• The New York Times reports that Dannon, "looking to tap into the public’s growing concern about the source of its food, is establishing a direct pipeline to some farms that supply the company with milk, part of an ambitious plan to influence farm practices right down to the dirt ... farmers in the program must adhere to Dannon-dictated animal welfare standards and work to improve and conserve soil on their farms, among other things."
Mariano Lozano, Dannon's CEO, tells the Times that "engaging in this direct way with our milk suppliers allows us to join them in a journey to improve agricultural practices and reduce their footprint on the environment, which in turn reduces Dannon’s footprint on the environment." And, he added, "For the last many decades, we’ve had a system that encourages short-term efficiencies at the expense of soil health, animal welfare and biodiversity. We want to play a part in changing that system."
• Forbes has a piece about 550 Target stores are "piloting its in-store wellness sections, called Connected Health. An evident offspring of its recent pharmacy partnership with CVS Health, these sections will include connected medical devices, such as blood pressure monitors, that can track and record participating shoppers’ wellness information via smartphone ... Such centers may help Target track other shopper needs as well. With these dedicated Connected Health centers, Target is treading beyond offering wellness as a service, which many other retailers already do. Instead, Target is reformulating health care by making it a consumable retail product, by way of smartphone."
The sections are positioned adjacent to the CVS pharmacies inside the Target stores, which are the result of Target's decision last year to sell all of its 1,700 pharmacies to CVS, which it felt was better positioned to run them and turn them into entities that would attract shoppers.
• USA Today reports on how "after spending years trying to convince consumers to buy more of their famous-name products ... some of the biggest players in the food industry are trying to get people to eat less of them." Whether it is junior-sized versions of the Big Mac, thin Oreos, or miniature soda cans, "downsizing has become yet another tactic major companies are using to hedge against increasing pressure to cut calories and boost healthiness in processed foods."
Mariano Lozano, Dannon's CEO, tells the Times that "engaging in this direct way with our milk suppliers allows us to join them in a journey to improve agricultural practices and reduce their footprint on the environment, which in turn reduces Dannon’s footprint on the environment." And, he added, "For the last many decades, we’ve had a system that encourages short-term efficiencies at the expense of soil health, animal welfare and biodiversity. We want to play a part in changing that system."
• Forbes has a piece about 550 Target stores are "piloting its in-store wellness sections, called Connected Health. An evident offspring of its recent pharmacy partnership with CVS Health, these sections will include connected medical devices, such as blood pressure monitors, that can track and record participating shoppers’ wellness information via smartphone ... Such centers may help Target track other shopper needs as well. With these dedicated Connected Health centers, Target is treading beyond offering wellness as a service, which many other retailers already do. Instead, Target is reformulating health care by making it a consumable retail product, by way of smartphone."
The sections are positioned adjacent to the CVS pharmacies inside the Target stores, which are the result of Target's decision last year to sell all of its 1,700 pharmacies to CVS, which it felt was better positioned to run them and turn them into entities that would attract shoppers.
• USA Today reports on how "after spending years trying to convince consumers to buy more of their famous-name products ... some of the biggest players in the food industry are trying to get people to eat less of them." Whether it is junior-sized versions of the Big Mac, thin Oreos, or miniature soda cans, "downsizing has become yet another tactic major companies are using to hedge against increasing pressure to cut calories and boost healthiness in processed foods."
- KC's View:
