Food Processing - October 2007 - (Page 13)

NEWS BITES IN THIS SECTION: • wisconsin plant for Kettle foods • American brands losing overseas appeal • A soda with moxie •PEOPLE• New CEOs appointed at Nestle, General Mills Longtime employees powell, bulcke elevated to top jobs. Two of The world’s largest food companies promoted from within in september to find the next leaders of their companies. Minneapolis-based General Mills Inc. promoted its president/Coo Kendall Powpowell bulcke ell to succeed longtime Ceo steve sanger. Powell was introduced at the company’s annual meeting and noted, “steve will be a tough act to follow.” Although General Mills had not previously announced sanger would be leaving his post, company spokespeople called it a planned succession. sanger, 61, who has been Ceo since May 1995, an unusually long time in the food industry, will remain chairman through the current fiscal year, which ends next May. Powell, 53, has been with the company 28 years and has been president/Coo since June 2006. his earlier management posts were at Yoplait yogurt, Big G cereals, Cereal Part• R E G U L AT O R Y• ners worldwide (the joint venture with Nestlé sA) and General Mills’ U.s. retail division. Powell told the Wall Street Journal he has “worked closely with steve for the last three years,” including developing the company’s five long-term growth strategies, which include broadening the channels through which the company sells its products, expanding overseas and bringing in more innovation. Meanwhile, across the pond, Nestlé sA’s board selected company veteran Paul Bulcke, currently head of Zone Americas, as its next chief executive officer. Various news services speculated the next Ceo would be Procter & Gamble finance chief Paul Polman. Born in Belgium, Bulcke has been executive vice president of Nestlé’s businesses in North and south America since 2004. he’s been with Nestle, based in Vevey, switzerland, since 1979, and ran businesses in several other countries. Bulcke will take over the top job at Nestlé’s next annual meeting, April 10, 2008. he will succeed Peter Brabeck, who will remain as nonexecutive chairman. A replacement for Bulcke in North and south America is expected to be announced on oct. 18. Mike Johanns resigns as secretary of agriculture The IowA fArM BoY AT UsdA wIll be replaced by an Indiana farm boy, at least temporarily. Mike Johanns resigned as secretary of agriculture in september, reportedly to announce a run for the U.s. senate seat in his home state of Nebraska, which will be left vacant by the retirement of republican Chuck hagel. deputy secretary conner Charles Conner was appointed acting secretary. “Mike brought with him a lot of practical farm experience. After all, he was the proud son of a dairy farmer,” said President George Bush. “he understands the importance of the land. he worked tirelessly on behalf of farmers and ranchers. he was a champion of renewable fuels.” Johanns also worked to put in motion the new farm bill, currently under debate in Congress. “Mike loves Nebraska and he’s serious about going home and possibly serving the nation in a different capacity,” Bush continwww.foodprocessing.com ued. “he would make an outstanding member of the senate.” Conner also grew up on a farm, in Indiana. Before joining UsdA in 2005, he served as a Congressional staffer specializing in farm issues, and was president of the Corn refiners Assn. 1997-2001. he, too, was intimately involved in crafting the current proposed farm Bill. briefs ConAgra Foods Inc., omaha, neb., bought chicago-based Lincoln Snacks, a popcorn snacks manufacturer, from Ubiquity Brands, also of chicago. Lincoln snacks’ priority brands include poppycock and fiddle faddle and various retailers’ private label products. the brands align with conAgra’s snack brands, which include orville redenbacher’s and Act ii popcorn, crunch ’n munch, david seeds and slim Jim meat snacks. Lincoln snacks has annual sales of $45 million and a manufacturing facility in Lincoln, neb. october 2007 food processing • 13 http://www.foodprocessing.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Food Processing - October 2007

Food Processing - October 2007 Contents Editor’s Plate Power Lunch NewsBites Rollout Food Biz Kids Product Spotlight Annual R&D Survey Product Development Plant Operations Packaging New Product Profiles Toops Scoops

Food Processing - October 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.