Netflix, DisneyWarner deal to boost English content, local content in focus tooExecutives say Warner deal will boost Reliance streaming plansJioCinema content quality key to beat rivals, analyst saysMUMBAI, April 28 (Reuters) - The video streaming business of Mukesh Ambani, Asia's richest person, is likely to focus on pricing and local content following a deal with Warner Bros as it seeks to challenge the likes of Disney and Netflix, industry sources said. While Netflix and other rivals boast of content specially created for the India audience, JioCinema's current free offerings largely include old Hindi and local language movies. The big challenge is lack of fresh local and global content on JioCinema, something that will be become even more critical as the IPL season ends next month. They have also diversified into regional local language content. The only way to scale up is to really differentiate your content and make sure execution is right," he said.

☆ Consumers are wising up to 'greedflation' as food companies keep prices high
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Most consumers think food brands are using inflation "as an excuse to hike prices," a survey says. PepsiCo, Nestlé, Conagra, and other food companies say they are trying to cover their costs. While costs of raw materials, labor, and shipping have continued to be high, many food companies have reported leaps in profit at the same time. Many have noticed that food companies' profits have been increasing, too, a sign to them that some of the higher prices are about something other than covering production costs. Recent earnings from food companies suggest that many have raised prices higher than inflation.

The 10.7% increase in prices was, however, lower than in recent quarters, adding to signs inflationary pressures might be easing as input costs declined. Packaged goods companies have been hiking prices as they grapple with a surge in costs of everything from sunflower oil and shipping to packaging and grain. Unilever reported a 10.5% rise in underlying first-quarter sales to 14.8 billion euros ($16.4 billion), beating analysts' average forecast for a 7.2% increase, according to a company-provided consensus. That included a 10.7% increase in prices and a 0.2% dip in volumes. Rivals P&G (PG.N) and Nestle (NESN.S) have also recently reported stronger than expected quarterly sales, with price hikes offsetting lower volumes.

"It's principally around the costs of labour, logistics and energy and what our suppliers see in their own production bases," finance chief Graeme Pitkethly said. On Thursday, Unilever said it had raised prices by 10.7% in the first quarter. "People are looking towards the second half of this year for some relief in costs - we'll see if that actually plays out," Richard Saldanha, a fund manager at Unilever and Nestle investor Aviva, said. "Clearly these companies are still displaying a pretty decent ability to push pricing ... Unilever is able to manage what is still a very elevated cost environment." Reporting by Richa Naidu Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Cost inflation rose during the COVID-19 pandemic and was exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which sent energy prices to record highs last year. Energy costs have since dropped, however, while global prices for some commodities are rising more slowly. Companies like Nestle (NESN.S), Reckitt Benckiser (RKT.L) and Danone (DANO.PA) continued to raise prices sharply in the first quarter even though input costs are easing. First quarter price/mix, a basket of variables the company uses to help determine what prices to charge, rose 12.4% while sales volumes declined 4.5%. Similarly, Nestle increased its prices by 9.8% during the quarter and sales volumes - which the company calls real internal growth - fell only 0.5%.

☆ Danone raises sales outlook as shoppers absorb price hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Dominique Vidalon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, April 26 (Reuters) - Danone (DANO.PA), the world's largest yoghurt-maker, raised its 2023 outlook on Wednesday after it managed to pass on increased costs through price rises and first-quarter sales growth was the fastest in a decade. Danone, which expects prices to peak this year and also anticipates productivity gains, kept its forecast for a moderate improvement in recurring operating margin for the year. The maker of Activia yoghurt, Evian water and Aptamil infant milk said it expected like-for-like 2023 sales growth of between 4% and 6%, having previously forecast 3%-5% growth. Danone increased its prices by 10.3% during the quarter while sales volume remained positive, up 0.2%. In China, Infant Nutrition, and also Adult and Pediatric Specialties made a particularly strong start to the year with double-digit growth.

☆ Danone raises 2023 sales outlook after price hikes boost Q1
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Dominique Vidalon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, April 26 (Reuters) - Danone (DANO.PA) raised its 2023 sales growth outlook after it reported higher-than-expected first-quarter revenue on Wednesday, as the world's largest yoghurt maker was able to raise prices in the face of high raw materials and energy costs. Danone, maker of Activia yoghurt, Evian water and Aptamil infant milk said it expected like-for-like 2023 sales growth of between 4% and 6%, having previously forecast 3-5% growth. Danone said sales rose 10.5% like-for-like to 6.96 billion euros in the first quarter, beating expectations for 7.3% growth in a company-compiled consensus of 18 analysts. Danone, like its rivals Nestle (NESN.S) and Unilever (ULVR.L), has increased prices to cope with surging commodities and supply chain costs but faces a challenge when it comes to the extent of price hikes before even affluent shoppers decide enough is enough. Danone increased its prices by 10.3% during the quarter while sales volume remained positive, up 0.2%.

☆ Here’s How Supply Chains Are Being Reshaped for a New Era of Global Trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Paul Page | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A robot moves products manufactured by Nestlé at a distribution warehouse operated by GXO Logistics near Derby, England. Photo: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg NewsWhen a measure of strains on global supply chains fell earlier this year to levels last seen before the Covid-19 pandemic, it signaled to some that the product shortages, port bottlenecks and shipping disruptions of the past three years were over and that a new era of stability was on the horizon. But industry experts say a “return to normal,” as the Federal Reserve Bank of New York described its Global Supply Chain Pressure Index in February, hardly means that companies are going back to conventional, some would say complacent, supply chains.

☆ Climate-Disclosure Rules Are Coming. Here’s How Companies Are Adapting.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

International jurisdictions and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission are expected to finalize rules by this summer that will require public companies to report their greenhouse-gas emissions. Direct suppliers are known as tier 1 with that number increasing the deeper you go down the supply chain. Partnerships with suppliers: Large companies are working with small suppliers to overcome hurdles to accessing renewable power supplies, a relatively straightforward way to cut emissions. In October, it said its first group was five companies, including Amy’s Kitchen Inc., Levi Strauss & Co. and J.M. Targets for lower-emission alternatives: Nestlé SA is paying a premium to farmers in its supply chain that cut emissions by following regenerative farming practices.

BARCELONA, April 25 (Reuters) - Europe's cost of living crisis has benefited discount retailers but mid-market names are being squeezed as shoppers watch their spending, executives and analysts at an industry conference said on Tuesday. Although price rises are slowing, retailers globally are still worried inflation will dampen consumer spending and are looking for new ways to attract customers. In Europe especially, some have seen sales slow as high energy bills lead customers to buy less or cheaper food and clothes. And passing higher costs on to shoppers is likely to become harder: 72% of respondents said they expected consumers to be more price-sensitive this year. "It's a very positive moment," said Ying Xu, president of Chinese supermarket chain Wumart, referring to the reopening.

☆ KitKat and Nescafe owner Nestle says it's raised prices by nearly 10% so far this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Cheerios, Nescafe, Nesquik, KitKat, Milkybar and Purina products, manufactured by Nestle SA, arranged in London, U.K., on Monday, July 26, 2021. Consumer goods firm Nestle raised prices by 9.8% in the first quarter, attributing this to "significant cost inflation." But sales volumes, listed as "real internal growth," fell 0.5%. The company raised prices by 8.2% last year, and saw sales volumes up by 0.1%. It comes as consumers struggle with sharply higher prices of food, household basics and beyond.

☆ Supply Chains Have Changed Forever
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Paul Page | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Credit Suisse mess leaves scattered Swiss debris
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

ZURICH, April 24 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Swiss government intervention to save Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) from collapse last month may have avoided a financial market storm. SWISS “TRINITY” QUESTIONThe rescue of Credit Suisse has other consequences. The Swiss Bankers Association has called for an independent inquiry, and lawmakers gave a symbolic thumbs-down to the rescue of Credit Suisse on April 12. A Senate Finance Committee report found last month Credit Suisse had violated a 2014 deferred prosecution agreement with U.S. authorities by continuing to help rich Americans dodge taxes. Switzerland’s parliament on April 12 rejected a Credit Suisse rescue package that included 109 billion Swiss francs in financial guarantees.

☆ Analysis: China rebound buoys hopes for stronger-than-expected US, Europe earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Joice Alves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But recent data and upbeat comments from major companies like LVMH (LVMH.PA), Europe's most valuable listed company, about business in China have given investors some cause for optimism. Refinitiv I/B/E/S data points to a 2.5% decline in earnings growth in the first quarter for STOXX 600 (.STOXX) companies, down from a forecast for 5.4% growth prior to the banking chaos. Europe is headed for a recession too, the data shows, with a drop in earnings of 5.4% expected in the second quarter. But stubbornly high inflation means major central banks are expected to continue to hike rates, at least in May. European financials are expected to report first-quarter earnings growth of 31%, according to Refinitiv.

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