Newsbytes 172

European market best in years for manufacturers
Economic recovery in Europe is driving demand for major manufacturers in the U.S., the Reuters news service reported. The trend is helping to offset slower demand domestically as the automotive and housing markets decline. READ MORE>>

Nestlé to buy Gerber for $5.5 billion, expand in U.S.
The world's largest food and beverage company has turned its attention to the younger set. Nestlé agreed to pay $5.5 billion in cash for Gerber Products Co., which has 80 percent of the U.S. baby food market. Parsippany, NJ-based Gerber is a unit of Novartis, another Swiss giant, which is focusing on healthcare and pharmaceuticals. READ MORE>>

Passive RFID tag market to hit $486 million in 2013 The North American market for passive RFID (radio frequency identification) tags should be worth nearly half a billion dollars by 2013, up from $124.6 million in 2006, according to a recent report by Frost & Sullivan Inc. The report also noted, however, that demand hasn’t been as great as the RFID vendors had anticipated. READ MORE>>

Will fruit be laser-coded?
Georgia-based Durand-Wayland Inc. has developed a laser that can etch information onto produce in lieu of the usual sticker. The FDA has designated the process for expedited review because it believes the laser could significantly aid the tracking of a food borne disease, an FDA representative says. READ MORE>>

Smurfit-Stone Corrugated Container plants earn Sustainable Forestry Initiative(R) Certified Sourcing designation
Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation's corrugated container plants have earned the SFI Certified Sourcing Label from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® Inc. (SFI). "Smurfit-Stone has been a long-time SFI mem-ber, and this certification is yet another way we demonstrate our commitment to environmental steward-ship and sustainable packaging practices," said Smurfit-Stone Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Pat-rick J. Moore. READ MORE>>

WHITE PAPERS

White Paper: The Total Cost of Ownership: Small character continuous ink jet coding

Diagraph, an ITW Co.

Download at — www.packagingdigest.com/info/47

White Paper: Weighing Systems: What is a multihead weigher and what are the top 5 reasons to buy one?

CombiScale Inc.

Download at — www.packagingdigest.com/info/48

White Paper: Five essential steps for choosing a case packer

Econocorp, Inc.

Download at — www.packagingdigest.com/info/49

P&G to 'concentrate' on less packaging
Procter & Gamble threw its weight behind growing environmental efforts to reduce excess packaging, with plans to switch its entire $4 billion North American liquid detergent output to smaller bottles of double concentrate. The move comes as Wal-Mart, P&G's largest customer, is pushing its suppliers to cut packaging by at least five percent. In Europe, Tesco and other big supermarket chains have also said they want to cut the amount of packaging. READ MORE>>

Paper or plastic? Still plastic
Consumers in the Midwest still prefer plastic bags to paper or carrying their own, grocers say. Some retailers in Iowa, including Hy-Vee, Wal-Mart and Fareway, are providing recycling outlets in their stores for used plastic bags. READ MORE>>