Deli / Prepared Foods

It would be hard to think of a new dimension the nutrition navigation system idea, various versions of which are currently being employed by retailers, CPG companies, private label product vendors and others, but a new initiative has done just that: The Affordable Nutrition Index (ANI), a food-rating program that analyzes both nutrition and cost value of food, made its official debut yesterday at the American Dietetic Association’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo in Denver.

As health and wellness evolves into a major lifestyle shift rather than just a trend, retailers and their grocery supplier partners are working together to address consumer needs in relation to this important — some would say urgent — issue.

Campbell Soup Co. and the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) have joined forces to show people how to incorporate more vegetables in their diets, for optimal health. Currently, seven out of 10 Americans aren’t getting the recommended average of five vegetable servings daily.

A coalition of over 40 retailers, nongovernmental organizations and food and beverage manufacturers yesterday launched the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF), a national, multi-year initiative aimed at helping to lower the rate of obesity -- particularly in children -- by 2015.

Rather than offer its products in one-quart cartons that often spoil before consumers can finish using them, San Mateo, Calif.-based Savory Creations International offers convenient, individually pre-measured concentrate pouches that make an 8-ounce cup of broth, thereby eliminating waste entirely

The next phase of one of the Campbell Soup Co.’s most successful soup introductions is the introduction of 12 100 percent natural varieties of Campbell’s Select Harvest® soups -- a first for the iconic Camden, N.J.-based manufacturer.

Keying in on time-starved, convenience seeking Chicagoland shoppers, Meijer has unveiled Grocery Express, a service that combines the convenience of online shopping with the ease, speed and attention offered by a personal shopper.

Earlier this month, Campbell Soup Co. reported a 22 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit, but that’s not stopping the soup giant from brewing up some more innovation.