Deli / Prepared Foods

They may not always eat what’s good for them, but children are aware of what they should be eating.

In the latest example of the food industry’s close attention to health-and-wellness issues affecting consumers, the “Smart Choices Program” made its official debut yesterday, its green check mark symbol now appearing on of hundreds of products in supermarkets and other retailers across the United States.

A new market research report from MarketsandMarkets, “Global Baby Food Market (2009-2014),” has found that the worldwide baby food market is expected to be worth $37.6 billion by 2014, with an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.0 percent from 2009 to 2014.

In an effort to provide customers with additional savings opportunities, Giant Food Stores and Martin’s Food Markets have made many of their manufacturer coupons available online through Giant’s ongoing partnership with Grocery Shopping Network, and the My Giant Online and My Martin’s Online personalized Web experiences developed through the partnership.

Supply chain standards organization GS1 US has elected Pamela G. Bailey, president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), and Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), to its board of governors.

Wheaties, known for decades as “The Breakfast of Champions®,” has teamed up with an elite group of sports stars -- Peyton Manning, triathlete Hunter Kemper, Kevin Garnett, gold medal-winning decathlete Bryan Clay and Albert Pujols -- to usher in the newest incarnation of the classic cereal brands.

Grocers and CPG companies have plenty of opportunities with this aging population. Boomers still represents half of the total U.S. spending and their focus healthy eating as a priority (84 percent) and a means to manage health conditions (61 percent) provide growth opportunities at retail.

Snack categories took the most spots on the list of top 10 popular online coupon categories printed in June, according to digital coupon network Coupons.com. Sweet Snacks, Cookies, and Salty Snacks ranked fourth, fifth and eighth, respectively.