Yet another reason to pour yourself a glass
J uul announced it is immediately suspending sales of its popular fruity e-cigarette flavors ahead of a Trump administration policy that is expected to remove all ----flavored e-cigarettes from the market. Juul last year stopped selling its flavored e-cigarettes in retail stores amid pressure fromthe Food andDrug Admin- istration. Customers could only get the on its age-restrict- ed website. Trump administration officials said they would remove all flavored pods, including mint and menthol, leaving only tobacco flavored e-cigarettes on the market. Juul said it will continue selling its mint and menthol nicotine pods in the meantime. The company said its new policy is effective immediately. Juul has been largely blamed for creating a teen vaping epidemic. The company’s sales have soared over the past few years alongside rates of middle school and high school students who say they use e-cigarettes. Juul has tried to overhaul its image as a company that is willing to work with regulators and lawmakers. Juul suspends sales its fruit-flavored cigarettes ahead of looming US ban
Nestle pivots to gain a foothold in the personal nutrition market
RXBar is reinvigorating Kellogg’s snacks and breakfast food business F or a nutrition bar that contains a simple ingredi- ent list of egg whites, fruit and nuts and boasts just about 200 calories, RXBar is proving to be the fuel Kellogg needs to invigorate its snacks and morning foods portfolio, a segment that has been struggling as Americans turn away from sugary cereals and opt for more health-conscious alternatives. According to RX president, Jim Murray since the Michi- gan-based food giant acquired the clean-label protein bar for $600 million in October 2017, net sales during the first 12 months of Kellogg’s ownership hit $213 million, a 180% increase over the previous year. Murray says the acquisition has allowed RX to stay true to its values. “The only thing that has changed is getting better at execution and scale.” All thismomentum is driving Kellogg’s growth. Its business saw an increase of 3% in its second-quarter net sales, to $3.46 billion from $3.36 billion in the year-ago quarter. While the RXBar was a key driver of this growth.
M ention the name Nestle and most think of choc- olate bars and ice cream. Yet recent moves by its Lausanne, Switzerland-based Nestle Health Science division is making the company look more like a drug giant. The wholly-owned subsidiary, which special- izes in nutritional products to improve overall health, has been investing heavily in companies that treat every- thing from gut health to Alzheimer’s. Its latest acquisition: Persona, a personalized vitamin program delivered right to customers’ doors. Nestle Health Science’s August purchase of Persona comes at a time when interest in personalized nutrition is explod- ing. The category includes wellness products, dietary sup- plements, so-called nutraceuticals (pharmaceutical alter- natives that promise health benefits) and functional foods that help aid in overall well-being or performance. Analysts at Grand View Research in San Francisco estimate that retail sales for these products will reach $50 billion by 2025, up from around $11 billion today. It makes sense. With health-care costs skyrocketing, con- sumers are doing all they can to get and stay healthy. Pre- ventative measures — getting enough sleep, exercising and eating a diet with more fruits and vegetables — have always been part of the equation. But now the rising trend for customization of everything from movie recommen- dations to the kinds of workouts we do is expanding to vitamins, supplements and medical foods, and companies like Nestle are taking notice.
I n a recent study, published in the Journal of Agricul- tural and Food Chemistry, researchers discovered that the acidity and alcohol concentration in wine isn’t what’s responsible for the antibacterial properties, as was previously believed. Instead, it’s due to a number of organic compounds found in both red and white wines. The researchers isolated the compounds -- lactic, malic, succinic, and tartaric acids -- and after neutralizing their acidity, found that they kill 99.9 percent of dental bacterial and germs that cause sore throats. “Exposure to wine had a persistent antibacterial effect,” the authors wrote. Aminor distinction, however, is that red wine is better at killing bacteria than white wine, but not by much.
So, if you feel a little tickle in your throat, forget the Advil -- pour yourself a glass of wine instead.
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NOVEMBER 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2019
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