COVID-19

NEW YORK — Economic uncertainties may have prompted beauty mavens to develop a "skimp and splash attitude," whereby their consumer behaviors have changed for the long term.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Through a new exclusive agreement with Green Secure Solutions, Winn-Dixie is implementing a patent-pending process to clean, sanitize and protect shopping carts, hand baskets, handicap carts, food trays and other equipment at its 484 stores.

Gojo Industries this past fall reacquired its Purell hand-sanitizer brand from Johnson & Johnson and is currently putting the pieces in place to reassume a category leadership role for waterless hand washing.


The endeavor is not without its challenges. Today, hand sanitizers are a highly commoditized category. And though sanitizers certainly benefited from increased awareness associated with last year’s H1N1 pandemic, that awareness didn’t translate into sales; the $100-million-plus category is down 35.4% in 2010, according to SymphonyIRI Group data. 


NEW YORK — It seems that most women are focusing on themselves by emphasizing their health and well-being as the economy is entering a post-recessionary phase, according to a new survey.

ATLANTA — Obesity rates continue to soar among the U.S. population, particularly in children. And the result, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported, leads both to “psychosocial problems and to cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, high cholesterol and abnormal glucose tolerance or diabetes.”

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Americans won’t take off work for something as innocuous as a cold, a new survey released Wednesday found, a fact that underscores the need for ready access to over-the-counter cough-cold medicines and better hand-washing/sanitizing practices in the workplace.

The survey, sponsored by Cadbury Adams’ Halls cough drop brand, found that 44% of Americans would consider going to work with a fever, and 32% said they would show up to work no matter how sick they get this season.

PHILADELPHIA — Bresslergroup on Tuesday introduced a device that disinfects an entire room without labor or hazardous chemicals. Bresslergroup designed the new product for Sanosil International.

NEW YORK — Switching to private-label brands could help consumers save one-third of their typical spend on products, a new study conducted by the Private Label Manufacturers of America found.