Sainsbury's has launched a Fair Development Fund to support producers in the developing world wanting to provide Fairtrade products to the multiple.

Meat purchased from two Morrisons stores in Paisley, Scotland, is being investigated following the death of a woman in the area from the E.coli bacteria.

Higher seafood prices resulting from rising global demand and more stringent fisheries regimes won't dampen consumer appetite for fish, according to Young's.

The Competition Commission has turned its attention to multiples' treatment of suppliers in the latest phase of its grocery enquiry.

Parents have been advised to return a wide range of Mattel toys made in China due to safety fears.

The Sainsbury's soft drinks range is one of the most dynamic in store and one we constantly seek to tailor to customer needs by store format as well as seasonal demand.

I had to nip into an unfamiliar supermarket the other day to grab a few things for the evening. Of course, I didn't have a clue where anything was and what should have taken 10 minutes actually took twice as long as I roamed up and down the aisles.

A long-running internet campaign has led to Cadbury reintroducing the Wispa bar, which was discontinued four years ago. The firm has relaunched it as a limited edition - 23 million bars will be available from October. It was replaced by Dairy Milk Bubbly but the protestors seem to have won.

-5%Lager louts may be on the way out, as Mintel reports a 5% decline in lager volume sales since 2005; expect a further 8% fall by 2012. Value sales are down 4%.

With two Morrisons stores being investigated after the Scottish E.coli outbreak, and the BBC Whistleblower undercover investigation earlier this summer into practices in the mults' meat departments, the overall image of meat handling in the industry isn't great.

Increasing numbers of UK shoppers want British chicken and are looking for the Red Tractor symbol on-pack, claims British Chicken Marketing's annual MORI-tracking research. More than two thirds (68%) of consumers say it's important to them that they eat British chicken, up from 63% last year. The report contradicts a Defra survey that said only 6% of consumers sought out Red Tractor products.

Hobsons Mild, brewed in Shropshire, was judged to be the best beer in Britain by a panel of brewers, beer writers and journalists at the Great British Beer Festival in London. The 2007 edition of CAMRA's Good Beer Guide describes it as: "A classic mild. Complex layers of taste come from roasted malts that predominate and give lots of flavour." It was chosen by judges from over fifty finalists in eight categories.

Walkers has nurtured great working relationships with its British farm suppliers, developing partnerships which are based on trust. As Britain's largest crisp manufacturer, our commitment to using only 100% British potatoes is considerably larger than for anyone else in the crisps and snacks market.

The lack of sun this summer has been nothing compared with the almost apocalyptic floods that hit Yorkshire and Gloucester. Some stores had water swirling around trolleys in the car park, such as Morrisons in Retford, where the warehouse was submerged in four feet of water. Luckily the store didn't lose any stock and only had to close for a day.

nCreating a 'buzz' is one of Red Bull's strengths and its adventurous spirit keeps consumers constantly coming back for more. Retailers should capitalise on this brand loyalty and ensure the drink is well stocked and effectively merchandised.

David Thomson, duty customer services manager at Waitrose Bloomsbury says: "Earl and Puvanendra joined Waitrose when the shop opened in July 2006, but have quickly become warehouse experts. They handle the 12 deliveries we process each day. Their commitment, drive and pride in their job are never in question and really expose the purpose behind being a Partnership."

A First, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the types of customer coming in. Information from central marketing will be especially valuable in defining those sectors of the market that your company is targeting.

Of all the visitors to Supermarketland, the Blimp is perhaps the noisiest, emitting a low rumble of spluttering and grumbling interrupted by loud and indignant "harrumph"s.

ATime-of-day merchandising is based on understanding the key sets of products that are purchased for specific occasions or shopper trips, at different times of the day. Some stores, such as the new Waitrose in Marylebone with its Time of Day counter, are seeing the benefits of changing the offer through the day.

Highly competitive and driven, it's not hard to see why Roger Daltrey-lookalike Paul Barwick has managed to lead the UK's biggest retailer's Sandhurst store in affluent Berkshire to the top of Tesco's sales rankings recently. It may be a flagship store with 94,000 sq ft of every conceivable food and non-food range, but to keep it around the top spot week-in week-out since he took over a year ago takes some doing. With an M&S next door, the figures are even more impressive.

Hot beverages is a strange category. While both tea and coffee are dominated by standard variants, it is the smaller, niche sectors that are driving all the value growth.

It's a challenging time for hot milky drinks, with falling sales that need to combated by brand innovation

Two years ago, MB&R wrote that Barry Scott has got a lot to answer for. Now the fictional star of Reckitt Benckiser's Cillit Bang adverts has gone as far as releasing what's known in the trade as a 'hardcore' single: the kind of frenetic dancefloor cacophony reserved for souped-up Vauxhall Astras and trendy shoe shops.

Brands are addressing the challenge of educating shoppers and retailers are helping simplify fixtures

"Fragrances in laundry powder have probably been the biggest driving force for the last couple of years. Bold was always a two-in-one brand, but then it brought out Lavender and Camomile, which was the first time a fragrance was launched into the market. That fragrance in Bold is now bigger than Surf and Ecover put together, while retailers have all brought out lavender fragrances in their SKUs. Broadly, the brands that are focusing on fragrances are seeing the highest value growth. While most people don't like doing laundry, they do like the end result: having a shirt that smells nice is exactly what the market wanted."

Consumers want products that work better and faster: they want greater efficacy. And, with the growth of surfaces like stainless steel, granite and wood flooring, they want products that will deliver this efficacy on specific surfaces.

The focus in conditioners is concentrates, which have environmental benefits and overt profit opportunities

Five years on, it's like the Atkins Diet never existed. The low carbohydrate eating plan had consumers switching from foods such as pasta, rice and noodles to copious amounts of higher-fat items such as meat, butter and eggs.

It's 2am and a group of friends are arguing about the difference between irritation, aggravation and frustration.

Depending on your perspective, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, the man who (almost) single-handedly revolutionised school lunches, is either a saviour or a self-seeking publicist.