Manufacturer

Mondelez International will sell its 50 percent interest in Ajinomoto General Foods to its joint venture partner, Ajinomoto Co, as part of its ongoing efforts to further focus its portfolio on snacking products.

In the world of consumer goods, Amway is a rare success story. The company's direct-selling model has been nothing but successful, but this didn't come about by chance. Armed with a structered, yet flexible product development process, and growing network of external partners, Amway and its Open Innovation Team, is well on its way to turning a good business into a great business.

CGT Editor Alarice Rajagopal gives you a sneak peek into the trends and topics discussed in this month's issue.

Mondelez International announced Roberto Marques will join the company in mid-March as EVP and President, North America. He will lead the company's $7 billion business in the U.S. and Canada.

Energizer announced the names of the two new companies upon separation, targeted for July 1, 2015. The Personal Care Division will be named Edgewell Personal Care and the Household Product Division will retain the Energizer name and logo.

Using the entrepreneurial spirit of a smaller company, General Mills acted on an intuition, an outside partnership and direct consumer interaction, for a quick innovation with a big impact.

PepsiCo is about to shake things up. The company is planning to break into retail by selling its premium snacks and drinks exclusively through e-commerce platforms in India, according to reports.

McCormick & Company signed an agreement to purchase Drogheria & Alimentari (D&A), a privately held company based in Italy for $97 million. D&A is a leader in spices and seasonings with annual sales of approximately $57 million.