Food and Beverage Packaging June/July2010 : Page 6

Editor’sNote FEEDING CONSUMERS AND THEIR CONFIDENCE confidence, industry should feed consumers’ buying habits. As we recover economic recession. As Americans recover their economic confidence, the food and beverage industry should feed both their bodies and their new buying habits. The current recession may not brand today’s Amer-icans the way the Great Depression and World War II did previous generations. But it has influenced some buying patterns, in ways that could potentially ben-efit the industry or at least certain segments of it. The most basic of these is the habit of getting more meals out of the kitchen. People have to eat somewhere, and that somewhere is turning out to be at home. According to NPD Group, restaurant traffic has declined more than 3% among all segments, ranging up to 12% for fine dining, in the 12 months ending in March. Of course, just because consumers are in the kitchen more doesn’t mean their kitchen skills sharpened overnight. Food companies that cater to consumers who need to fix more, and more varied, meals are finding a receptive audience. Convenience-oriented prod-ucts and packaging will ride this wave. Private label is turning out to be another recession-borne consumer habit. Since 2007, its market share has risen 1.9%. The bad economic situation is forcing some consumers to realize what many others have for years: Private label often competes in quality, in both product and pack-aging, with national brands. Let us say that Food & Beverage Packaging takes no sides in the na-tional brands vs. private label wars. We love our readers in both sectors I equally. By the same token, we see the value of packaging to both sides: to reinforce the identity of national brands, and to establish the equal footing and quality image of private label. This issue is devoted to our annual Top 100 listing of the big-gest food and beverage processors. Accompanying features in-clude State of the Industry reports on food and beverage, and interviews with the top packaging executives at the three biggest food companies: Nestlé, Kraft and Mars. So here’s hoping that the economy will continue to strengthen; that consumers will hang on to the industry-friendly attitudes sparked by the recession; and that the industry is there to nurture those attitudes. F&BP t’s time for the silver lining. America is slowly, painfully struggling out of the EDITORIAL PAN DEMETRAKAKES Editor pand@bnpmedia.com RICK LINGLE Executive Editor lingler@bnpmedia.com MICHAEL ESCOBEDO Senior Art Director BILL ANTKOWIAK Art Director ADVERTISING MIKE BARR Group Publisher (630) 499-7392 barrm@bnpmedia.com RANDY GREEN Publisher (248) 244-6498 greenr@bnpmedia.com STEVE LIPUT Senior Sales Manager (847) 405-4112 liputs@bnpmedia.com KRISTINA LORIO Inside Sales (249) 786-1579 loriok@bnpmedia.com ERHARDT EISENACHER International Sales +49-228-2499860 info@eisenacher-medien.de CATHERINE WYNN Senior Classified Sales Manager (847) 405-4010 wynnc@bnpmedia.com VINCE MICONI Advertising/Production Manager miconiv@bnpmedia.com AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT KOURTNEY BELL Audience Development Manager ERINN DEEGAN Multimedia Coordinator CAROLYN M. ALEXANDER Audience Audit Coordinator For subscription information or service, please contact Customer Service at: Phone: (847) 763-9534 or Fax: (847) 763-9538 E-mail: FBP@halldata.com Web: www.foodandbeveragepackaging.com LIST RENTAL Postal contact: ROB LISKA at 800-223-2194 x.726 or robert.liska@edithroman.com Email contact: SHAWN KINGSTON at 800-409-4443 x.828 or shawn.kingston@epostdirect.com CORPORATE DIRECTORS TIMOTHY A. FAUSCH Publishing JOHN R. SCHREI Publishing STEVE M. BEYER Custom Media RITA M. FOUMIA Corporate Strategy SCOTT KESLER Information Technology VINCENT M. MICONI Production LISA L. PAULUS Finance MICHAEL T. POWELL Creative HOLLY BANKS Marketing NIKKI SMITH Directories MARLENE J. WITTHOFT Human Resources EMILY PATTEN Conferences & Events BETH A. SUROWIEC Clear Seas Research BNP MEDIA HELPS PEOPLE SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITH SUPERIOR INFORMATION For Volume Reprints Contact JILL L. DEVRIES Corporate Reprint Manager Phone: 248-224-1726 Fax: 248-244-3934 E-mail: devriesj@bnpmedia.com ’sNote FEEDING CONSUMERS AND THEIR CONFIDENCE confidence, industry should feed consumers’ buying habits. As we recover economic recession. As Americans recover their economic confidence, the food and beverage industry should feed both their bodies and their new buying habits. The current recession may not brand today’s Amer-icans the way the Great Depression and World War II did previous generations. But it has influenced some buying patterns, in ways that could potentially ben-efit the industry or at least certain segments of it. The most basic of these is the habit of getting more meals out of the kitchen. People have to eat somewhere, and that somewhere is turning out to be at home. According to NPD Group, restaurant traffic has declined more than 3% among all segments, ranging up to 12% for fine dining, in the 12 months ending in March. Of course, just because consumers are in the kitchen more doesn’t mean their kitchen skills sharpened overnight. Food companies that cater to consumers who need to fix more, and more varied, meals are finding a receptive audience. Convenience-oriented prod-ucts and packaging will ride this wave. Private label is turning out to be another recession-borne consumer habit. Since 2007, its market share has risen 1.9%. The bad economic situation is forcing some consumers to realize what many others have for years: Private label often competes in quality, in both product and pack-aging, with national brands. Let us say that Food & Beverage Packaging takes no sides in the na-tional brands vs. private label wars. We love our readers in both sectors I equally. By the same token, we see the value of packaging to both sides: to reinforce the identity of national brands, and to establish the equal footing and quality image of private label. This issue is devoted to our annual Top 100 listing of the big-gest food and beverage processors. Accompanying features in-clude State of the Industry reports on food and beverage, and interviews with the top packaging executives at the three biggest food companies: Nestlé, Kraft and Mars. So here’s hoping that the economy will continue to strengthen; that consumers will hang on to the industry-friendly attitudes sparked by the recession; and that the industry is there to nurture those attitudes. F&BP t’s time for the silver lining. America is slowly, painfully struggling out of the EDITORIAL PAN DEMETRAKAKES Editor pand@bnpmedia.com RICK LINGLE Executive Editor lingler@bnpmedia.com MICHAEL ESCOBEDO Senior Art Director BILL ANTKOWIAK Art Director ADVERTISING MIKE BARR Group Publisher (630) 499-7392 barrm@bnpmedia.com RANDY GREEN Publisher (248) 244-6498 greenr@bnpmedia.com STEVE LIPUT Senior Sales Manager (847) 405-4112 liputs@bnpmedia.com KRISTINA LORIO Inside Sales (249) 786-1579 loriok@bnpmedia.com ERHARDT EISENACHER International Sales +49-228-2499860 info@eisenacher-medien.de CATHERINE WYNN Senior Classified Sales Manager (847) 405-4010 wynnc@bnpmedia.com VINCE MICONI Advertising/Production Manager miconiv@bnpmedia.com AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT KOURTNEY BELL Audience Development Manager ERINN DEEGAN Multimedia Coordinator CAROLYN M. ALEXANDER Audience Audit Coordinator For subscription information or service, please contact Customer Service at: Phone: (847) 763-9534 or Fax: (847) 763-9538 E-mail: FBP@halldata.com Web: www.foodandbeveragepackaging.com LIST RENTAL Postal contact: ROB LISKA at 800-223-2194 x.726 or robert.liska@edithroman.com Email contact: SHAWN KINGSTON at 800-409-4443 x.828 or shawn.kingston@epostdirect.com CORPORATE DIRECTORS TIMOTHY A. FAUSCH Publishing JOHN R. SCHREI Publishing STEVE M. BEYER Custom Media RITA M. FOUMIA Corporate Strategy SCOTT KESLER Information Technology VINCENT M. MICONI Production LISA L. PAULUS Finance MICHAEL T. POWELL Creative HOLLY BANKS Marketing NIKKI SMITH Directories MARLENE J. WITTHOFT Human Resources EMILY PATTEN Conferences & Events BETH A. SUROWIEC Clear Seas Research BNP MEDIA HELPS PEOPLE SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITH SUPERIOR INFORMATION For Volume Reprints Contact JILL L. DEVRIES Corporate Reprint Manager Phone: 248-224-1726 Fax: 248-244-3934 E-mail: devriesj@bnpmedia.com Editor Editor pand@bnpmedia.com 6 FOOD&BEVERAGE PACKAGING JUNE / JUL Y 2010 WWW. FOODANDBEVERAGEPA CKA GING .COM How to contact FOOD&BEVERAGEPACKAGING Mail: 155 Pfingsten Rd., Suite 205 Deerfield IL 60015 Phone: (847) 405-4000 Fax: (847) 405-4100 Web: www.foodandbeveragepackaging.com

Editor’s Note

FEEDING CONSUMERS AND THEIR CONFIDENCE It’s time for the silver lining. America is slowly, painfully struggling out of the recession. As Americans recover their economic confidence, the food and beverage industry should feed both their bodies and their new buying habits. The current recession may not brand today’s Americans the way the Great Depression and World War II did previous generations. But it has influenced some buying patterns, in ways that could potentially benefit the industry or at least certain segments of it. The most basic of these is the habit of getting more meals out of the kitchen. People have to eat somewhere, and that somewhere is turning out to be at home. According to NPD Group, restaurant traffic has declined more than 3% among all segments, ranging up to 12% for fine dining, in the 12 months ending in March. Of course, just because consumers are in the kitchen more doesn’t mean their kitchen skills sharpened overnight. Food companies that cater to consumers who need to fix more, and more varied, meals are finding a receptive audience. Convenience-oriented products and packaging will ride this wave. Private label is turning out to be another recession-borne consumer habit. Since 2007, its market share has risen 1.9%. The bad economic situation is forcing some consumers to realize what many others have for years: Private label often competes in quality, in both product and packaging, with national brands. Let us say that Food & Beverage Packaging takes no sides in the national brands vs. private label wars. We love our readers in both sectors equally. By the same token, we see the value of packaging to both sides: to reinforce the identity of national brands, and to establish the equal footing and quality image of private label. This issue is devoted to our annual Top 100 listing of the biggest food and beverage processors. Accompanying features include State of the Industry reports on food and beverage, and interviews with the top packaging executives at the three biggest food companies: Nestlé, Kraft and Mars. So here’s hoping that the economy will continue to strengthen; that consumers will hang on to the industry-friendly attitudes sparked by the recession; and that the industry is there to nurture those attitudes. PAN DEMETRAKAKES Editor pand@bnpmedia.com

Previous Page Next Page

Publication List