Will the U.S. and China really cooperate on climate change? - The Lempert Report

The Lempert Report Food News: Marketing, analysis, issues & trends and the impact on food and retail environments, specifically for the B2B food world with reporting and commentary on consumer and retailing trends by Phil Lempert. Phil can predict the future —and then help businesses and consumers understand it. For more than 25 years, Lempert, an expert analyst on consumer behavior, marketing trends, new products and the changing retail landscape, has identified and explained impending trends to consumers and some of the most prestigious companies worldwide. Known as The Supermarket Guru®, http://www.supermarketguru.com, Lempert is a distinguished author and speaker who alerts customers and business leaders to impending corporate and consumer trends, and empowers them to make educated purchasing and marketing decisions. To see more of The Lempert Report visit: http://www.thelempertreport.com The Lempert Report for Thursday March 12, 2009 Today in food Sense: Will the U.S. and China really cooperate on climate change? Skepticism may abound over China's attempts to improve food safety and human rights. But when it comes to facing the universal challenge of climate change-think global warming-the U.S. is looking to China as a willing and significant partner. High priorities for both nations are the lessening of carbon dioxide and other greenhouses gases, which scientists connect to rising temperatures. A new report, "A Roadmap for U.S.-China Cooperation on Energy and Climate Change," by the Asia Society and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, urges both governments to "lay out areas for cooperation, including low-emissions coal technologies, energy efficiency and conservation, and renewable supply." At The Lempert Report, we were disheartened to learn from a recent Financial Times report that Prime Minister Wen Jiabao doesn't plan to agree to specific limits at a United Nations conference on climate change slated for December 2009. If, as we fear, China's apparent intent to cooperate with the U.S. turns out to be so much hot air, or gets diverted by other significant issues between these two countries, the entire planet and its human and animal populations could suffer dramatically as a result. It is time our leaders unite on an issue that is growing hotter with each passing month. What do shoppers think about peanut butter now? Nine people have died, hundreds have been sickened, and thousands of products have been recalled. When the salmonella outbreak in peanut products, traced back to a plant in Georgia, initially came to light, no one expected the storm that would follow. This massive recall of products has shaken up the nation's confidence in our food supply and the controls that have been put in place by our government that have ultimately revealed themselves as not affective enough. We surveyed our Consumer Panel on SupermarketGuru. com to see how their decision to purchase peanut products has been affected in light of this recent disaster. To begin with, we were not surprised to find out that 100% said they are aware of the recent peanut recall. When asked, "Has the recall affected your decision to purchase peanuts or peanut products?" 74% said "yes". And when it comes to candy or chocolate products containing peanuts or peanut butter, 70% said their purchasing decision has been affected. A most important lesson to the food world is to understand how to communicate. There is little doubt that the sales of brand name jarred peanut butter has been affected in a negative way - and the fact that this product category is not been implicated in the recall seems to go unnoticed by consumers points to the failings of our messaging. For more analysis and insights log on to the B2B page of SupermarketGuru.com. The Lempert Report uploads right here every Thursday. To reach me directly, please email me at Phil@SupermarketGuru.com For information on New Products, visit our weekly videocast: http://www.ratefoods.com