05.01.08
The food industry is turning to healthier product lines to fight off the effects of the weak U.S. economy and help price hikes stick after a big leap in commodity costs.
The emergence of so-called health and wellness foods with lower fat, sugar and salt are aimed at keeping consumers buying premium brands even amid the escalating credit crisis, high fuel prices and housing meltdown.
Industry giants such as Kraft, General Mills, Sara Lee, ConAgra, Unilever and Danone all told the Reuters Food Summit in Chicago that healthy products were on top of their menus in insulating themselves from the U.S. economic malaise as they showed much higher growth than more-traditional selections.
Some companies said the health benefits of the new products helped attract customers squeezed by the price rises forced by the spiraling cost of commodities such as wheat, corn, milk and crude oil.
—David Jones, Reuters, 3/20/08
The emergence of so-called health and wellness foods with lower fat, sugar and salt are aimed at keeping consumers buying premium brands even amid the escalating credit crisis, high fuel prices and housing meltdown.
Industry giants such as Kraft, General Mills, Sara Lee, ConAgra, Unilever and Danone all told the Reuters Food Summit in Chicago that healthy products were on top of their menus in insulating themselves from the U.S. economic malaise as they showed much higher growth than more-traditional selections.
Some companies said the health benefits of the new products helped attract customers squeezed by the price rises forced by the spiraling cost of commodities such as wheat, corn, milk and crude oil.
—David Jones, Reuters, 3/20/08