The recession is expected to strike a blow to Major League Baseball, leaving many teams to face lower attendance and revenue as frugal fans root, root, root for their favorites from the comforts of home. The U.S. sports league faces a drop in attendance of 5 to 10 percent this year, while revenue generated by sales of tickets, food and souvenirs to fans, and suites and sponsorships to companies could also suffer, baseball officials said.    (more)

In tough times, it would seem the flow of new products would be slowed by companies fearing that shoppers have too much on their minds to consider still another cereal, soap or soup. But as the recession grinds on, Madison Avenue is serving up a steady stream of new packaged foods, cars, drugs (prescription and otherwise), menu items (for both sit-down and fast-food restaurants) and beverages ( alcoholic and otherwise). The new product pitches are coming from all manner of marketers, from global behemoths — among them Campbell Soup, General Mills, Mars and Unilever — to family-owned companies like Sargento Foods. One reason to stay the course on new products is that they can offer marketers new reasons to reach out to consumers when the impulse may be to pull back. Adjustments are being made to cope with tough times. Case in point is new Haagen-Dazs Five.  “To tell you the truth, part of the reason we called it Five is that we have modest marketing dollars and wouldn’t have a lot of money to explain what it was,” said Ching-Yee Hu, brand manager for Häagen-Dazs at Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream (more…)

The recession seems to have a sweet tooth. As unemployment has risen and 401(k)’s have shrunk, Americans, particularly adults, have been consuming growing volumes of candy, from Mary Janes and Tootsie Rolls to Gummy Bears and cheap chocolates, say candy makers, store owners and industry experts.  (more…)

Over the last decade, Mr. Torghele, 56, an entrepreneur in northern Italy, has developed a vending machine that cooks pizza. The machine does not just slip a frozen pizza into a microwave. It actually whips up flour, water, tomato sauce and fresh ingredients to produce a piping hot pizza in about three minutes. The European vending machine industry, which has grown significantly and now has annual sales of about 26 billion euros, or $33 billion, hopes the trend will catch on. It is not surprising that the new drive to offer fresh-made food is coming from Italy. Italians may be legendary for long lunches of pasta and wine, but they also lead Europe in vending machines, with more than 614,000 installed according to the European Vending Association. But is it good? I’ll let you know first chance I get. Ciao Bella!  (more…)

Safeway chairman, president and CEO Steve Burd told analysts last month that the company will push more of its private label products — such as its popular O Organic line — if manufacturers don’t lower their prices. In a time when consumers are looking for good value and thinking harder than ever about brand choice, some retailers seem poised to push their way to better profits through quality private label. Wal-Mart is revamping its own private-label efforts and relaunching its Great Value brand this month. Companies like Campbell Soup Co, Sara Lee Corp, and Unilever prepare to  discuss their strategies at next week’s Reuters Food and Agriculture Summit in Chicago, — fighting to hold onto price increases and shelf space as stressed consumers tighten household budgets. (more…)  UPDATE Campbell’s says it’s not likely to cut prices any time soon. ”Quite frankly, sales are growing, our marketplace presence is growing, consumer purchases are actually growing faster than sales, so we’re winning with the consumer,” Douglas Conant said (more…)

In her first weeks in the White House, Mrs. Obama has emerged as a champion of healthy food and healthy living. She has praised community vegetable gardens, opened up her own kitchen to show off the White House chefs’ prowess with vegetables and told stories about feeding less fattening foods to her daughters. Mrs. Obama cheerfully admits to an occasional hankering for fast food. It’s all about eating in moderation, she said, emphasizing the kind of flexibility that might make it easier for people to relate to her message. (more…)

Nearly a third of U.S. consumers feel it will be a year before their families are better off than they are today, and more than a quarter think it will take longer, according to a retail survey on behalf of Reuters. Findings from the survey by America’s Research Group released on Tuesday pointed to tough times ahead for U.S. retailers, who have their seen their sales plummet as shoppers have cut back on all but the most essential purchases. According to the data, U.S. consumers are pessimistic about the current economic environment and do not expect any improvement in 2009.  (more..)

Size does matter these days — particularly in the freezer aisle, where Ben & Jerry’s is mounting a pint-sized assault on rival Haagen-Dazs. The popular Dreyer’s brand has decreased the size of its “pints” from 16 ounces to 14 ounces, and rival Ben & Jerry’s is trying to use that to its advantage. While downsizing contents is a long held practice to hold price steady while improving margin, it is starting to border on the absurd when the definition of a pint can be altered.  (more…)

If food can be comforting, how about packaging? With consumers embracing old-world classics such as casserole, some marketers are trying to get on the bandwagon by trotting out some old-school style. General Mills has given Target a month-long exclusive on retro box designs for some of its best-selling cereals, Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs and Trix. The package-food company is giving away and selling T-shirts with the old designs as part of the deal. ”Our brands have a history that spans many young adults’ childhoods,” Kerry DeLaney, associate marketing manager-Big G Cereals, said in a statement. “The retro-box concept is a fun and unique way to create a package design that appeals to Target’s guests.”  (more…)