beverages

Consumers looking for relief from higher prices might have to wait a while.The makers of Coca-Cola beverages, Dove shampoo, Huggies diapers and Big Macs have been raising prices as their costs increase on everything from wood pulp to wages. The executives behind these global brands on Tuesday said they would keep passing along those costs to shoppers, for now. Consumers are continuing to buy even as inflation takes a toll on households, these executives said. However, some companies are already warning of a consumer…

Consumers are still filling up on soda even if they have to pay more. Coca-Cola Co. KO 2.14% on Tuesday reported strong second-quarter sales and raised its revenue outlook for the year as people return to theme parks, movie theaters and travel destinations despite price increases. “We continue to see resilience and a lot of demand not just in the U.S. but across the world,” Coke Chief Financial Officer…

Unilever UL 0.26% PLC said it lost some shoppers to generic store brands as the Dove soap owner pushed through big price increases to offset soaring commodity costs.The London-based company on Tuesday reported an 8.8% rise in second-quarter underlying sales growth, driven by an 11% increase in prices. Volumes slipped 2.1%, driven by declines across all of Unilever’s major categories—home care, food and refreshments, and beauty and personal care. The earnings come as…

Cargill Inc. and the newly formed Wayne-Sanderson Farms have agreed to pay $85 million to settle claims they violated antitrust laws by sharing information about poultry workers’ wages.The civil settlement between the companies and the government follows a lengthy review of the $4.5 billion sale of Sanderson Farms Inc.—the third-largest U.S. poultry company—to Cargill and agriculture investment firm Continental Grain Co. The settlement, which also addresses how chicken farmers are paid, came three days after the deal…

A little more than one-third of S&P 500, or 175 companies, are scheduled to report earnings in the coming week, according to FactSet. The list includes 12 members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Google parent company Alphabet Inc. GOOG -5.81% and Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc. META -7.59% also are expected to release earnings. Additional companies with quarterly updates on tap…

Shoppers are trading down to cheap beer brands and discount cigarettes as they feel more pressure on their pocketbooks.Consumer prices in the U.S. rose at a 9.1% annual rate in June, the fastest pace in nearly 41 years, as strong consumer demand has collided with persistent supply shortages. In a survey released this month by the National Retail Federation, nearly half of consumers said that because of rising prices on everyday necessities, they were switching to cheaper alternatives. Vincent Jarbou, co-owner…

Cost-conscious consumers are buying more store brands at the supermarket, raising pressure on big food companies that are dealing with their own rising costs.Lower-cost oatmeal, pickles, granola bars and coffee, made by companies such as TreeHouse Foods Inc. THS 0.52% and sold by retailers like Walmart Inc. WMT -0.26% and Kroger Co. KR -0.09% , are gaining traction…

LONDON—The deal between Moscow and Kyiv to allow for the export of Ukrainian grain is helping push global prices lower, but it won’t translate into a slug of new exports soon.Wheat prices fell Friday, as the deal raised hopes that a restart to Ukrainian grain exports would ease a brewing global food-supply crisis. Wheat futures traded in Chicago were down more than 4% at $7.72 a bushel. Having surged to a record high of $12.94 a bushel following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, prices have tumbled…

WASHINGTON—The Biden administration is planning to drop Nicaragua from the list of countries eligible for low-tariff shipments of sugar into the U.S., stepping up pressure on the government of President Daniel Ortega, an authoritarian leader with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The step comes as part of the U.S.’s schedule for sugar import quotas for the fiscal year starting October, to be unveiled by the U.S.…

The Justice Department is discussing with Cargill Inc. and Continental Grain Co. potential concessions that could clear the way for the companies to acquire poultry processor Sanderson Farms Inc., SAFM -1.44% according to people familiar with the matter.The discussions with the government involve how farmers and plant workers are paid, the people said. Cargill, an agribusiness giant with meat, grain and food ingredients businesses, and…