Guilt-free snacking? No. Less guilt? Yes!

BC's Dale Buss noted that PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division had unloaded its True North snack brand, an indication that the PepsiCo-owned Frito-Lay group was struggling to wrap its labels around health snacks.

While it's not exactly donning Birkenstocks, Frito-Lay tells brandchannel that its new year resolution is to go on a health kick, with a cross-brand commitment to produce more than half its products from all-natural ingredients by the end of this year. The move is motivated by consumer demand, with taste the top consideration, a spokesperson comments.

Frito-Lay North America is remaking more than six dozen varieties of product with all natural ingredients. Affected brands include all the flavors of Lay’s potato chips, Tostitos tortilla chips, Sun Chips multigrain snacks (which made headlines with its noisy compostable bags last year), Baked! snacks, and Rold Gold pretzels. Continue reading...

Though PepsiCo has been one of the most innovative mainstream CPG companies in the industry’s drive to provide better-for-you products, the company has come up against at least a couple of major frustrations in at least one segment of the growing healthful-foods genre: salty snacks.

Frito-Lay has been a leader in terms of substituting “good” cooking oils for bad, for instance, and in introducing lower-calorie baked varieties of its Lays potato chips and other brands. It also has succeeded by acquiring startup healthy-snack brands such as Stacy’s pita chips.

But when Frito-Lay initiates a better-for-you brand, watch out.Continue reading...

Amazon steps up European expansion plans.

Australia floods will impact global steel industry.

Barnes & Noble sees holiday sales growth from Nook e-reader.

Borders meets with publishers to discuss the US bookseller's future.

Coca-Cola takes nuanced approach in India.

Consumer Electronics Association annual CES show prepares to open with latest tablets and more.Continue reading...