Coca-Cola promises to reduce marketing to kids as part of global anti-obesity commitment.

Levi Strauss buys naming rights to planned new stadium of San Francisco 49ers.

Lay's reveals chip-flavor contest winner.

Abercrombie & Fitch draws fire for stocking only "skinny" sizes for women.

Activision Blizzard warns "World of Warcraft" is losing subscribers.

AT&T severely slashes Facebook Home phone prices.

BT enters British-sports broadcasting.

Claire's IPO will test market for debt-laden companies.

Ford takes over as title sponsor of Detroit's annual fireworks.

Google Maps will reportedly unveil new interface.Continue reading...

If you get all puffed up with double scoops of self-righteousness whenever you put your pennies toward munchies with “all-natural ingredients,” such as Frito-Lay’s Tostitos or now-quieter SunChips, instead of the alternative, a New York man is suggesting that you might want to chill out.

New Yorker Chris Shake has filed a “proposed class-action lawsuit” that claims “snacks actually contain corn and oils made from genetically engineered plants.” Shake says in the suit that he paid an extra dime per ounce so he could have all-natural products, but then “independent testing conducted on samples of Frito-Lay products labeled ‘all natural’ uncovered the presence of ingredients — including corn and vegetable oils — made from genetically modified plants,” according to Reuters.Continue reading...

In an effort at transparency, Frito-Lay is laying its chips on the square — New York’s Times Square, that is.

The ubiquitous chip-maker today launched its Flavor Kitchen interactive experience some 22 stories high in the Big Apple’s heart, broadcasting from jumbo screens on the Thomson Reuters Building across from the Hard Rock Cafe.Continue reading...

Brad Rodgers, manager of sustainable packaging for PepsiCo, explains the new quieter-but-still-compostable SunChips bags — packaging the Frito-Lay division brand produced following six months of testing in parent PepsiCo's labs — and a series of noisy consumer complaints.

Frito-Lay today announced that it had silenced its SunChips brand.

Yes, those noisy compostable eco-bag that riled some consumers' delicate sensibilities are officially a thing of the past. The SunChips Facebook page posted this message this morning:

"You asked for a quieter bag and we heard you loud and clear. Original SunChips snacks now come in a new compostable bag that’s twice as quiet as our last one. Filled with the same SunChips taste you’ve come to love, our new bags are rolling out in stores as we speak so grab one soon and tell us what you think. We’re listening!"

Its website also features a video with comedian Rachael Harris demonstrating the new bag, while its Twitter page posted its first tweet since October to announce that the new bags would be in store in "about a month." 

See how SunChips Canada responded to the biodegradable bag kerfuffle after the jump.Continue reading...

SunChips, a Frito-Lay brand, already ahead in the guilt game of eating chips, has taken a leap forward in ecological ethics and rolled out an entirely compostable bag for its multigrain brand. Made from corn, the bags will decompose in under four months.

Per the official website: “We dream of a world with less waste. That's why we've introduced a bag made from plants so it's fully compostable. Every 10 ½ oz. SunChips® package is designed to fully break down in just 14 weeks when placed in a hot, active compost bin or pile. If it takes a little longer, don't worry about it. Mother nature will get to it soon enough."

In addition to the calories and questionable nutritional value of any chip snack, billions of bags end up in garbage dumps annually. Certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute, according to Brad Rogers, North American sustainable packaging manager, the new compostable bags have passed tests “with flying colors."Continue reading...