In letters to the Federal Trade Commission and the Food and Drug Administration, Monsanto is claiming that the advertising of some dairies falsely suggests that there are health and safety risks with milk from cows treated with artificial growth hormones. Many dairies now say their milk comes from cows not treated with the artificial growth hormone recombinant bovine somatotropin, or rBST, which is manufactured by Monsanto. The FDA approved the use of the synthetic hormone in 1993. Some consumers fear the synthetic hormones cause cancer or premature development in children. Monsanto says a lab analysis of 95 different …

An increasing array of products are being aggressively marketed to affluent, aging baby boomers who have shown a marked willingness to pay to stave off the effects of age. That is sparking a backlash from consumer activists and regulatory agencies, which are cracking down on some of the activities and taking additional legal action. Enviga, for example, has garnered heavy criticism, along with a lawsuit against co-marketers Coca-Cola and Nestle, challenging the scientific basis for the drink's claims to spur weight loss. It has even led the Food & Drug Administration to consider whether it should regulate food and …

Struggling to connect with younger diners, Wendy's International is adding new flavors of Frosty that come with wide straws and bubble-shaped tops. Research shows that the Frosty is the No. 4 reason people visit Wendy's, behind the square hamburgers, chicken offerings and salads. After testing more than 100 different varieties of vanilla flavoring -- and having more than 100 consumer testers chose between two finalists -- Wendy's launched a vanilla Frosty with a strong cotton candy flavor last July. Frosty sales have increased 25%, and vanilla accounts for about 40% of orders. Wendy's is now said to be tinkering …

As pet-food brands begin crisis-management efforts following the recall of more than 60 million packages, upscale organic and natural pet foods are getting at least a temporary bump in share of the $15 billion market. Orders are up 300% for Boulder-based Natural Pet Nutrition. A 25-pound bag of Pet Promise food comes with a list of "no's" including "no added growth hormones" and "no antibiotic-fed proteins" and costs $35. Castor & Pollux Pet Works has had a tenfold rise in traffic on its Web site. And online pet-food retailer Waggintails has had a 30% to 40% rise in …

The Easter season is the No. 3 retail season behind Christmas and Valentine's Day, and sales are expected to be up 11% to $14.3 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation. Hasbro is reprising a pitch to put games in Easter baskets after a promotion last year brought double-digit sales gains. TV ads for its "think outside the basket" promotion show a bunny trying to fit a game board into an Easter basket. It's offering a $10 coupon (vs. $5 for last Easter). Mark Stark, Hasbro's marketing vice president, says the company talked to a lot of …

The Center for Science in the Public Interest charged yesterday that Anheuser Busch is marketing Spykes to underage drinkers as "liquid Lunchables" -- after the children's lunch kits made by Kraft Foods -- and called on the brewer to recall it from retailers shelves. Spykes is a malt beverage in colorful two-ounce packages that comes in flavors such as Spicy Mango, Hot Melons, Spicy Lime and Hot Chocolate. It contains 12% alcohol by volume, about the same percentage as many types of wine. It also contains caffeine, ginseng and guarana that "gives your beer a kick, adds …

It seems there's a new story about online copyright infringement on the Internet every day, but the fashion industry shows that intellectual property law is not the only way to engage in innovation and generate growth. Brand names and logos are protected by trademark, but the design of clothing is generally not protected in the United States. Two law professors recently wrote a paper that outlines how the industry manages to function without much intellectual property protection because of two interacting factors: "induced obsolescence" and "anchoring." The first means that clothes become unfashionable before they wear out, so …

Tom Ford--who helped to redefine fashion when he was creative director of the Gucci Group--is opening a hotly anticipated store on Madison Avenue next Thursday to showcase a range of products under his own label, including fragrances, eyewear and men's clothing. Additional retail stores in Milan, Tokyo, London and Los Angeles are planned over the next three years. The men's line--produced by Italian fashion house Ermenegildo Zegna--will also be distributed in a select number of specialty and department stores. Secrecy has intensified interest in Ford's plans. In an interview last year, Ford said off-the-rack suits would start at $2,500. …

Scholastic and Target Stores will launch a four-month program called Scholastic Summer Reading Buzz! next month that aims to get millions of kids to read at least four books over the summer. It will have a dedicated Web site -- Scholastic.com/SummerReading -- as well as classroom materials and a sweepstakes awarding a family trip to Orlando. Kids register at the site, then log in book titles each time they finish reading one. For every four books read, Scholastic will donate one book to Reading is Fundamental, which will distribute the books to underprivileged kids. The site also invites kids …

Kroger has quietly rolled out a series of personal finance offerings in most of its 2,400 stores across the country, offering everything from pet insurance to home-equity loans. Through Kroger Personal Finance, customers can also apply for a mortgage, sign up for identity theft protection or get a credit card. Kathy Kelly, president of Kroger Personal Finance, say the company is offering the financial products through partnerships with other companies as a means of promoting customer loyalty and making its stores a one-stop-shopping destination. Kroger seems to have taken a page from the book of British retail giant Tesco, …