face="Times New Roman">It looks like sweeping changes are coming to familiar nutrition facts labels affixed to foods/bevs in America: among the changes, forthcoming revisions will require marketers to denote proportion of added sugars, while serving size of soda will go up from 8 ounces to 12 to more accurately reflect typical consumption pattern. First Lady Michelle Obama was expected to announce today finalization of long-anticipated rule during speech at annual summit of Partnership for a Healthier America, per Center for Science in Public Interest, which has pushed hard for changes.

According to CSPI, revised labels will set daily value for added sugars at 50 g (12 tspn), or about 10% of 2,000 calories daily intake recommended for adults. That means that 20-oz bottle of Coke would need to show it contains 130% of added sugars limit. "The new labels will help consumers looking at labels for things like yogurt, jams, or cereals know how much of the sugar comes from fruit or milk, and how much comes from high-fructose corn syrup or other added sugars," CSPI noted. Issue has long been priority for nutritionists, who argue that sugars that natural occurring in items like fruit need to be separated from those that are added and confer no nutritional value.

Single-serve packs of foods/bevs that fall just shy of twice standard serving size will be considered just single serving, meaning that 20-oz bottle of soda will have to be labeled as one serving. That's been another longstanding gripe among nutritionists, who argue that contention that consumers eke multiple servings out of single-serve package isn't based in reality, particularly for products in non-resealable packs like 12-oz soda cans or 16-oz energy drink cans. Among other changes anticipated by CSPI, declarations of vitamin A and C content will now be voluntary, since most Americans aren't lacking in consumption, but FDA will mandate declarations for potassium and vit D.  

Campbell Soup reported soft fiscal Q3, as sluggishness in soups and V8 juices, as well as troubled growing season for Bolthouse Farms carrots, offset bright spots in refrigerated juices, salads and soups. For period, sales declined 2% to $1.87 bil, and operating earnings dropped 6% to $268 mil. Campbell Fresh div on which co is pinning its growth hopes rose 6% to $263 mil thanks to Gourmet Fresh acquisition; excluding $25 mil from that unit, sales were off 4% as carrot issue - which left customers on allocation and sales down double-digits - offset continued gains in Bolthouse Farms refrigerated bevs and salad dressings. For 9 months, CPB sales are off 2% to $6.27 bil and operating earnings off 1.4% to $997 mil.

Recall that ceo Denise Morrison was among first at major CPG cos to warn that center-store sales at groceries were on secular slide, prompting move to fresh items that can thrive at perimeter areas of store. That was behind Bolthouse Farms and Garden Fresh deals, with 2 units now gathered with refrigerated soups in C-Fresh div, and it's also behind new entries on food side like Prego Farmers Market sauces sporting uncommonly short, clean label for segment.

As center store brand, V8 shares challenges of soups, and Morrison acknowledged "struggle" on core red items as well as V8 Fusion and Splash sublines. But V8 Veggie Blends and V8 + Energy have been growing, so co is broadening blends varieties while expanding Energy into grocery channel. As for red, that will get boost in TV and digital ads that more directly remind consumers of tomato juice benefits. "We invested in V8 but focused on Veggie Blends, and that worked, but we realized going forward we've got to put more emphasis on V8 red," confessed Morrison, promising course correction. "We recognize these short-term actions are not the complete solutions," and revamped strategy will be disclosed at annual Investors Day conference slated for mid-July. "We get it and we are on it," Morrison said of work to be done in several categories, including shelf-stable bevs. DSD distributors tell BBI that, after spurt of activity cultivating indie houses as replacement for unwound Coca-Cola bottling alliance a coupla years ago, CPB has gone back to general neglect of channel.

By contrast, carrot-growing glitch aside, C-Fresh div is doing its job as growth engine. The CPG part of biz delivered 8% in sales growth thanks to continued distribution gains and 14 new bev and salad dressing items added this spring (BBI, Mar 18). Bolthouse's cold-pressed 1915 line is performing as expected, attaining 50% ACV in less than 12 months, thanks to capacity investments.

Asked whether co is sticking to view that modest, so-called bolt-on acquisitions are prudent way to go, cfo Anthony DiSilvestro reiterated that co is taking "very disciplined approach" to M&A but said it's open to both bolt-on deals and more transformative deals along lines of Bolthouse acquisition a few years ago. "We do have the financial flexibility to do something a bit larger," he said.