Consumables

NEW YORK  — Since the inaugural launch of the Nielsen Connected Partner Program, Nielsen has shown early success with its open ecosystem of third-party partners. On Thursday, Nielsen announced an expansion of its Connected Partner Program member roster to include retail-focused companies such as: 1010data, ciValue, Neogrid, Clear Demand, and RangeMe.

NEW YORK — KIND bars and snacks added Cinnamon Oat and Double Dark Chocolate to its Healthy Grains bar portfolio and Pressed by KIND Strawberry Apple Chia to its Pressed by KIND family. The Cinnamon Oat and Double Dark Chocolate bars contain 5 grams of sugar with more than one full serving of 100% whole grains. These bars also contain a five super-grain blend of oats, millet, quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat. They are also gluten-free and contain no artificial sweeteners.

PURCHASE, N.Y. — Mountain Dew introduced its new global “Do the Dew” campaign, centered around the belief that “there’s no feeling like doing.”

The campaign is set to appear in 20 countries throughout the world, kicking off Monday with the first piece in its series, “Fade Away,” which premiered on social media and television.

ATLANTA — A lawsuit filed on behalf of the nonprofit profit group Praxis Project in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California claims Coca-Cola and trade organization the American Beverage Association are “deceiving consumers about the harms of consuming Coke and other sugar-sweetened beverages.”

VR. AR. AI… Oh my.

There is no question how much technology is changing not only the way retailers and brands engage consumers during the pre, during and post phases of the shopping experience, and reshaping the path to purchase, but also how brands bring new innovation to the market and rethink how products are merchandised online and in store.

Below, DSN outlines the big trends, predictions and critical issues that will make the news in 2017 and beyond.

1. VR takes over

Intense competition from rival yogurt makers hammered revenue and profit at General Mills in the second quarter.

General Mills reported lower-than-expected quarterly profit and revenue and shares of the yogurt and breakfast cereal maker fell as much as 4 percent to $60.52 on Tuesday.

In the U.S. market, where total retail sales slipped 9%, the decline was a steep 17% for yogurt. That’s far worse than the 3% drop for cereal, 7% decline for baking products, and 1% increase for snacks, according to Fortune.

In the Trump administration, retailers can expect a new head of the FDA, one of the 4,000 or so political appointees. 

According to Forbes, the current FDA commissioner, Dr. Robert Califf, assumed the position only in February, so he has not really had time to make his mark.

His predecessor, Dr. Margaret Hamburg, was there for seven years, however, and provides an exemplar of the kind of commissioner a Trump administration should avoid.

SALT LAKE CITY — There's a new brand of chocolate hitting shelves, and this one is sweetened with the natural sweetener Kakato.

Developed for Silver Fern by chocolatier Art Pollard, Cenavi has no added sugar or sugar alcohols, is high in fiber and contains the only strain of probiotics proven to boost the body’s metabolism for long-term weight loss.

The first items available online now at Silver Fern Brand and Amazon.com include 70% dark chocolate flats, chocolate-covered almonds and barks in three flavors: