September 7, 2012
Weekly Roundup: The food crisis, Asia’s new bright spot, the organic debate
Posted by: Marian Berelowitz - New York in North America
Due to Labor Day office closures, this double-edition roundup covers items from the past two weeks.
-U.N. officials urged action to guard against global hunger as food prices climb and a new focus on the “long-term issue of how we produce, trade and consume food,” reports The New York Times.
-The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post take a look at the toll that continued high unemployment is taking on Europe’s youth.
-The Philippines is now an “economic bright spot” in Asia, with skilled young urban workers driving growth, says The New York Times.
-The Economist reports that Asia’s “next revolution” will see the continent shift from “simply building wealth towards building a welfare state.”
-In this year’s Global Competitiveness Report from the World Economic Forum, the Netherlands and Germany overtake the U.S. in the rankings.
-Americans both admire and dislike the wealthy, according to a new Pew Research Center study, as reported by Bloomberg Businessweek.
-The Economist argues that the corporate attitude toward disability is “the new green,” both in hiring disabled people and targeting the market.
-From rooftop farms to space greenhouses, Fast Company spotlights how we’ll grow food in the future.
-Cloud services from Amazon and others are helping to reshape computing, “powering all kinds of new businesses … quickly and with less capital,” says The New York Times.
-More U.S. grocery chains are hiring dietitians for their stores, reports The New York Times.
-The Economist spotlights America’s increasingly competitive market for beer and spirits.
-A new study ignites debate on the benefits of organic vs. conventional food.
-The Economist reports on one of our 100 Things to Watch in 2012, the rising concern about food waste.
-In the face of flagging demand, Mintel finds that fewer food brands are launching reduced-salt products, reports MediaPost.
-Time looks at why Americans are drinking less milk.
-Bloomberg Businessweek spotlights the pitaya and the race to spot the next big superfruit.
-Restaurants are starting to experiment with variable pricing based on dining time, according to The New York Times. The paper also reports that more restaurants are logging detailed data on customers in order to cater to individual preferences.
-The AP examines the difficulty that retailers are encountering in trying to “wean sales-addicted shoppers off discounts.”
-The Wall Street Journal examines how algorithms are driving the rise of constant price changes on e-commerce sites like Amazon.
-USA Today reports that more American retailers are developing indoor navigation apps, a manifestation of one of our 100 Things to Watch in 2011.
-Apparel retailers are doing more to target men, realizing that “younger guys are not so afraid of shopping,” says The New York Times.
-Airports are reducing staff and becoming increasingly self-service, reports The Wall Street Journal.
-Digital payment services are springing up in the Middle East, reports The Economist, catering to the many consumers who shy away from credit cards.
-Wired reports that we won’t be getting rid of traditional wallets in favor of our smartphones for at least a decade.
-Adweek spotlights the rise of companies that are “turning pins into purchase on Pinterest.”
-The New York Times muses on JOMO, the flip side of FOMO.
-Voice mail is falling out of fashion as more people lose patience with the process, according to USA Today.
-The New York Times takes a look at the rampant fraud that has proliferated in the online art market.
-Hotels are partnering with fashion designers to generate buzz and lure certain types of customers, reports USA Today.
-The Wall Street Journal takes a look at what’s replacing the stainless steel finish among kitchen appliance manufacturers.
-The New York Times takes a look at the popularity of electronic dance music, or EDM.
