beverages

Officially, Procter & Gamble Co. referred to its management structure as “the matrix.” Internally, frustrated executives called it “the thicket.” Five years ago, activist investor Nelson Peltz set out to dismantle the bureaucracy that both he and P&G executives said was hobbling the maker of Tide detergent, Gillette razors and Pampers diapers. He joined P&G’s board in March 2018 following what was then the most…

Now playing at a theater near you: a suspense drama over whether there will be enough popcorn for the summer moviegoing season.The plot was palpable at CinemaCon, an annual convention for movie-theater operators this spring. The Las Vegas event floor had a festive vibe, coming after two years of pandemic-darkened screens. A-list vendors such as Mars Wrigley (M&M’s, Snickers, Twix) hawked sugary wares near makers of polyester theater-worker vests and seating experts modeling the latest in auditorium recliners.…

ISS said Spirit investors would be better off rejecting that deal in order to prod the airline’s board to negotiate more seriously with JetBlue Airways Corp. JBLU -0.92% , which has launched a competing, hostile bid that ISS said is financially superior. Spirit in February agreed to be acquired by Frontier in a cash-and-stock transaction originally valued at $2.9 billion, a deal that would combine the two budget carriers. JetBlue later emerged with a $3.6 billion cash…

Kroger Co. and other grocery chains said they are asking brands to prove why higher prices are necessary before accepting them, and warning manufacturers that they will stop carrying products if food companies won’t negotiate prices. Some companies said they are switching to new meat suppliers with cheaper products, and are delaying price changes for items like canned goods. “We don’t just accept cost increases,” said Don Clark, chief merchandising officer of…

Unilever PLC said it would add Nelson Peltz to its board and that the activist investor’s Trian Fund Management LP holds a 1.5% stake in the company, a move that comes as the Dove owner seeks to reinvigorate its performance.Mr. Peltz said in a statement Tuesday that Unilever had “significant potential” and that he wanted to work collaboratively with the company. Unilever PLC said it would add Nelson Peltzto its board and that the activist investor’s Trian Fund Management LP holds a 1.5% stake in the company, a move…

Danone SA DANOY 0.60% is to send the equivalent of about five million bottles of specialist infant formula to the U.S. as part of a broader push to alleviate shortages faced by babies with allergies.The French food giant said about half a million cans of specialized medical formula made by its Nutricia business will be flown into the U.S. in the coming weeks. Danone said the formula will come from its factory in Liverpool, England, which makes the Neocate line of amino…

One of the contributing factors in the U.S. baby-formula shortage is a significant shift in the way parents feed their babies: Breast-feeding declined during the pandemic, reversing a decadeslong trend, health practitioners say.Since 2020, the share of breast-fed one-year-olds has plummeted from an estimated 34% to an estimated 14% this year, according to surveys conducted by Demographic Intelligence, a forecasting firm that specializes in births and works with formula manufacturers including Abbott…

Baby formula makers rushing to address shortages in the U.S. are facing another big obstacle: A key ingredient comes largely from Ukraine. Many formula manufacturers use sunflower-seed oil to add critical fats to products. Ukraine has been the No. 1 exporter of the oil, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Yet shipments have slowed to a trickle during since Russia invaded the country. The bottleneck has added a tricky complication to frantic efforts to increase U.S. stocks of formula, which ran short for…

The Agriculture Department proposed new rules on Thursday requiring poultry companies to be more transparent about how farmers are paid, part of the Biden administration’s broader push to tackle consolidation in the meatpacking industry.The measures would require poultry processors, such as Tyson Foods Inc. and Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. , to disclose compensation information for chicken farmers who are paid under so-called tournament systems, which pit farmers…

Countries around the world have enacted a wave of export curbs on food since the start of the Ukraine war, a trend that economists say risks aggravating shortages and global food-price inflation.On nearly every continent, nations have put new restrictions and bans on products ranging from wheat, corn and edible oils to beans, lentils and sugar. Lebanon has even banned the export of ice cream and beer. The cascade of restrictions marks another setback for unfettered global trade, which has been dented in recent years by…