While they suffer from even more ignominy under a new glare induced by the HBO documentary series The Weight of the Nation, the roundly condemned purveyors of "junk" salt, sugar and calories aren't exactly lying low and saying their mea culpas. McDonald's, Coca-Cola and 7-Eleven are each fighting back in their own way.

Coca-Cola has launched a test of its own new "mid-calorie" sodas to join PepsiCo in trying once again the concept of a "hybrid" diet/non-diet drink even though other attempts by both companies to mine a moderately-minded market have failed. Coke plans to test Sprite Select and Fanta Select products this summer — with only half the calories, 70 of regular drinks per 12-ounce can — in test markets in Atlanta, Detroit, Louisville and Memphis.

Interestingly, Coke's new toe in the mid-calorie water will depend on a blend of sugar: Cargill's Truvia brand of natural sweetener stevia plus erythritol, a "sugar alcohol" (unlike the ingredients in PepsiCo's new, nationally available mid-cal, Pepsi Next, which includes sucralose and high-fructose corn syrup). That gives Coke a leg up on an "more natural" claim it might want to make for select beverages against Next.Continue reading...

American consumers have felt a crush of pressure in recent years to lay off consuming so many sugars and work on eating healthier. Smart businesspeople have been happy to jump on the new opportunity, of course. You can now add Kraft's Oscar Mayer to that list.

The 129-year-old deli-meat maker that taught a generation of North Americans how to spell "b-o-l-o-g-n-a" has introduced a new line of products that contain absolutely no artificial preservatives, flavor, or coloring.

"Listening to consumer needs and finding better ways is just the way we do business," stated Heather Buettner, Senior Director New Product Development at Oscar Mayer, in one of two press releases the company issued to promote the launch today. "Our goal is to have 20 percent of our portfolio made with no artificial preservatives by 2015.”Continue reading...

An enjoyable breakfast means the world to Kellogg’s. And life hasn’t been easy for name-brand cereal makers in general in recent years, as time-pressed consumers skip breakfast while others are on the watch-out for GMO ingredients.

Now Kellogg’s is serving up something fresh to remind everyone about the importance of a great breakfast to get the day going: a major brand overhaul, as Forbes noted on Friday and the Kellogg company outlined in a press release this morning.

The scope of the visual and verbal identity refresh includes “an updated logo, identifying the Kellogg’s brand’s core purpose, incorporating the ‘masterbrand’ into all Kellogg’s marketing campaigns, consolidating 42 company websites around the world to one, and the new tagline, 'Let’s Make Today Great.'"

The move, Forbes notes, puts digital and social media "at the core of its engagement efforts." To that end, Kellogg's US joined Twitter last week to further engage fans and to help promote its London 2012 Olympics sponsorship of eight Team USA athletes, as it's also talking up on its Facebook page.Continue reading...

The branding-refreshed Girl Scouts are expanding from the iconic cookie sales into candy bars, which will be sold at U.S. retailers from June through September. For many, it’s a match made in heaven.

"The idea of working with Girl Scouts clicked on so many levels," commented Cherry Joh, marketing manager at Nestlé Crunch, which came up with the idea of a limited-edition candy bar and pitched it to the Girl Scouts USA, who sold $760 million worth of cookies last year through increasing digital savvy as they celebrated their 100th anniversary in March.

To whet your appetite, here’s what’s cooking:Continue reading...

McDonald's latest limited-time U.S. promotion touts its icy fruit drinks, including "Pucker Up," below. Now the fast-food giant has received something of a wet kiss from an unexpected corner — The New York Times — for turning around its reputation in America.

Sunday's New York Times Magazine paid tribute to McDonald's for engineering a comeback in a feature, titled "How McDonald's Came Back Bigger Than Ever," that gives credit to its U.S. brand strategists and franchisees. And, to some extent, for succeeding on the terms of the activist opponents who've been criticizing the chain over its ingredients, menu and marketing to kids.Continue reading...

McDonald's has come a long way in its menu variety from variations on burgers, its iconic fries, the Fillet-O-Fish and Coke. And now the chain has incorporated its accelerated menu diversification as a main driver of sales and profits around the world.

In particular, McDonald's is relying on more "limited-time" offerings. The latest examples are a seasonal banana nut oatmeal, which will be available nationwide in the middle of May, and Cherry Berry Chiller, an iced drink that already is available everywhere. McDonald's began focusing on limited-time offers on a national scale last year after research showed that variety was a top priority for consumers, Wendy Cook, vice president of U.S. marketing, told USA Today.Continue reading...

Kraft Foods has announced that its iconic Oreo cookie brand, which turned 100 on March 6th, is now a $2 billion brand globally.

Kraft, which just reported strong first quarter results and is on track to split (with Oreo moving into the new Mondelēz entity) by year-end, expects to book $1 billion in emerging market sales of Oreo products this year.

The Oreo brand is big in China, for instance, where its "double fruit" flavors such as a raspberry and blueberry combo and other twists are popular. More details on Oreo's double-stuff growth projections in Kraft's press release.

Like Marmite, toast and tea, Weetabix long has been favored by British consumers as a breakfast staple. But now a major Chinese food conglomerate believes that Chinese consumers, who traditionally prefer congee porridge to start their day, will gobble up the iconic cereal as well.

China's state-owned Bright Food has bought a 60-percent stake in the 80-year-old brand, which accounts for about 7 percent of U.K. sales. Western eating habits are slowly catching on in China and across Asia as wealthier citizens seek to diversify from traditional staples such as rice and steamed bread.

"We are excited by the many growth opportunities for the business, especially in international markets, and Asia in particular," said Zongnan Wang, chairman of Bright Food, according to the U.K.'s Guardian. "With Bright Food's strong resources and our expertise in both the Chinese and broader international markets, we are excellently placed to develop the Weetabix business."Continue reading...